BLADE RUNNER

BLADE RUNNER. Ridley Scott, dir. USA: Warner (et al.), 1982. 114 or 118 min. film; videocasette 123 min. Based on P. K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? See also BLADE RUNNER—THE DIRECTOR'S CUT.

A 1940s Film Noir detective thriller set in 2019, in a Los Angeles extrapolated (ethically) from that of the 40s films and Roman Polanski's CHINATOWN (1974). Significant for placing a Frankenstein theme in a funky, punkish (or cyberpunk), corporation-dominated world, and for its alternative investigation of Dick's questions on the differences and similarities between humans and androids (called here, "replicants"). See V. Sobchack, Screening Space, Chapter 4 (passim),[1] and Retrofitting BLADE RUNNER, cited under Drama Criticism.

For reception of BLADE RUNNER and a range of views, including from writers we'll call "civilians" — fans as much or more than academic types — see Lou Tambone and Joe Bongiorno, eds., The Cyberpunk Nexus: Exploring the Blade Runner Universe (Sequart Organization, 2018), reviewed by Terence Sawyers, SFRA Review 51.3 (Summer 2021).[2][3]

RDE, early; finishing 24Nov21