Director Ridley Scott can't stop tinkering with his 1982 sci-fi cult classic
Blade Runner. The film has had more surgery than Joan Rivers' face with numerous cuts and refinements ranging from major to minor having been made over the years. The film, which was a financial and critical flop upon its initial release, has gone on to earn many millions as its popularity spread through home video. The complexities of the story have long been debated by legions of fans who argue many key points of the story and explore possible hidden meanings. Scott clashed about the artistic direction of the script throughout the filming with star Harrison Ford, who has long relegated his experience on
Blade Runner as one of the most unpleasant of his career. He's spoken very little about the film in the ensuing years. The Scott/Ford feud is an unfortunate byproduct of what has emerged as one of the great science fiction films of all time.
Warner Brothers has now announced that they will release an "Ultimate Edition" of Blade Runner this December. The set- which will carry the bizarre suggested retail price of $78.92- will contain five different cuts of the film, including Scott's latest which he admits differs very little from the 1992 cut that made major changes from the theatrical version. Presumably this is the final version of the film unless Scott decides to emulate Barbra Streisand whose latest concert tour celebrates the tenth anniversary of her "retirement". There will also be other variations of the release aside from the "Ultimate Edition". Additionally, the new version will have a limited theatrical run in New York and Los Angeles. Continue reading for full details from Warner Brothers' official press release and a comprehensive listing of the various forthcoming DVD editions of the film. Video business has a full report on the Blade Runner set and comments from Scott on the film. Click here to read
At last! The
Definitive Version of Sir Ridley Scott’s Sci-Fi Classic
starring Harrison
Ford
The
Film That Started It All
BLADE
RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT
Debuts
on DVD December 18 with
Exclusive New York/LA Theatrical Launch October
5
Three
Spectacular Editions of Director’s Long-Awaited New Version,
Restored and
Remastered with 5.1 Audio,
New and Deleted Scenes, Special Effects and More
All
4 Previous Cuts, Including the Ultra-Rare ‘Workprint’ Version, Available Along
with Hours of Extra Content Including
Over
45 Minutes of Deleted Scenes & “Dangerous Days,†the Comprehensive New
Feature-Length Doc
Ultimate
Collector’s Edition, in Unique Limited
'Deckard Briefcase,'
also Available in HD DVD &
Blu-Ray
San
Diego, July 26, 2007 – The one that started it all.
Sir Ridley Scott’s Blade
Runner,
starring Harrison Ford, is
one of the most
important science-fiction movies of the 20th Century -- the film with
immeasurable influence on society for its futuristic depiction of a
post-apocalyptic, dystopian world, a film perhaps more powerful and relevant
today than when it was made. The film, in fact, has appeared on more ‘Top Five’
sci-fi lists than any other film.
In celebration of its
25th anniversary, director Ridley Scott
(Alien, Hannibal and a three-time
Oscar® nominee, Best Director, for Gladiator, Thelma & Louise and Black Hawk Down) has gone
back into post production to create the long-awaited definitive new version,
which Warner Home Video will unveil on DVD December 18th in the U.S. Blade Runner: The Final
Cut, spectacularly restored and remastered from original elements
and scanned at 4K resolution, will contain never-before-seen added/extended
scenes, added lines, new and improved special effects, director and filmmaker
commentary, an all-new 5.1 Dolby® Digital audio track and
more.
A
showcase theatrical run is also being planned for New
York and Los
Angeles October 5.
Blade
Runner: The Final Cut will be included in three stunning
DVD editions: a Two-Disc Special
Edition (at $20.97 SRP), a Four-disc Collector’s
Edition ($34.99 SRP) and the Five-Disc Ultimate Collector’s
Edition ($78.92 SRP) in Collectible “Deckard Briefcaseâ€
packaging.
Simultaneous HD DVD and Blu-Ray
versions (each $TBD) of the “Deckard Briefcase†will also be released in
numbered, limited quantities. HD DVD and Blu-Ray 5-Disc Digi Packs with
collectible slipcase (each $TBD) will include all of the UCE content.
Ford, Rutger Hauer, Edward James
Olmos, Joanna Cassidy, Sean Young and Daryl Hannah are among some 80 stars, filmmakers and
others who participate in the extensive bonus features. Among the bonus material highlights is
Dangerous Days - a brand new,
three-and-a-half-hour
documentary by award-winning DVD producer Charles de Lauzirika, with an extensive look into every
aspect of the film: its literary genesis, its challenging production and its controversial legacy.
