1. Blade Runner: Context Compiled by Tanya Appleby
( AIS Conference Notes Stapleton & Kruse (2008), Sydney University
Blade Runner: Context

2. Origins & Context
Based on Philip K Dick’s (1968) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Vietnam War: brutalisation & desensitization of humanity
3 Raising questions:
‘What is it to be human?’
‘What is it that separates humans from machines?
‘Does love and compassion make us human & humane’

3. Dick, P.K. (1968)

4. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
The text presents the following themes:
Paranoia
Alienation
Man’s emotional sterility & inhumanity
Misuse of earth’s resources & ecological issues
In Summary: Rep. Earth as ‘hellish’ with manifestations of St Elmo’s fire and
Post-holocaust dystopia

5. St. Elmo’s Fire
WHAT IS IT?
What does it look like?
St Elmo’s Fire is a bright blue or violet glow that appears from masts, spires or sharp pointed structures. It often has a distinct glow and a buzzing or hissing sound

6. Some ideas in Blade Runner
Moral philosophical & sociological concerns in the context of a fictional futuristic environment
The isolation and alienation of the environment of 2019 ( although it transcends any time period)
Cautionary tale of the post-modern world
Human Vs machine intelligence

7. Contextual References to Descartes
Rene Descartes ( ) “Father of Modern Philosophy”
His principle: Thought exists. Thought can not be separated from me, therefore, I exist.
“cogito ergo sum”: “I think therefore I am”
Lead to the possibility of machine intelligence

8. Influences: Film Noir French: Black Film
Has origins in 1940/50s when Americans were disillusioned with the world and the society
Represents a general feeling of despair

9. Blade Runner & Film Noir
Scenes are dark, murky and reflect corruption & disillusionment
Dark lighting that can obscure the action & ‘deglamourise the hero’
Strong use of shadow and other dim lighting; overuse of oblique and vertical lines as opposed to horizontal lines to create claustrophobia
Unnatural shadows to illuminate interiors
Use of high angle/low angle shots to disorientate the viewer and create a feeling of isolation and alienation/detachment
Action takes place at night or in the rain, blinds are pulled down. Indoor lighting subdued

10. Film Noir con’t Characterisation:
Often presented as corrupt or immerses in a seedy world or harsh criminal world
The hero is often disillusioned with life. May be rep. as a loner, world weary hero, cast in shadows and fatalistic
Often a femme fatale who threatens the heroes mission as he becomes involved with her- This often puts him on moral damger or in a dilemma ( Rachael)

11. Structure The structure:
The hero is usually given a mission but it is not straight forward. There is a strong element of danger and he is forces to deal with grotesque characters
The hero is rep. as the protector of society often with a rough moral edge ( often driven to extreme behaviours)
Pessimistic tone

12. Film Noir Associated with Hollywood drama Moral ambiguity
Connection to Detective Fiction
Associated with Hollywood drama
Moral ambiguity
Classic 40s/50s B&W films
Origins in German Expressionism
The rise of hardboiled school of crime fiction

13. The Structure of the Detective Genre
Elements
Our question is?
The seemingly perfect crime
The wrongly accused suspect at whom all circumstantial evidence points
Bungling of the dim-witted police
The greater powers of observation & superior intellect of the detective
The unsuspecting denouement in which the detective reveals how the culprits identity was ascertained
In what ways does Blade Runner subvert the traditional detective Genre structure?

14. Visual Images
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