I think I have found a new goof!!! Take a look and tell me.

To: photek (a.k.a. grasshopper)
From: joseph1949 (a.k.a. Master Po)

Grasshopper, you did good. You can take the pebble from my hand. Yes, Deckard’s has his gun in his hand in one instant and the next instant he has put it away.

Was it magic? No. What happen was that they decided to stop filming while Deckard was walking through the glass and whatnot. Deckard still had the gun in his hand at this point. While they were setting-up for the next shot Harrison Ford put the gun back in its holster. The continuity person did not catch this or did not have time to tell Ford to take his gun out. And thus, we do not see Deckard put his gun away.

This is an honest goof. This happens all the time in movies. You can go to a number of Blade Runner sites and see where they have sections devoted to goofs. I am proud to say that not one site that I have looked at has mentioned the gun/no gun goof. This is also true of the material-on-Roy’s-hand goof (in my opinion it is a goof).

Concerning the metallic tape

I would not say this is a goof. I would have to look at the movie to be sure. As an aside, I need to purchase the 4 or 5 disc of the Final Cut as every one should if they want to have an informed opinion on the movie. I had requested my local library to purchase the 4 disc Final Cut. This is what I have been looking at. You have to return the set in seven days. Seven days is not much time to watch all of the discs. In any event, I will purchase the four discs set or five discs set for reference. We must know what we are talking about.

I believe the metallic tape was used for two reasons:

1. It looks like the metal framing that holds real glass panes together.
2. It did a good job of holding the break-away glass panes together.

It has been said that the stunt woman was not wearing a wig that was a good match for Joanna Cassidy’s hair. People who are thinking this are missing an important point. The stunt woman came on to the set prepared to do a dangerous stunt. She wore a helmet on her head to protect her head. The fact that the wig covering the helmet did not match Cassidy’s wig was not high on the stunt woman’s agenda. In any event, it made it possible in the Final Cut for the Blade Runner people to put Joanna Cassidy’s head (and hair, mind you) on the body of the stunt woman. Aren’t computer special effects wonderful!

Oh, by the way, there were no computer generated special effects used in the making of the 1982 Blade Runner movie (I am not sure about the director’s cut). You may read something different on the forum, but if you listen to the commentaries in the 4 disc Final Cut you will learn that all of the special effects were done the old fashion way(s) - i.e. without computers. It has been said that Blade Runner was the last major movie to create all of its special effects without using computers. See what you can learn if you take the time to listen to ALL of the commentaries on the 4 disc set!!!


Grasshopper, I have some more homework for you.


Here it is: If you remember in the movie we see Deckard in Leon’s apartment bathroom. Deckard is looking for clues. Now, when I saw this scene I was struck by one thing-we do not get a good look at Deckard’s face. I am thinking how odd. I rerun the scene and I notice that the actor is not Harrison Ford. If you listen to the commentaries on the 4-disc set you will learn that the scene was shot in England. Scott had used a body double to stand in for Ford. Scott said that the guy was an excellent double for Ford. I am thinking not so much. At best, the person had the same general build of Harrison Ford and was more or less the same height (the camera makes this hard to tell). One can see that the person does not have the same hair color and/or hair texture and the shape of the head is different. And last but not least, the double’s profile does not match Ford’s.

Grasshopper, your assignment is to find out where Scott used Harrison Ford’s double for a second time. I will give you one hint-think broken glass. You will get a gold star if you find where Scott used the double for the third (or more) time. As far as I can tell the double was used only twice

Master Po says happy hunting!!!

In any event, I will purchase the four discs set or five discs set for reference. We must know what we are talking about.

That's excellent advice. And I would add that we should also refrain from presenting imaginative speculation as though it were fact.

Regarding the gun/no gun "goof," I offer a far more simple explanation: Deckard's complete walk from the point where he fired the last shot to his entrance in the concourse took too long in real time and was simply trimmed, removing Deckard's holstering of his gun in the process. Trims such as these are far more common than on-set continuity errors on major feature films.

Regarding Zhora's wig: Although stuntwoman Lee Pulford was wearing the added protection of a body suit (so was Joanna Cassidy in some shots -- there's another "goof" for you to revel in), a large helmet was not part of it. The scene was rushed and under-budgeted and according to Ridley Scott and Joanna Cassidy, the wig was an unfortunate casuality of that oversight.

Regarding visual effects without computers: Some computers were employed in creating the visual effects back in 1982. They were used for motion control programming, which affected nearly every VFX shot. This is discussed in further detail in Dangerous Days.

Regarding Deckard's double in Leon's bathroom: That's famed stuntman and second unit director Vic Armstrong doing the doubling work in silhouette, who also doubled very convincingly for Harrison Ford on other movies, including the Indiana Jones films in which he was nowhere near as obscured in darkness as he was in Blade Runner and yet blended into the action perfectly.

Yes, Blade Runner has several incongruities and other oddities riddled throughout. Frankly, that's one of its qualities that I think makes it such an interesting movie, like a puzzle that never makes 100% sense. But professional incompetence or creative disinterest are the last reasons I would look to in order to figure out why.

beaten to the punch ... but by who better than our local legend?

thanks as always for your enlightening and concrete additions Charles. amazing how in a minute you can answer questions that have literally been looming for years. have you thought of writing a book about your experience on your labor of love? you could call it "Never Enough - Blade Runner Fans are Nuttier than a Fruitcake."

while i am happy i was able to pick your keen observation joseph1949 (a.k.a. Master Po), i also was not sure if this was an outright goof. hence the "i think" bit in my last response. at least i'm on your frequency! it does stand to reason that he would have holstered his weapon while covering the distance. however, i do appreciate your close attention to the details ... i never even noticed the bit in Leon's bathroom! keep them coming and Charles will help us to either back 'em up or shoot 'em down!

lastly, i completely agree with you as to why they used the metal tape - before she crashes through the windows it looks perfect. but watch it closely after she goes through. it falls less like metal framing and more like, well, tape.

i gotta get outside more.

thanks for the interesting discussion gentlemen.

It seems that I must answer my own question: Where in the movie do we see a body double for Ford other then the bathroom scene in Leon’s apartment?

We see the body double at the end of Zhora’s death scene. When Deckard walks through the crowd it is not Harrison Ford.

If it is not Ford then who is it? Could it be the wonderful, the excellent Vic Armstrong?

I cannot tell for sure. It is my guess it is Vic Armstrong.

Let the viewer decide.

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