The definitive documentary to
accompany the definitive film
version.
Additionally, two of the collections
(4-
& 5-Disc) will
include an entire disc with hours of enhanced content containing featurettes and
galleries devoted to over 45
minutes of deleted and alternate scenes recently discovered in
deep storage and approved by Ridley Scott, visual effects as well as background on author Philip K. Dick,
script development, abandoned
sequences, conceptual design, overall impact of the film and how
it lead to the birth of cyberpunk. Trailers, TV spots and promotional
featurettes will also be included.
Among some of the fascinating
factoids talked about in the special features:
·
Notable actual locations were used
to reflect 2019 Los
Angeles, such as Union Station, 2nd
Street tunnel and the Bradbury building.
·
The top of Police Headquarters is
actually part of the Mothership from “Close Encounters of the Third
Kind.â€
·
In the last scene, Rutger Hauer made
the jump between buildings himself.
·
In the fight scene between Daryl
Hannah and Harrison Ford, Hannah pulled Ford’s nose so hard that his nose
actually bled afterwards.
·
Holding a dove, and letting it fly
away, in the last scene was never in the script, but rather Rutger Hauer’s idea
when filming the scene.
·
“Dangerous Days†was originally the
name of the script.
Said Sir Ridley Scott: "The Final Cut is
the product of a process that began in early 2000 and continued off and on
through seven years of intense research and meticulous restoration, technical
challenges, amazing discoveries and new possibilities. I can now wholeheartedly
say that Blade Runner:
The Final Cut is my definitive director’s cut of the
film."
DETAILS OF
BLADE RUNNER
EDITIONS
BLADE
RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT SPECIAL EDITION
(2-DISC)
Disc
One
RIDLEY SCOTT'S
ALL-NEW "FINAL CUT" VERSION OF THE FILM
Restored and remastered with added
& extended scenes, added lines, new and cleaner special effects and all new
5.1 Dolby Digital Audio. Also includes:
- Commentary by Ridley
Scott
- Commentary by Executive
Producer/ Co-Screenwriter Hampton Fancher and Co-Screenwriter David Peoples;
Producer Michael Deely and production executive Katherine
Haber
- Commentaries by visual
futurist Syd Mead; production designer Lawrence G. Paull, art director David L.
Snyder and special photographic effects supervisors Douglas Trumbull, Richard
Yuricich and David Dryer
Disc
Two
DOCUMENTARY
DANGEROUS DAYS: MAKING BLADE
RUNNER
A feature-length authoritative
documentary revealing all the elements that shaped this hugely influential
cinema landmark. Cast, crew, critics and colleagues give a behind-the-scenes,
in-depth look at the film -- from its literary roots and inception through
casting, production, visuals and special effects to its controversial legacy and
place in Hollywood
history.
BLADE
RUNNER: COLLECTOR’S EDITION
(4-DISC)
The Four-Disc Collector's Edition includes
everything from the 2-Disc Special Edition
plus three additional versions of the film, as well as an
“Enhancement Archive†bonus disc of enhanced content that includes 90 minutes of
deleted footage and rare or never-before-seen items in featurettes and galleries
that cover the film's amazing history, production teams, special effects, impact
on society, promotional trailers, TV spots, and much more.
Disc Three
1982 THEATRICAL
VERSION
This is the version that introduced
U.S. movie-going audiences to a
revolutionary film with a new and excitingly provocative vision of the
near-future. It contains Deckard/Harrison Ford’s character narration and has
Deckard and Rachel’s (Sean Young) “happy ending†escape
scene.
1982
INTERNATIONAL VERSION
Also used on U.S.
home video, laserdisc and cable releases up to 1992. This version is not rated,
and contains some extended action scenes in contrast to the Theatrical
Version.
1992 DIRECTOR'S
CUT
The Director's Cut omits Deckard's
voiceover narration and removes the "happy ending" finale. It adds the
famously-controversial "unicorn" sequence, a vision that Deckard has which
suggests that he, too, may be a replicant.
