Blade Runner: Final Cut
A group of us gathered the other night to watch this version of the classic SF film. I'd never seen this 2007 re-cut before, though I knew it was the only one over which Ridley Scott had full artistic control.
I highly recommend it.
Gone is the annoying voiceover. Present are the cuts and violent scenes from the international release, the original ending, and even the full unicorn dream.
The print, which we watched on a Blu-Ray disc playing on a large 4K TV, was stunning, every image crisp and clean. The future still appeared as grim and gritty as I remembered it being, but the print's quality let us see all the details like never before.
The movie has always been troubling on several levels, and on this re-watching I was particularly bothered by the near-rape tone of Deckard's "love scene" with Rachael. Though that scene didn't strike me as different from its version in the original theatrical release, it bothered me more now than it did then, probably because of changes in me. One could argue that it helps make the case for Deckard being a replicant, but whatever the reason, the scene is disturbing.
I'm not the kind of Blade Runner fan who has seen every cut of the film; until now, I'd watched only the U.S. theatrical version. Even so, I found this Final Cut edition to be quite compelling. Check it out if you get the chance.
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3 comments:
Wondering if the Blu-Ray version is different from the DVD that came out earlier. I think the DVD was supposed to be a director's version.I remember going to the movies to see Blade Runner when it was first released. I'll check out this director's cut sometime. Thanks for the info. (I think we all change as we go through life. Hopefully, each of us changes for the better)
This "Final Cut" version wasn't available until 2007. I definitely recommend it.
Thanks for clearing up the Blue-Ray version vs. DVD version question. I'll definitely check this "Final Cut" out.
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