A close analysis of the opening and closing scenes of Blade runner the directors cut (1992).

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A close analysis of the opening and closing scenes of Blade runner the directors cut (1992)

  Blade runner a box office flop in 1982 but a 1992 re release hit set Blade runner up to be one of the greatest films of all time. After Indiana Jones and the raiders of the lost ark there was a lot to live up to for Ridley Scott but he failed to deliver.

     

      The opening sequence begins with the producers of the film we have AOL time Warner and the ‘WB’ logo.  Shortly after this the credits begin. ‘’ a Michael Deely-Ridley Scott production’’.  After this for about 2 seconds there is silence then a loud boom synchronised with the title ‘’Blade Runner’’.  Then we have the scrolling prologue, which features a gently flowing music, and then almost as in rhythm we hear this boom again.  The prologue explains the film maybe a little too much.  The words ‘’Blade runner’’,  ‘’Replicants’’ were in red as was the opening title.  This symbolises that in a way these are connected.  Maybe we learn a little too much but this goes on.  Once the Prologue has finished there is another short blank silence and broken once again by the boom now synchronised with the words ’Los Angeles, 2019’, this fades out and we get our first glimpse of the future.  

  We see a dystopic environment with oil refineries dominating the landscape.  This dystopia is a sign of what is yet to come.  The explosive sound of the flames comment on the distopic Hades landscape.  It makes us realise that this world is not real.  It largely displays a sense of unrealism.  There is creative relationship, between the sound of the flames and when we see them.  We see the flames then instantaneously hear them.  On earth Light travels faster than sound so this not being the case tells us that we are in a place much further away from Earth.  This is further emphasised by the sounds of the spinners.

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  We see the Doppler shift of the spinners as they pass by the camera at a high speed.  Spinners have a diegetic function, as they show that you are worlds away from your current point.  The opening scene of the film is very spectacular and at the same time quite depressing.  It evokes a landscape full of oil refineries, very dark, and punctuated, by a density of light sources, it reminds us of ‘’the heavens’’ but this is not merely a heaven but definitely a hell.

  By Todorov’s conventions films begin with equilibrium. This equilibrium is then disrupted ...

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