Does Blade Runner dream of film noir?

PAGES

2019.09.03Takeo Matsuzaki

Son of Alan Ladd, creator of Blade Runner

One of the important figures in film noir is the writer Raymond Chandler. He is the author of the original novels of film noir, such as "The Great Passage " starring Humphrey Bogart, and "The Goodbye, My Lovely Woman" starring Robert Mitchum, which is also known as Jerry Bruckheimer's first production. Haruki Murakami is not only a self-proclaimed fan of his, but he has also translated " The Long Goodbye " and " The Big Sleep ."

Chandler also has deep ties to the film industry, having written the screenplays for Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train on a Train (1951) and Billy Wilder's Confessions (1944). He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Confessions. Raymond Chandler wrote an original screenplay for a certain actor. That was Alan Ladd's film, The Blue Scare (1946).

Alan Ladd is famous for his quick-draw skills in the western Shane (1953), but he was also a film noir star in the 1940s, starring in films such as The Glass Key (1942), which was adapted from a novel by Dashiell Hammett (incidentally, he also worked with Chandler on The Dawn of Love (1944)). And there is an indirect connection between Alan Ladd and Blade Runner.

Before the film of "Blade Runner " begins, the logo of a film production company called "The Ladder Company" is displayed. One of the founders of "The Ladder Company", which was established in 1979, was Alan Ladd Jr., the son of Alan Ladd. Alan Ladd Jr. was the president of 20th Century Fox, United Artists, MGM, and other companies, and was the person who gave the go- Signs for the production of " Star Wars " (1977) and " Alien " (1979).

In fact, Alan Ladd also founded a film production company called JAGUAR PRODUCTION in 1953. At that time, the Hollywood studio system was still in its heyday. Unfortunately, the company was short-lived, but one of the people Alan Ladd looked to for inspiration in the film business at that time was William Boyd, who had introduced Robert Mitchum to the film industry.

Boyd bought the copyright and film rights to the "Hopalong Cassidy" series, which had been discontinued, and not only continued the series, but also re-edited the previous works for television, anticipating the spread of television sets to ordinary households. At the same time, he was successful in "merchandising" related products. William Boyd's actions were very pioneering in the movie business at the time.

The world of film is connected by coincidences and luck. Even though the real world has caught up with the year 2019, the setting of the film, the reason why "Blade Runner" continues to fascinate movie fans is because it follows and inherits the Hollywood filmmaking methods and film genres of the past.

【source】

" The Making of Blade Runner " (Sony Magazines)

" Blade Runner Testimony " (Incharnational Shinsho)

" Dictionary of Modern Film Terms " (Kinema Junposha)

DAILY BEAST

Text: Takeo Matsuzaki

Film critic Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Film and New Media, majoring in film. After working on TV and movie sets, he turned to writing specialized in movies. Currently appearing on TV, radio, and online distribution programs such as ``Plus'' and ``Japan Group.'' He has contributed numerous articles to ``Kinema Junpo'', ``ELLE'', movie theater pamphlets, etc. Currently, he is a member of the Kinema Junpo Best Ten selection committee, a judge for the ELLE Cinema Awards, the Tanabe Benkei Film Festival, and the Creators Factory section of the Kyoto International Film Festival. Co-authored “Modern Movie Terminology Dictionary” (Kinema Junposha) and others.

Watch now

View work information

"Blade Runner Final Cut"

Produced: 1982 and 2007

Original title: BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT

Running time: 117 minutes

"Blade Runner Final Cut"

<4K ULTRA HD & Blu-ray Set> (2 discs) ¥5,990 + tax

warner bros home entertainment

PAGES