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Deleted Scenes- Reservations

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 3:06 pm
by ghost of 82
Been thinking about the 47-min 'Deleted Scenes' version of BR. Having seen the clip on the offical website, and being fascinated/disturbed by it in equal measure, I've come to a strange feeling, almost one of dread.

You see, I was there back in 1982, and loved the film from the start. I loved the music, the Hades landscape, Harrison's acting, Sean's beauty... even with the voice-over and 'happy' ending, I loved it. For all its flaws, I have always loved BR.

Even the 'Directors Cut' was flawed, and although I preferred it to the 1982 version, I always felt ambivalent to the Unicorn sequence. Sure, maybe Deckard could be a Rep, switched on and left on the street at the noodle bar with false memories, ready to be picked up by Gaff and set on his mission, but that all feels like a different movie. Deckard is a man who has lost his humanity, who only 'connects' with a 'false' woman, Batty is a Replicant that gains its humanity in its final moments... isn't that what the film is really about?

But whatever its flaws, I've always thought we got the best BLADE RUNNER, all things considered, and the Final Cut looks to be a completion of that.

But what if I watch the deleted scenes version and keep thinking, 'Damn it, I wish they'd kept that in!' what if I see editorial decisions that just seem plain wrong? What if I finally decide the best version of BR hit the cutting-room floor? Will BR, whatever of the versions I watch from the box-set, become a 'What-if?' movie?

The weird thing about many DVD releases is that thanks to deleted scenes we see glimpses of films that almost were but didn't quite make it. There are some beautiful deleted scenes on the ALIEN DVD, nice character moments that would have been nice to see back in the film. Some of those scenes I had never even known existed.

That clip of from the deleted version of BR, of Rachel pacing nervously in Deckards apartment, well, its beautiful. Funnily enough, I'd never noticed in the BR I've always known that in the kitchen she has her heavy coat on, but has taken it off and lit a cigarette by the time she walks over to where Deckard is cleaning himself up. But regardless of continuity issues, its a nice scene, and even the voice-over is okay... maybe the delivery needed work but the lines were fine. Likewise the sexual undertones as Deckard eyes her legs... it's disturbing, but spot-on. He's seeing Rachel as an object, a thing, not a person. He's conflicted.

I've seen just one scene, less than 2 mins, and look at this post. What on earth are 47-mins going to do to me?

PostPosted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 4:39 pm
by dmohrUSC
Interesting notes, ghost of 82. But I would actually argue the reverse: in the new clip, Deckard is starting to see Rachel as a person - which includes a sexually arousing person - as opposed to an object/thing called a "replicant" that is supposed to not have any feelings nor arouse any feelings in human beings (if he IS even a human being).

As for what to do if you feel you can't live with yourself without re-integrating some of the deleted scenes back into the movie, do what any sensible movie obsessive would do: buy yourself a copy of Final Cut Pro for your home computer and go crazy :lol:

Re: Deleted Scenes- Reservations

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 12:19 am
by deleted
ghost of 82 wrote:Been thinking about the 47-min 'Deleted Scenes' version of BR. Having seen the clip on the offical website, and being fascinated/disturbed by it in equal measure, I've come to a strange feeling, almost one of dread.

You see, I was there back in 1982, and loved the film from the start. I loved the music, the Hades landscape, Harrison's acting, Sean's beauty... even with the voice-over and 'happy' ending, I loved it. For all its flaws, I have always loved BR.

Even the 'Directors Cut' was flawed, and although I preferred it to the 1982 version, I always felt ambivalent to the Unicorn sequence. Sure, maybe Deckard could be a Rep, switched on and left on the street at the noodle bar with false memories, ready to be picked up by Gaff and set on his mission, but that all feels like a different movie. Deckard is a man who has lost his humanity, who only 'connects' with a 'false' woman, Batty is a Replicant that gains its humanity in its final moments... isn't that what the film is really about?

But whatever its flaws, I've always thought we got the best BLADE RUNNER, all things considered, and the Final Cut looks to be a completion of that.

But what if I watch the deleted scenes version and keep thinking, 'Damn it, I wish they'd kept that in!' what if I see editorial decisions that just seem plain wrong? What if I finally decide the best version of BR hit the cutting-room floor? Will BR, whatever of the versions I watch from the box-set, become a 'What-if?' movie?

The weird thing about many DVD releases is that thanks to deleted scenes we see glimpses of films that almost were but didn't quite make it. There are some beautiful deleted scenes on the ALIEN DVD, nice character moments that would have been nice to see back in the film. Some of those scenes I had never even known existed.

That clip of from the deleted version of BR, of Rachel pacing nervously in Deckards apartment, well, its beautiful. Funnily enough, I'd never noticed in the BR I've always known that in the kitchen she has her heavy coat on, but has taken it off and lit a cigarette by the time she walks over to where Deckard is cleaning himself up. But regardless of continuity issues, its a nice scene, and even the voice-over is okay... maybe the delivery needed work but the lines were fine. Likewise the sexual undertones as Deckard eyes her legs... it's disturbing, but spot-on. He's seeing Rachel as an object, a thing, not a person. He's conflicted.

I've seen just one scene, less than 2 mins, and look at this post. What on earth are 47-mins going to do to me?

You could always make a fan edit.

Also, bear in mind that there are alternate scenes in that section.

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:55 am
by Planta
great post Ghost. i too like the Rachael's pacing deleted scene, and i think it would haven't spoiled anything. i think it's a very important scene in the film story, but i interpret it not as a sexual arousing moment, rather as the moment when Deck starts looking things from above, like to say: "hey, what the hell of a world is this?...look at that "thing" (Rachael), there are fake persons around, what's goin' on down there?"...
i know that's not the way it should be "read" but that's just me. anyway, the post's point is another, and yes, i think i'll be disturbed too by all the deleted scenes as to be probable parts of a better version of BR.
but Deleted is right, we can do our own version, and i think we'll see many of these ;)

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 10:03 am
by deleted
Planta wrote:great post Ghost. i too like the Rachael's pacing deleted scene, and i think it would haven't spoiled anything. i think it's a very important scene in the film story, but i interpret it not as a sexual arousing moment, rather as the moment when Deck starts looking things from above, like to say: "hey, what the hell of a world is this?...look at that "thing" (Rachael), there are fake persons around, what's goin' on down there?"...
i know that's not the way it should be "read" but that's just me. anyway, the post's point is another, and yes, i think i'll be disturbed too by all the deleted scenes as to be probable parts of a better version of BR.
but Deleted is right, we can do our own version, and i think we'll see many of these ;)

I agree that it is a very nifty scene, but without the voiceover, that scene might actually loose something...hard to say without comparing it with and without V/O.

Granted, I could turn the sound off, but then any of the background sound is gone.

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 12:08 pm
by eccentricbeing
deleted wrote:I agree that it is a very nifty scene, but without the voiceover, that scene might actually loose something...hard to say without comparing it with and without V/O.

Granted, I could turn the sound off, but then any of the background sound is gone.



Just play "I am the Business" from the Esper Edition of the soundtrack and loop it a couple of times.

PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 7:04 pm
by nails6365
the answer to your problems is called video editing software.