News for Blade Runner Fans

[John Cole]

Warner Home Video is up with a major announcement this week — after rights to Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fi classic Blade Runner lapsed last year, leading to the title going out of print on home video, worldwide rights have been renewed, and Blade Runner: The Director's Cut will return in a limited edition this September, which will be on the shelves for four months in a "restored and remastered" version, after which it will be placed on moratorium. Following up in 2007 will be the holy grail of DVD releases for fans of the film, Blade Runner: The Final Cut, which will include a brand-new version of the film from Ridley Scott, as well as three additional versions: the original U.S. theatrical cut (with Harrison Ford's narration and the "happy" ending), the "Expanded International Theatrical Cut" (with extra violence), and the 1992 Director's Cut (hey, unicorns!). Count on plenty of extras in the multi-disc package, as well as a theatrical re-release of the film prior to the DVD's street-date.

[pryor15]

I [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] DVD

[Mr. Orange]

I love Blade Runner but another new version? I thought the 92 Director's cut was suppposed to be the definitive version.

[diebitter]

I want the original, I [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] the original, I need the original.

[Dominic]

[ QUOTE ]
I love Blade Runner but another new version? I thought the 92 Director's cut was suppposed to be the definitive version.

[/ QUOTE ]

In 1989, a stero-film preservationist was working for Warner Bros. when he made an unusual discovery: a 70mm print of Blade Runner. He knew the film's history and knew that only 2 or 3 70mm prints had been made. He didn't screen the print, but months later someone contacted him about a film festival being held in Los Angeles for 70mm films. They scheduled a screening of the 70mm print of Blade Runner and it showed on May 6th, 1990. The movie sold out faster than other screening in the history of that theater.

no one expected a different version of the film but it was obvious it was different from the original theatrical release almost immediately. I was there...this is what I saw:

(As my memory is not this fantastic, I'm now paraphrasing Paul Sammon in his great book, "Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner.")

Instead of the usual crawl of information about replicants that opens the film, there was a definition of the word replicant, taken from what was supossed to be a 21st century dictionary. Another difference was the main titles - a white line zoomed in front off screen, bisected the frame, and then the words "Harrison Ford" and Blade Runner" sprouted up or down from that line to the sound of knife bladews scraping against each other. At first, I was confused by this, but then I became very excited - as did a few people in the audience along with me.

This was not the original theatrical version, or the Internation version (which was a little more violent but that's about it), this was something else.

There were many differences from the original theatrical version. First, there was no Ford narration except at the very end when Roy Batty was dying. There was no happy ending. The first half of the film had Vangelis' soundtrack, but the last two reels had a temp music track instead...

I could go on and on and on about this version I had seen...and the other versions of this film that have been screened...but I'd just be regurgitating Sammon's book - any fan of this movie needs to read this book. It's awesome.

I will say thatRidley Scott got involved after that screening...he really wanted to make a version that conformed more to his vision back when it was made...but he was making Thelma and Louise and didn't have time...instead, the studio put together the Director's Cut with Scott's notes...that's the version a lot of you have now on DVD. But it is not Scott's final say on the film.

There have been many versions...many so-called "director's cuts" that have screened at various places...I do know, through talking with Ridley Scott personally, that he had always wanted to go back and re-cut the film into what would be his definitive version. I guess he's done that now!

And I can't wait.