Blade Runner: The Final Cut Coming to HD-DVD, Blu-ray and DVD
By Chris Boylan
Fans of the ground-breaking SciFi noir film, "Blade Runner" have a lot to celebrate. In honor of the film's 25th Anniversary, the long-rumored director-approved "Final Cut" of the film, is now playing in select theaters and will be available on DVD, Blu-ray Disc and HD-DVD next month (December 18th) in a variety of editions, packed with extras.
The film will be available in three editions, restored and remastered with 5.1-channel audio, new and deleted scenes, enhanced special effects and more. All four previous cuts (including the rare "workprint" version) will be available along with many hours of extra content - including 45 minutes of deleted scenes and a feature-length documentary "Dangerous Days" - material that is sure to keep Blade Runner fans entertained for hours on end.
For the ultimate collector an "Ultimate Collectors Edition" 5-Disc Set will be available on DVD, HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc versions, packaged in a unique numbered limited edition 'Deckard Briefcase.' For those who want all the content, but aren't as concerned about the collectible briefcase, 5-Disc "Digi Packs" with collectible slipcase (each $39.99 SRP) will include all of the Ultimate Collector's Edition content in HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc versions.
The film has been restored and remastered from original elements and scanned at greater-than-HD 4K resolution, The audio has been remastered as well with a new Dolby Digital discrete 5.1-channel mix.
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Blade Runner: The Final Cut" will be presented in the following editions:
DVD:HD-DVD:Blu-ray Disc:
Ridley Scott hopes fans won't mind buying Blade Runner one last time, to get what he considers the ultimate version of his classic future noir film.
More Details, from Warner's Press Release:
Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Edward James Olmos, Joanna Cassidy, Sean Young and Daryl Hannah are among some 80 stars, filmmakers and others who participate in the extensive bonus features. Among the bonus material highlights is "Dangerous Days" - a brand new, three-and-a-half-hour documentary by award-winning DVD producer Charles de Lauzirika, with an extensive look into every aspect of the film: its literary genesis, its challenging production and its controversial legacy. The definitive documentary to accompany the definitive film version.
Additionally, two of the collections (4- & 5-Disc) will include an entire disc with hours of enhanced content containing featurettes and galleries devoted to over 45 minutes of deleted and alternate scenes recently discovered in deep storage and approved by Ridley Scott, visual effects as well as background on author Philip K. Dick, script development, abandoned sequences, conceptual design, overall impact of the film and how it lead to the birth of cyberpunk. Trailers, TV spots and promotional featurettes will also be included.
Among some of the fascinating factoids talked about in the special features:
- Notable actual locations were used to reflect 2019 Los Angeles, such as Union Station, 2nd Street tunnel and the Bradbury building.
- The top of Police Headquarters is actually part of the Mothership from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."
- In the last scene, Rutger Hauer made the jump between buildings himself.
- In the fight scene between Daryl Hannah and Harrison Ford, Hannah pulled Ford's nose so hard that his nose actually bled afterwards.
- Holding a dove, and letting it fly away, in the last scene was never in the script, but rather Rutger Hauer's idea when filming the scene.
- "Dangerous Days" was originally the name of the script.
Says director, Sir Ridley Scott: "The Final Cut is the product of a process that began in early 2000 and continued off and on through seven years of intense research and meticulous restoration, technical challenges, amazing discoveries and new possibilities. I can now wholeheartedly say that 'Blade Runner: The Final Cut' is my definitive director's cut of the film."
DETAILS OF BLADE RUNNER EDITIONS:
BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT SPECIAL EDITION (2-DISC DVD)
Disc One
RIDLEY SCOTT'S ALL-NEW "FINAL CUT" VERSION OF THE FILM
Restored and remastered with added & extended scenes, added lines, new and cleaner special effects and all new 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio. Also includes:
• Commentary by Director Ridley Scott
• Commentary by Executive Producer/ Co-Screenwriter Hampton Fancher and Co-Screenwriter David Peoples; Producer Michael Deely and production executive Katherine Haber
• Commentaries by visual futurist Syd Mead; production designer Lawrence G. Paull, art director David L. Snyder and special photographic effects supervisors Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich and David Dryer
Disc Two
DOCUMENTARY DANGEROUS DAYS: MAKING BLADE RUNNER
A feature-length authoritative documentary revealing all the elements that shaped this hugely influential cinema landmark. Cast, crew, critics and colleagues give a behind-the-scenes, in-depth look at the film -- from its literary roots and inception through casting, production, visuals and special effects to its controversial legacy and place in Hollywood history.
Included DVD trailers:
• I am Legend
• Invasion
• Fracture
• Superman Doomsday
BLADE RUNNER: COLLECTOR'S EDITION (4-DISC DVD)
The Four-Disc Collector's Edition includes Discs one and two from the 2-Disc Special Edition plus three additional versions of the film, as well as an "Enhancement Archive" bonus disc of enhanced content that includes 90 minutes of deleted footage and rare or never-before-seen items in featurettes and galleries that cover the film's amazing history, production teams, special effects, impact on society, promotional trailers, TV spots, and much more.
