By [ad_1]
Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner took 25 years to bring fans the definitive version, resulting in quite a few different cuts of the iconic 1982 sci-fi hit.
Ridley Scott’s iconic 1982 hit sci-fi classic Blade Runner was a noir cyberpunk-inspiring adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? that eventually created a dedicated fanbase. The film went on to influence a number of other sci-fi projects before it received a sequel in 2017 called Blade Runner 2049.
However, while director’s cuts of popular movies have become more commonplace over the years, Blade Runner is unique in that the original movie has had multiple cuts over the years that could leave some fans wondering whether they had seen the “proper” or definitive versions. So today we are going to take a closer look at the differences in all 7 cuts of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner.
7 Blade Runner’s Workprint Cut Is Also Known As The Original Director’s Cut And Was Only Shown To A Few Test Audiences
The very first cut of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner was a rough edit of the movie that featured a stand-in score and was shown to test audiences in two cities in 1982, which resulted in some negative feedback that led the studio to demand cuts and additions to help make the story easier to understand.
The Workprint Cut as it became known was later found and shown to audiences again in the 90s as the Original Director’s Cut, though Ridley Scott did not give his approval as it wasn’t properly edited and lacked the official score. The success of those viewings had an opposite effect as the original test screenings and led to the decision to release an official director’s cut. The Workprint Cut was included in 2007’s Ultimate Edition of Blade Runner along with the five other official cuts of the movie, though it is considered one of the rougher versions.
6 The San Diego Sneak Preview Cut Was Only Seen Once And Included Additional Scenes Not Added To Later Cuts Of Blade Runner
Blade Runner‘s San Diego Sneak Preview Cut was only seen once by audiences in 1982 as a preview for the movie, and it is fairly similar to what everyone saw in theaters when the movie was released. However, it does include three extra scenes that were not included in later cuts of the movie.
A scene of Rutger Hauer’s Roy Batty making a call to Hannibal Chew in a phone booth was removed after the preview as was a scene showing Harrison Ford’s Deckard reloading his gun with his broken fingers during his climactic battle with Batty. This version was also the first to include the “happy ending” that removed the ambiguity from the finale of the film as Deckard and Sean Young’s Rachael are shown driving off into the sunset.
5 Blade Runner’s US Theatrical Cut Introduced A Narrative Voiceover And Featured A New “Happy Ending” To Appease The Studio
After test audiences reacted negatively to the Workprint Cut of the movie, Warner Bros. requested a few changes that would ultimately change the film and leave critics and movie-goers divided with what became known as the US Theatrical Cut.
Despite the original script including narrative moments that could have been used for the voiceover, the studio used rewritten dialogue as a way to deal with test audiences’ criticisms and difficulty understanding the Workprint Cut of Blade Runner. Harrison Ford recorded the poorly-written dialogue in post-production but it became one of the most criticized changes made to the film. This version also used the “happy ending” that was included in the San Diego Sneak Preview Cut with Ford’s voiceover that contradicted Edward James Olmos’ Gaff regarding Rachael’s life span.
4 The International Cut Of Blade Runner Features A Few Violent Scenes And Was Later Released As The 10th Anniversary Edition
Warner Bros. was concerned with the level of violence in Blade Runner and how it would affect the box office in North America, yet the International Cut of the movie featured a few scenes that were considered more violent than what was seen in the US Theatrical Cut. This led to it also being known as Blade Runner‘s Unrated Cut.
The International Cut was gorier and featured extended scenes like Roy Batty’s murder of Roland Tyrell, which he did by digging his thumbs into his eyes. The Us Theatrical Cut featured a cutaway to a shot of his face instead of the longer murder. It also featured Batty’s more violent and extended “stigmata scene” during his final battle with Deckard. This version went unseen in the US for years before it was released first in The Criterion Collection and then to celebrate Blade Runner‘s 10th anniversary.
3 Blade Runner’s US Broadcast Cut Was An Edited Version Of The US Theatrical Cut That Removed Gore, Language And Nudity
While the US Theatrical Cut had already cut and toned down some of the violence for its 1982 release, TV censors required even further cuts and alterations before it could be broadcast. This heavily edited version became known as the US Broadcast Cut and first aired in 1986.
CBS was the TV studio responsible for editing the US Theatrical Cut down for broadcast and removed some of the remaining violent scenes while also getting rid of and profanity and nudity, like most edited-for-TV movies were forced to do in order to meet censorship guidelines. The Broadcast Cut also removed the ambiguity of Deckard’s potential existence as a replicant due to teasers that were shown before the movie. It also oddly featured a different version of the text crawl that opened the movie which featured a new narration not provided by Harrison Ford.
2 The Director’s Cut Of Blade Runner Was Edited By The Studio With Ridley Scott’s Approval And Was Re-Released In Theaters
Following the successful viewings of the rediscovered Workprint Cut in the early 90s, Warner Bros. decided to release a Blade Runner Director’s Cut officially after director Ridley Scott disowned the planned release of the workprint. Warner Bros. consulted with Ridley Scott for the Director’s Cut, and it is the first official release that erased all of the narrative voiceovers (thirteen in total).
The Director’s Cut also returned the movie’s ambiguity with the replacement of an important dream sequence featuring a unicorn that ties into Gaff’s later gift of an origami Unicorn, implying that Deckard’s memories could be implanted. The”happy ending” was also removed altogether, leaving Deckard and Rachel’s escape from LA ultimately unknown. This version of Blade Runner was re-released in theaters in 1992.
1 Blade Runner’s Final Cut Is Ridley Scott’s Definitive Vision For The Movie That Was Released To Celebrate The 25th Anniversary
Ridley Scott returned to his iconic movie in 2007 to recut the definitive version of Blade Runner which is regarded as the closest to his original vision for the adaptation while also taking advantage of advancements in technology. The Final Cut was digitally remastered and featured a new color palette that cleaned up the earlier Director’s Cut of the movie.
Scott was given full creative control of The Final Cut which allowed him to assemble a new version using bits and pieces from all previous cuts of the movie. The extended gorier scenes from the International Cut were re-added to the film, along with the full unicorn dream sequence that was originally edited down for the Director’s Cut. He even filmed new footage to better complete some scenes with additional dialogue as well. However, the US Theatrical Cut‘s voiceover narration and “happy ending” remained on the cutting room floor.
About The Author
[ad_2]
