Page 1 of 1

My 2 Cents

PostPosted: Mon Feb 02, 2004 4:19 pm
by judesalmon
Okay, this is all been said by others, but I'm new here, so sue me...

Scott says Replicant (always with a wry smile though), siting the unicorn and eyes as conclusive proof of Deckard's non-human origins. This info came from the "Edge of BR" documentary.

Fancher says human, no question, again in the same documentary.

I take the same POV as the screen-writer: Deckard as a human, here's why:

Firstly, empathy is something replicants are incapable of, hence the VK test; it works thanks to their inability to empathise. Deckard empathises with them, that's why he retired.

Secondly, the whole story works better with Deckard as a human. In the OV the voiceover (not a good source I admit), expresses Deckard's disdain for many of his fellow humans (Bryant for example). Even without the voiceover, Deckard's apparent inability to adjust to life, his general malaise if you will, is evident. He empathises with the replicants, their lust for life, they live short lives so try to make the most of them. (Does he envy them?)

Now, with Decakrd as a replicant these problems are easily explained away - he found it so hard to be human because he wasn't. With Deckard as a human many interesting questions are asked - envoking the spirit of Philip K Dick's work. Deckard becomes the classic anti-hero, a role much more fitting to the story.

The exchange with Gaff at the end, especially "...she won't live, but then again who does?" is much more significant if spoken to a man not a machine. It boils down to the human condition, to the most powerful emotion of all - love. And even questions love itself; is love something from above or a programmed response to facilitate reproduction? Is love the same for Deckard and Rachel?

There are many more questions if Deckard is a human, ones we the audience can relate to, which keep us thinking after the final credits. Philisophical questions of morality and emotion, ones Dick was keen to broach.

If Deckard is a replicant, it just becomes another twist-in-the-tale, a-la The Sixth Sense or The Usual Suspects (both great movies, but a twist is to surprise you and think within the context of the film, not outside it). If the replicancy of Deckard was hinted at, so we are unsure, then it's a good plot device, but for Scott to do it so heavy-handidly surprises me.

Sorry for the long post. :D

PostPosted: Fri Feb 06, 2004 5:46 am
by NEXUS ?
Have you read the other posts on this forum. :idea: