``Blade Runner'' Ridley Scott, a man from England, fights alone

PAGES

2017.11.06Fumio Koda

What is "Final Cut"?

After the nightmare filming, Blade Runner was finally able to be completed and edited for preview screening, but the results were not good. It was extremely difficult to understand, with many viewers saying they couldn't really follow it. The production team frantically had the screenwriter write a narration script and called in Harrison Ford to record additional narration. They then made additional edits to make the situation easier to understand. Ridley Scott was said to be against narration, but the production team exercised their right to final cut and made changes to the film.

As mentioned above, "final cut" refers to the final editing rights, and Ridley Scott, who was not a producer at the time, did not have this right.

Thus, Blade Runner was released in 1982. However, in contrast to the so-called "light sci-fi" films such as ET , which were huge hits at the time, this film was not well received by audiences and did not become a hit. Reviews were mixed, with some people enthusiastic about its overwhelming worldview, unlike anything they had ever seen before, and many people who dismissed it as difficult to understand and boring.

Ridley Scott fought so hard to make this film, but just before it was completed he was given final cut, and something that was released to the world that was different from what he had intended. It's not hard to imagine his regret.

However, Ridley, who steadily climbed the ladder to becoming a master, was given the opportunity to re-edit "Blade Runner" himself. In 1992, he produced the " Director's Cut ," and in 2007, he produced a digitally remastered version called " The Final Cut ." After 25 years since the film's release, Ridley Scott has finally completed what he really wanted to make.

A huge number of people are involved in the production of a movie. Who does the movie belong to? There is no single answer. However, it is no exaggeration to say that the reason why "Blade Runner" still shines with an unfading brilliance even after more than 35 years is because of Ridley Scott's struggle.

References:Dangerous Days: The Making of Blade Runner”

Text: Fumio Koda

Editorial staff and writer for CINEMORE. My favorite movies are ``The Goonies'' and ``Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.'' My recent favorites are 4K digitally remastered classics by Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu.

Watch now

View work information