Prescient.

It occurred to me that I haven't written a post regarding Blade Runner in quite some time, which of course makes me feel terribly guilty. I mean after all, the theme of this blog is based on the movie, so one would think that I could come up with some sort of BR reference from time-to-time? So, to satisfy this lag in theme coverage, I went and watched it again, and still marvel at the things I rediscover, and discover for the first time on every viewing.

Ridley Scott's masterpiece of a movie is incredibly layered. Sometimes, the only way to try and catch everything is to pause at certain points and go through a scene frame-by-frame. It's just amazing the things you pick up when you do this. One of my favorite moments is when Deckard is chasing Zhora through the streets, and he starts shooting at her by the glass displays. The second time she's hit in the back, if you pause and look very astutely at her right hand you can see the squib (explosive effect device) trigger, and see her let it go after she squeezes it.

The "Final Cut" edition of the movie comes with "Dangerous Days - The Making Of Blade Runner," and is a must for any true fan. It's also great for any aspiring filmmaker, as it gives an inside scoop as to what it takes to mount such a movie as this. Did you know that:

- The original name of the script was "Dangerous Days?"
- The first time Deckard was supposed to be seen was on a train coming back into "San Angeles." after he was vacationing in Alaska? (1980 script draft)
- One of the scenes cut from the movie was Deckard going to visit Holden in his hospital bed after he was shot by Leon?
- Ridley Scott was fired from the movie after principal filming was finished - and then rehired almost immediately?
-Dustin Hoffman was in consideration for the role of Deckard, and had several conversations with Ridley Scott about the 'social significance" of the film.

The other thing that struck me today was this: Blade Runner takes place in 2019, and here we are, just nine years from that time. What does the movie show that even remotely resembles today? Well, there are a few things that ring true, but replicants and robot technology is certainly not one of them.

1. Oppressive corporate culture - The Tyrell Corporation, the multi-national robotic and AI conglomerate is in evidence everywhere in the Blade Runner World. It's a bit of Wal-Mart, Google, and Cisco all rolled into one giant company. About the only thing that comes close in our world might be Microsoft, and the way it has invaded so many aspects of our world here in 2010. Wouldn't it be something though if one of Bill Gates' creations suddenly showed up at his house, and declared in a solemn voice, "I want more life, father."

2. Flying cars. -
Sorry, a no-go. The Spinner, the multi-purpose police car that can either fly, or be a conventional ground vehicle is not on the horizon. It's original design as conceived by visual futurist Syd Mead was that of an aerodyne - a vehicle that can do vertical take off's and landing's (VTOL) much in the way a Harrier jump jet does. Considering the latest brouhaha surrounding Toyota, and now Honda as well, I don't think I'd like having cars zipping over major cities and then having a major engine failure. And you thought an uncontrolled acceleration was tough?

3. Image manipulation - Ah, now here's something that we can point to and say, "Well we pretty much have that!"

When Deckard is examining Leon's photo for clues, he uses a device known as an "ESPER:"
It's defined as: " A high-density computer with a very powerful three-dimensional resolution capacity and a cryogenic cooling system. The police cars and Deckard's apartment contain small models which can be channelled into the large one at police headquarters. This big apparatus is a well-worn, retro-fitted part of the furniture. Among many functions, the Esper can analyze and enlarge photos, enabling investigators to search a room without being there."

While computers today may not have quite the same capacity as an Esper, it's pretty darn close. The next time you use your computers photo downloading software, or a program like Photoshop, you're pretty close to having the kind of funtionality that Esper's do - though seeing around corners as reflected in mirrors is probably not one of them.

4. Mult-cultural/nationality cities - Score another one for accuracy. It used to be that only the truly big cities in this country- NYC, LA, Chicago - could say they were truly multicultural. Nowadays, both big and small cities are reflective of this, and one only need to go into the downtown area of a city and see this played out everyday. In the BR world, it's the population overload that's also a factor, and this is nothing new, and even more prevalent in places like China, India, and Brazil.

5. Advertising on steroids. If you've seen the movie, you'll remember these:


I think that BR was even somewhat mild in it's vision of corporate advertising on buildings and the like. One only need to go to Times Square, or as some have pointed out, the Ginza in Tokyo, or the main shopping district in Hong Kong to see just how much this goes beyond even what BR predicted.

5. TV phones -
Remember those ads from the late 50's and 60's about phones with televisions in them, so that you could see the person you are talking to? Well, certainly camera cell phones have fulfilled that promise, but I think that even more so are webcams, especially when you're using programs like Skype, Googletalk, etc. Teleconferencing is now commonplace, though the public video phone is still not there - or is it, somewhere? Still, if you notice in the pic above, AT&T is still around, and still charging too much money (This call cost Deckard $1.25 for a 1 minute call.).

One has to wonder what is around the corner for us, and what parts of Blade Runner will come true prior to 2019? Let's hope it's not replicants. I want to be able to distinguish my robots from my humans easily.

More human than human.

As an actor, I can appreciate a good monologue. Just you up on stage or screen. There is a great story that Anthony Hopkins told of when he was a young actor at the Old Vic, understudying and acting alongside the great Sir Laurence Olivier. Olivier told Hopkins that when you are delivering a line, "You're the star of the show." Slightly puzzled, Hopkins asked, "Why?" "Well," replied Olivier, "You're the only one speaking at the time."

When Blade Runner first came out, it was derided by many as all special effects, and no substance. It was only until many years later that critics began to reverse that opinion and see the film for what it is: a flat out masterpiece, not only of sci-fi, but just in general It influenced so many things that came after it.

It also asks the central question; "What does it mean to be human?" Rutger Hauer's monologue near the end of the movie has been generally recognized as one of the most poignant moments ever placed on film. It also wasn't in the script. Hauer improvised the scene in his trailer, showed it to Ridley Scott, who wisely decided that it was better than what was in the script, so he let Hauer run with it. The result is pure magic:




Life, death, morality, ethics, spirituality, meaning, humanism, it is all covered in this movie. This one scene compresses so much of that into a magical moment.

This cut is from the most recent Blade Runner, "The Final Cut" (There are several versions of the movie - long story about that.) In the original theatrical release however, Harrison Ford ("Deckard") has a voice over for this scene, that was one of several in the movie. While many Blade Runner purists like myself don't really care for the voice overs', this one has stayed with me, and is the one I actually enjoy:

Deckard: "I don't know why he saved my life. Maybe in those last moments, he loved life more than he ever had before. Not just his life. Anybody's life. My life. All he wanted was the same answers the rest of us want. Where do I come from? Where am I going? How long have I got? All I could do was sit there and watch him die."

While sitting in my favorite coffee shop today, it started to rain hard outside, and this scene flashed into my head. Whenever I worked rainy summer nights in Brooklyn, it always reminded me of Blade Runner. Whenever I dealt with death, I thought of Roy Batty. (Hauer's character.)

When I dealt with my own death, I was Deckard. I don't know why I was spared, but then again, who does?

Parts is parts........

"It's too bad she won't live.....but then again, who does?" - Gaff.

I have a few links on this blog to organ donor organizations that I support. I support them with good reason, as 10 years ago, my life was saved due to the generosity of one family. There were actually 5 of us that benefited as a result, and while I am not sure of the status of the other 4 recipients, I'd like to believe that they are all as alive as I am right now.

I will try to encapsulate the story of my liver transplant into one, easy to use pill. (Sorry, but when you are on the daily doses of medication I am, you tend to think in pharmacological terms.)

In 1985, at the age of 26, I was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a degenerative disease of the bile duct system of the liver. I lived with this disease for 12 years, and began to see the signs of advanced liver disease somewhere around late 1995, early 1996. I was placed on the transplant waiting list in February of 1997, and at that point, had about a year, to a year and a half to live.

Dealing with death as I did all throughout my EMS career, it took on an entirely different approach when it is the possibility of your own death that was staring back at you. The wall that helps you to deal with the death of patients crumbles easily. Your emotions run so wildly, that any of the scariest roller coasters in the country are nothing in comparison. I don't think I necessarily went through a Kubler-Ross type of event, but at the same time, you do find yourself looking in the mirror and wondering why all this is happening.

As the disease progressed, I began to exhibit all the hallmark signs of liver disease; jaundice, weight loss, loss of hair, etc. Things finally got bad enough in late July of 1997, and I was admitted to Mt. Sinai Hospital in Manhattan to wait for my shot at a liver. (Being put in the hospital is one criteria for being moved up on the transplant waiting list.) I still understood that it could be months before I received a transplant, but at least I had a shot. One week after admission, it happened, and on August 1st, I received my gift of life.

There is certainly more to this story, as it has been 10 years, getting closer to 11 now, since that momentous day. There have been bumps along the road: a rejection episode in 2002, an infection last June that almost did me in, but all-in-all, I really have no cause for complaint. I have 10 years that I might not have had otherwise. I have been able to see my niece, who was born 36 hours prior to the transplant, growing up faster than I care to think about, and I have been able to accomplish things I never would have had the opportunity to do.

More transplant stories later. For now, just remember, "Don't take your organs to heaven. Heaven knows, we need them here."

Now, the procedure is not quite like this, but, laughing a lot helps one get through such an ordeal....Fortunately for me, they did use anesthesia.....(Warning: Really not suitable for kids, but tame compared to other things.)

"You got the wrong guy pal........"

So who exactly is Mr. Nightime?

Those who are deeply into Blade Runner as I am, know that there were several versions of the script that were written. One of the last, before shooting started contained something of a different scene where we are introduced to Deckard. Edward James Olmos, who plays another Blade Runner by the name of Gaff, has been sent to fetch Deckard back to police HQ to talk with Inspector Bryant, Deckard's former boss. (Deckard had quit as a Blade Runner some time beforehand.) Gaff encounters Deckard at a noodle bar in downtown LA, as this excerpt from the script shows:

    GAFF
                     (in Japanese)
              *** You will be required to
              accompany me, sir. ***

    Deckard doesn't understand Japanese, thinks the man
    wants a seat.

                            DECKARD
              Wait your turn, pal.

    Deckard turns back to his food.

                            GAFF
                     (in Japanese)
              *** If you do not comply with an
              official request, I will be
              obliged to exert my authority. ***

    Deckard is ignoring Gaff but the Counterman leans in
    Deckard's face and translates.

                            THE COUNTERMAN
              He say, you go with him.

    Deckard turns and finds Gaff waving a badge in his face.

                            GAFF
                     (in Japanese)
              *** To defy duly constituted
              authority is to flaunt the public
              good. ***

    Deckard doesn't understand a word.

                            THE COUNTERMAN
              He say, you're under arrest, Deckard.

    Deckard turns back to his food.

                            DECKARD
              Tell him he's got the wrong guy.
                     (turning to Gaff
                      loudly)
              You got the wrong guy, pal.

                            GAFF
                     (in Japanese)
              *** Wrong guy, my ass.  You're
              known as The Boogeyman in every
              mean joint in town. ***

                            THE COUNTERMAN
              He say, Boogeyman.

    Deckard flinches at the word "Boogeyman," but goes on
    eating.  But now we know, and he knows it's not a
    mistake.

                            GAFF
                     (in Japanese)
              *** You are a Blade Runner in the
              Four Sector and after the slaughter
              at the steel shop they called you
              Mister Nighttime. ***

                            THE COUNTERMAN
              He say, Brade Runner.  He say,
              Mister Nightime.

                            DECKARD
              Tell him I'm eating.

Now, what was actually shot in the movie is slightly different. Edward James Olmos, the great actor that he is, developed a language he called "Cityspeak," which is a mixture of Japanese, and Hungarian, with some other things thrown in.

Here is how the scene appeared in the movie:



"Slaughter at the steel shop...," Brings up a far too uncomfortable memory of an auto body shop slaughter I responded to back in the early 90's. It was a front for a drug running operation......They had one thing in common with replicants.....they were both illegal.......