Carter: Director's cut

The directors cut in 1991 of Blade Runner changes the meaning of the 1982 movie in a couple of ways which I believe benefitted the movie, resulting in overall a better movie. The first movie showed the director's themselves might not have had faith in the production and writing of the movie in respect to the actual book because it involved a narrator. The removal of the happy ending was another big change between the two movies, I believe this was a necessary action in bringing the movie back into a closer relation with the book. The happy ending changed the meaning of the movie in my eyes because the book ended on some what of a cliff hanger for the audience to construct their own beliefs or opinions on what the true meaning was.

The movie Blade Runner was not very successful even though it had a strong following the message of the movie was somewhat difficult and the movie didn't show enough support in following along with the book. This is the main reason I believe the plot didn't turn out the way Ford hopedit would. Ford himself was very unhappy with the movie being quoted saying "The final version was something that I was completely unhappy with. The movie obviously has a strong following, but it could have been more than a cult picture” (Pfeiffer 119). The ending change between the director cut and the 1982 version showed that rachel was truly a replicant that had a life span and that it would expire, which changed the meaning between the two movies drastically. The audience was then left to ponder what Deckard would do in terms of this problem because he was falling for her. 

I think Ridley Scott believed it was necessary to change these aspects of the film to closely relate the movie to the response the book left us with as an audience, which was one of confusion, this was why the book was so powerful. The second movie left me thinking more deeply about the meaning of the term "human" and how we characterize this as anything that we are similar to when in reality everyone in the movie has some robotic aspects.

 The second movie was a better rendition in my opinion because the same feelings I got while reading the book returned, if I had  never seen the 1982 cut of the movie I would have an even better reaction. The first movie really ruined the experience of the movie for me, the narrating was the biggest problem in my eyes. The ending wasn't much of a problem when I first witnessed the movie but Ford leaving it out of the second movie was very interesting and I believe a brilliant move that mended a lot of unnecessary questions and critiques.