October 15, 2007
Do directors dream of endless re-edits?
I’ve always liked Blade Runner, the 1982 Ridley Scott film based on Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? I remember watching with awe in a London cinema the opening pan over a futuristic Los Angeles lit by flares.
But this is ridiculous.
On its 25th anniversary, five versions of Blade Runnder are extant, including the (disappointing, in my opinion) "director’s cut" of a few years ago and the latest one, called the "final cut" (we can only hope). It is playing around the corner from my office at the lovely Ziegfeld cinema.
I suppose it reflects the temptation to endlessly cut, re-cut and remix things that have found a fan base in the hope of getting a bit more out of the franchise. There has never been a Blade Runner 2 so we have been treated to Blade Runners 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 etc instead.
You will soon be able to get the whole lot in high-definition (and a metal case) for a mere $78.
But I prefer the original version, no matter how resentful Scott was that the studio made him attach a voice-over and a happy ending. Sometimes the Philistines are right.