Disc
Four
BONUS DISC -
“Enhancement Archiveâ€
- Featurette The Electric Dreamer: Remembering Philip K. Dick
- Featurette Sacrificial Sheep: The Novel vs. The Film
- Philip K. Dick: The
Blade Runner Interviews
(Audio)
- Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Cover Gallery
(Images)
- The Art of Blade Runner (Image
Galleries)
- Featurette Signs of the Times: Graphic Design
- Featurette Fashion Forward: Wardrobe & Styling
- Screen Tests: Rachel
& Pris
- Featurette The Light That Burns: Remembering Jordan
Cronenweth
- Unit Photography
Gallery
- Deleted & Alternate
Scenes
- 1982 Promotional
Featurettes
- Trailers & TV
Spots
- Featurette Promoting Dystopia: Rendering the Poster
Art
- Marketing &
Merchandise Gallery (Images)
- Featurette Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick
Deckard
- Featurette Nexus Generation: Fans &
Filmmakers
BLADE
RUNNER: ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITION
(5-DISC)
The 5-disc Ultimate Collector's Edition
includes everything from the previously described
4-Disc
Edition, plus the ultra-rare,
near-legendary WORKPRINT version
of the film, newly remastered. The Ultimate Collector’s
Edition will be presented in a unique 5-disc digi-package with
handle which is a stylish version of Rick Deckard's own briefcase, in addition each briefcase will be individually numbered
and in limited supply. Included is a lenticular motion film clip from the
original feature, miniature origami unicorn figurine, miniature replica spinner
car, collector's photographs as well as a signed personal letter from Sir Ridley
Scott.
Disc
Five
WORKPRINT
VERSION
This rare version of the film is
considered by some to be the most radically different of all the Blade Runner cuts. It includes an altered
opening scene, no Deckard narration until the final scenes, no "unicorn"
sequence, no Deckard/Rachel "happy ending,†altered lines between Batty (Rutger
Hauer) and his creator Tyrell (Joe Turkell), alternate music and much
more.
Also
includes:
• Commentary by Paul
M. Sammon, author of Future Noir: The Making
of Blade Runner
• Featurette
All Our Variant Futures: From Workprint to
Final Cut
About Blade
Runner
Blade
Runner made its first appearance in
U.S. theaters on June 25, 1982,
dazzling audiences with its stylish, brooding look into the future. From its
intelligent, provocative story line to its stunning camera work and state-of-the
art special effects, the film opened the door to a new view of tomorrow in
addition to prefiguring important concerns of the 21st century, such as
globalization, urban decay, global warming, over-population and genetic
engineering.
Set in a multi-ethnic, overcrowded,
high-tech city of the future, Blade Runner was
also a benchmark in costume and production design and helped spawn a new
genre/lifestyle -- neo-noir cyberpunk which has flourished in today’s mainstream
society and is reflected in all facets of entertainment, design and fashion
trends. Most recognizable is the current trend of the Harajuku district in
Japan, recently popularized by Gwen
Stefani.
In Blade Runner,
genetically manufactured beings called "replicants" are built to do dangerous
and degrading work on Earth's "Off-World colonies." Physically identical to
adult humans, yet much more powerful, a group of replicants hides in Los Angeles after a bloody
mutiny.
Heading the all-star cast, many in
career-expanding roles, is Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard, a special police
"blade runner" assigned to hunt down and kill the escapees. Also starring are
Sean Young as Rachel, Deckard's replicant lover; Edward James Olmos as Gaff, a
mysterious fellow policeman; Daryl Hannah as Pris and Joanna Cassidy as Zhora,
two beautiful yet murderous replicants; and Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty, the
replicant leader who challenges Deckard's ideas of what it is to be
human.
Blade
Runner was adapted from the novel "Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by acclaimed science-fiction author Philip K.
Dick. Hollywood has since discovered this eclectic author in full force, and
some of the films adapted from Dick's works include Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, Next, and Total Recall, among others, grossing
millions of dollars worldwide. But it was Blade Runner that
started it all. The film was nominated for 2 Academy Awards® -- for
Best Art Direction and Best Visual Effects. Oscar®- winning composer
Vangelis created the musical score.
The multiple "Top Ten" lists
Blade
Runner has consistently placed high on are: #1 on Wired
Magazine's list, and the English Scientists/Guardian Science List made it the #1
sci-fi film of all time based on surveys with 60 scientists. It is #3 on
Entertainment Weekly's "best sci-fi movies and TV shows of the past 25 years,"
and is also #3 on SFX Magazine's list. Blade Runner makes
the top ten on the Internet Movie Database's (IMDB) list, beating out such films
as Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the
Jedi, Frankenstein, King Kong,
Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T.