You Get to Recut Blade Runner Yourself, What Do You Use?

[HotTastyChili]

Suppose you befriend Ridley Scott and he allows you to create your own cut of the original Blade Runner from scratch. Why not? What's one more version? What would you include, what would you change, what would you visually tamper with? Spoilers ahead, obviously.

This is all my opinion. I know that most people tend to gravitate towards The Final Cut, but that one leaves me unsatisfied. Big publications that push the The Final Cut tend to parrot ad nauseam that it "represents director Ridley Scott's true vision". I don't really care, because I don't agree with Scott's vision. First off, any vision that would allow for that awful green color grading is suspect in my eyes. It subdues the awe inspiring city and groundbreaking effects. Secondly, I don't agree with how explicitly he argues that Deckard is a replicant with the unicorn dream. I think simply posing the question on Deckard's humanity is actually brilliant, it adds another layer of confusion to a film already rife with tension.

However, since the Director's Cut, Scott has seemed hell bent on shattering the ambiguity, which I certainly disagree with. I don't think Deckard being a replicant makes much thematic sense, but the implication itself is harmless to the movie's theme while simultaneously upping the emotional stakes. Of course, it's only harmless so long as that implication isn't turned into something more, which is exactly what happened with the addition of the unicorn dream. I think it's hinted at enough when Rachel asks him if he's ever taken the Voight-Kampff test himself.

Speaking of ambiguity, I would certainly leave out the narration. It's poorly written, poorly performed, and poorly implemented. Occasionally it does offer some nice clarity and background information, but the way it's done is so corny that every time it's used it just rips me out of the film and shatters the atmosphere and that underlying tension.

Here are some of the minor aspects. I would leave out Batty apologizing to Sebastian as seen in The Final Cut after Batty kills Tyrell. It's not that I dislike the apology (I know it's Batty sympathizing with Sebastian because they're both living on borrowed time), I just believe that Roy's soliloquy at the end of the film is more powerful when he's on screen prior to that as little as possible. It makes him more of an enigma. I subscribe to less is more with Batty given that Hauer's performance is so powerful. Don't overuse him. The apology also implies remorse, which is out of character for him up to that point. When he doesn't apologize, it makes the ending where he saves Deckard much more surprising and impactful.

I would also use "I want more life f***er" instead of "father". I have no good reason to justify that, other than I'm more used to hearing it as the swear word and "father" just sounds misplaced now.

So if I had to put my ideal version in the context of the existing versions to give you a better idea of my "true vision" of Blade Runner, I'd do it like this. Besides the atrocious green color grading and the unicorn dream, I like The Final Cut. It cleans up the visuals by getting rid of the wires on the cars and patches up the obvious stunt double for Joanna Cassidy. It also includes the violence from the International Theatrical Cut. The sound is also markedly improved. So if it were color graded like the previous cuts, I'd use The Final Cut sans the unicorn dream, sans Batty's apology to Sebastian, and "f***er" instead of "father".

[cheez avenger]

I'd put in the deleted scene of Deckard talking to Holden after Leon shot him at the beginning of the film. That chamber he's in always creeped me out when I saw it in the special features. I'd also restore any off-world footage back in along with the replicants that got fried trying to escape.

[Geoff D]

The UHD gets rid of a lot of the green, so that's one thing taken care of. Honestly, I'd be happy with the Final Cut minus "father" and with "****er", and losing the "sorry, sebastian" line.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

I'd just cut the unicorn scene in The Final Cut and do a little more editing to some scenes (mostly to the Rutger Hauer/Daryl Hannah scenes) to make it flow a little better so it's not "dragging" so much. That's it though from what is available.

[Rizor]

I made my own cut when the DVD box set came out. Forgot what I did. I think I kept one of the narrations (maybe from the workprint?). I probably removed the unicorn business (Deck's a human to me!). Maybe I'll dig it up.

[oilers73]

The Final Cut is perfection.

[BladeRunner2007]

I wouldn't change a damn thing! The Final Cut is absolute perfection!!!

[HotTastyChili]

The replaced dove shot is also controversial. Some believe that the original shot with the clear sky is more symbolically powerful (the dove flies away into a clear blue sky instead of the bleak oppressive rainy city), but the redone shot in The Final Cut fits the surrounding better. It's not a huge deal to me, but I'd side with continuity in this instance.

[stvn1974]

The Final Cut does everything right in my opinion but I have never felt good about the scene where Deckard pushes Rachel up against a wall and tells her to tell him she loves him (or is that she wants him?). It just makes Deckard out to be a jerk and Rachel kind of broken considered all that she has been through up until that point.