Disc Three
1982 THEATRICAL VERSION
This is the version that introduced U.S. movie-going audiences to a revolutionary film with a new and excitingly provocative vision of the near-future. It contains Deckard/Harrison Ford's character narration and has Deckard and Rachel's (Sean Young) "happy ending" escape scene.
1982 INTERNATIONAL VERSION
Also used on U.S. home video, laserdisc and cable releases up to 1992. This version is not rated, and contains some extended action scenes in contrast to the Theatrical Version.
1992 DIRECTOR'S CUT
The Director's Cut omits Deckard's voiceover narration and removes the "happy ending" finale. It adds the famously-controversial "unicorn" sequence, a vision that Deckard has which suggests that he, too, may be a replicant.
Disc Four
BONUS DISC - "Enhancement Archive"
• Featurette The Electric Dreamer: Author Philip K. Dick
• Featurette Sacrificial Sheep: The Novel vs. The Film
• Philip K. Dick: The Blade Runner Interviews (Audio)
• Featurette Signs of the Times: Graphic Design
• Featurette Fashion Forward: Wardrobe and Styling
• Screen Tests: Rachel and Pris
• Featurette The Light That Burns: Remembering Jordan Cronenweth
• Deleted and Alternate Scenes
• 1982 Promotional Featurettes
• Trailers and TV Spot
• Featurette Promoting Dystopia: Rendering the Poster Art
• Featurette Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard
• Featurette Nexus Generation: Fans & Filmmakers
BLADE RUNNER: ULTIMATE COLLECTOR'S EDITION (5-DISC DVD, Blu-Ray Disc and HD-DVD versions)
The 5-disc Ultimate Collector's Edition includes all four discs from the previously described
4-Disc Edition, plus the ultra-rare, near-legendary WORKPRINT version of the film, newly remastered. The Ultimate Collector's Edition will be presented in a unique 5-disc digi-package with handle which is a stylish version of Rick Deckard's own briefcase, in addition each briefcase will be individually numbered and in limited supply. Included is a lenticular motion film clip from the original feature, miniature origami unicorn figurine, miniature replica spinner car, collector's photographs as well as a signed personal letter from Sir Ridley Scott.
Disc Five
WORKPRINT VERSION
This rare version of the film is considered by some to be the most radically different of all the Blade Runner cuts. It includes an altered opening scene, no Deckard narration until the final scenes, no "unicorn" sequence, no Deckard/Rachel "happy ending," altered lines between Batty (Rutger Hauer) and his creator Tyrell (Joe Turkell), alternate music and much more.
Also includes:
• Introduction by Ridley Scott
• Commentary by Paul M. Sammon, author of Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner
• Featurette All Our Variant Futures: From Workprint to Final Cut
About Blade Runner
Blade Runner made its first appearance in U.S. theaters on June 25, 1982, dazzling audiences with its stylish, brooding look into the future. From its intelligent, provocative story line to its stunning camera work and state-of-the art special effects, the film opened the door to a new view of tomorrow in addition to prefiguring important concerns of the 21st century, such as globalization, urban decay, global warming, over-population and genetic engineering.
Set in a multi-ethnic, overcrowded, high-tech city of the future, Blade Runner was also a benchmark in costume and production design and helped spawn a new genre/lifestyle -- neo-noir cyberpunk which has flourished in today's mainstream society and is reflected in all facets of entertainment, design and fashion trends. Most recognizable is the current trend of the Harajuku district in Japan, recently popularized by Gwen Stefani.
In Blade Runner, genetically manufactured beings called "replicants" are built to do dangerous and degrading work on Earth's "Off-World colonies." Physically identical to adult humans, yet much more powerful, a group of replicants hides in Los Angeles after a bloody mutiny.
Heading the all-star cast, many in career-expanding roles, is Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard, a special police "blade runner" assigned to hunt down and kill the escapees. Also starring are Sean Young as Rachel, Deckard's replicant lover; Edward James Olmos as Gaff, a mysterious fellow policeman; Daryl Hannah as Pris and Joanna Cassidy as Zhora, two beautiful yet murderous replicants; and Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty, the replicant leader who challenges Deckard's ideas of what it is to be human.
Blade Runner was adapted from the novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by acclaimed science-fiction author Philip K. Dick. Hollywood has since discovered this eclectic author in full force, and some of the films adapted from Dick's works include Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, Next, and Total Recall, among others, grossing millions of dollars worldwide. But it was Blade Runner that started it all. The film was nominated for 2 Academy Awards® -- for Best Art Direction and Best Visual Effects. Oscar®- winning composer Vangelis created the musical score.
The multiple "Top Ten" lists Blade Runner has consistently placed high on are: #1 on Wired Magazine's list, and the English Scientists/Guardian Science List made it the #1 sci-fi film of all time based on surveys with 60 scientists. It is #3 on Entertainment Weekly's "best sci-fi movies and TV shows of the past 25 years," and is also #3 on SFX Magazine's list. Blade Runner makes the top ten on the Internet Movie Database's (IMDB) list, beating out such films as Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi, Frankenstein, King Kong, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T.
