Blade Runner had a difficult path to the big screen. There were various cuts, including the infamous version shown at the test screenings. An ex- of mine actually went to one of them and she says it was one of the most violent and sick films she’s ever seen (which is saying something). Under pressure to make something more acceptable to the viewing public, director Ridley Scott put out a movie he certainly wasn’t happen with; Harrison Ford refused to play ball on the narration the studios demanded be added to the film and delivered it a dull monotone he was convinced would never be used in the final version – how wrong was he?
About a decade and a half later, Ridley Scott was given the chance to put out a version he could put his name to – the so-called Director’s Cut, thus starting a trend that continues to this day. It turns out he wasn’t happy with that either, so he’s doing yet another one, due to be released in September.
Does Blade Runner really need that much fiddling with? Look at what happened with Star Wars. George Lucas keeps mucking around with that and it gets worse each time. It’s reached the point where he’s actually now being forced to release the originals again on DVD because everyone hates his new versions and would much rather have the original cuts (and because it’s a chance to extract even more cash for the fans).
The question is, what does Scott actually want to do to Blade Runner this time? Sure, ripping a unicorn out of Legend and sticking it in Blade Runner didn’t look fantastic, but what’s he going to? Shoot some footage of some more unicorns especially? Do a Lucas and add extra glowy eyes to Ford during key scenes to make it obvious Deckard’s a replicant?
