The original Blade Runner film was released in 1982, though Ridley Scott’s creative vision for his film was not seen by audiences until he released the Director’s Cut in 1991. Producers urged Scott as well as Harrison Ford, who was contractually obligated to comply with Hollywood bigwigs, to include 13 explanatory voiceovers in the 1982 U.S. theatrical version. Producers felt that without the inclusion of these voiceovers, American audiences would have trouble following the film’s storyline. Additionally, financiers of the film insisted a “happy ending” be added, in which Deckard (Harrison Ford) and Rachael (Sean Young) leave Deckard’s apartment and fly off into a rich green off-world colony. Both Ridley Scott and Harrison Ford were dissatisfied with the 1982 theatrical version of the film, with Ford commenting, “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).
Despite these disheartening changes made to the 1982 film, Scott had an opportunity to release his own version of the film with the 1991 Director’s Cut. Scott removed Ford’s 13 explanatory voiceovers, which ultimately made Deckard’s character more ambiguous. Additionally, Scott removed the studio’s “happy ending” which left more uncertainty to the fate of both Deckard and Rachael. Finally, Scott added a scene in which Deckard has a day dream of a unicorn running through a field. This is by far the most important and effective difference between the 1982 version and 1991 Director’s Cut. Throughout both versions of the film, Deckard’s partner, Gaff (Edward James Olmos), is seen making origami. At the end of the film, Deckard finds a small origami unicorn as he and Rachael are leaving his apartment. This implies that Gaff had some knowledge of Deckard’s dreams and/or memories, just as Deckard had knowledge of Rachael’s artificially instilled memories. With this in mind, viewers are left to decide for themselves whether or not Deckard is in fact himself a Replicant. Deckard seems to ponder the idea himself just before he and Rachael enter the elevator and the movie ends.
Scott’s 1991 Director’s Cut proved to be more effective, in my opinion. The studio’s decision to include Harrison’s monotone voiceovers as well as the “happy ending” jeopardized Scott’s creative vision for his own film and undermined the American public’s intelligence. By including the unicorn dream sequence and eliminating the producers’ input, Scott effectively created a film that allowed the audience to interpret it in their own way, which ultimately led to a more invested audience.
Cody, great job. I agree that Scott's 1991 Director's cut is a more effective version of the Blade Runner cult film. Scott's and Ford's disapproval of the explanatory voice-overs is well known, and it seems that Scott jumped at the chance to take them out, and in his opinion improve the film. Also, the addition of the voice overs in the first edition of the film, in my opinion, gave the audience less of a chance to decide for themselves whether or not Rick Deckerd is a replicant. In 2002, Ridley Scott publicly announced that his character, Rick Deckerd, is in fact a replicant, and it is my opinion that Scott disliked the voice overs partially because they make Rick seem more human. I also agree that the unicorn dream sequence is the most remarkable addition to the Director's Cut because it makes it much more plausible for Deckerd to be a replicant. This theory was not really expanded on in the 1982 version, and the addition of the dream sequence makes Deckerd's character much more ambiguous. Without this scene, audiences are given almost no evidence that Deckerd could possibly be a replicant, and the addition of this scene allows audiences to make a more informed decision about the humanity of Deckerd's character. I love this film!
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