[Dr Lenera]

I don't like that scene much either....I guess I'd trim it.

I'm one of those weirdos who likes the narration. In fact I LOVE the narration. So I guess I'd have the Final Cut with the narration....and possibly the afore-mentioned scene trimmed.

[Rodney-2187]

I wouldn't change a thing about the Final Cut.

...but.....

Would anyone else be interested in seeing the Final Cut of the original Blade Runner in 3D?

I think that could be something special.

[gambit64]

Originally Posted by Dr Lenera

I don't like that scene much either....I guess I'd trim it.

I'm one of those weirdos who likes the narration. In fact I LOVE the narration. So I guess I'd have the Final Cut with the narration....and possibly the afore-mentioned scene trimmed.

I also love the narration! And I would rather have that mentioned scene cut out, as well.

[Arawn]

Heresy!

[Phillip c. Niethe]

I think all of the footage that still exists should be rescanned in high def and used in film school for just that purpose. Give people some hands on experience in editing and scoring. I once emailed a film Archive with that idea/ request... I chose a half dozen films, 1 by Ridley Scott, Kubrick, and 4 more that I thought were excellent choices at the time ( can't remember as it was shortly after the release of Blu-ray.)...
I myself would have a heyday editing Blade Runner, I've often desired to Re-Score the film and as for additions to the scenes, Scott is Notorious for multiple takes so we would have a massive amount of material to choose from. I would add in the Holden scenes and the other female replicant footage (might shoot some new footage and touch up with a little CGI) add lots more Gaff and fix the love scene. Redoing Blade Runner does feel a little akin to Heresy but I love all 5 versions and would love even more. I would also love to see what Christopher Nolan, Joseph Kosinski and Tarantino would do with it. Along with their choices of audio

[Phillip c. Niethe]

Originally Posted by Rodney-2187

I wouldn't change a thing about the Final Cut.

...but.....

Would anyone else be interested in seeing the Final Cut of the original Blade Runner in 3D?

I think that could be something special.

love the 3D idea I want that

[HotTastyChili]

Originally Posted by oilers73

The Final Cut is perfection.

I love the movie, I think it's one of the best sci-fi films. I enjoy every version, but I don't think that any cut of the movie is perfect, and it never would be with the existing footage.

An example is when he "retires" Zhora. The silly voice is totally unnecessary, she wouldn't recognize it anyway. In fact, the entire encounter is completely unnecessary since Deckard already knows she's a replicant from the photo and her tattoo. He should have just waited until she got off work, and then taken her out discretely. He took a totally meaningless risk, gets beat up, and risks her escape for no reason. Seems like an artificial way to make it a more involved encounter. Sloppy writing.

[Synchg]

i would have used...less teal. other than that, it's fine.

[Phillip c. Niethe]

Originally Posted by HotTastyChili

I love the movie, I think it's one of the best sci-fi films. I enjoy every version, but I don't think that any cut of the movie is perfect, and it never would be with the existing footage.

An example is when he "retires" Zhora. The silly voice is totally unnecessary, she wouldn't recognize it anyway. In fact, the entire encounter is completely unnecessary since Deckard already knows she's a replicant from the photo and her tattoo. He should have just waited until she got off work, and then taken her out discretely. He took a totally meaningless risk, gets beat up, and risks her escape for no reason. Seems like an artificial way to make it a more involved encounter. Sloppy writing.

I imagine the interaction was more to get her riled up and aquire some info as to the whereabouts of the others...maybe drive em out.. he was asking asking weird questions, maybe someone should ask Hampton or Scott

[spanky87]

International cut as the base.

Zohra stunt double fix from the final cut. And any other fixes like that.

Use the alternate narration during Batty’s death from the workprint version or cut it altogether.

[HotTastyChili]

Originally Posted by Phillip c. Niethe

I imagine the interaction was more to get her riled up and aquire some info as to the whereabouts of the others...maybe drive em out.. he was asking asking weird questions, maybe someone should ask Hampton or Scott

For someone who's supposedly the greatest blade runner there is, he's not very good at his job. That's another problem with the "Deckard is a replicant" assertion from Scott. If Deckard's a replicant, he shouldn't be getting his ass handed to him in every run in with one. Scott is also the only one subscribing to that theory. He was human in the book, human to the screenwriters, and human to Harrison Ford. The heavy-handed unicorn dream just doesn't work in my opinion.