Review from VIENNALE 27th of October 1.00 a.m.
Dear Blade Runnerettes and Blade Runners,
[...]
24 hours ago I just sat right in the middle of a special screening of BRFC
in Vienna, together with 735 other happy people. It was the magnicifent
"Gartenbau Kino" with a giant curved screen and digital HD projection (a
first for me). From 1. a.m. to 3. a.m. that is! There was even applause at
the end of the show which is quite rare here in Austria, I can tell you!
It was a thrill!
A giant curved screen, my loved one by my side as well as a good friend, who never (!!!!) saw the film, but knows the score quite well being a
musician/composer himself.
Some of the things I noticed:
I caught the iris reacting to the fire, just because I spotted a glimpse
of a review in advance, which is exactly what I tried to avoid in the
first place...
No tears over the missing wires here...
The only negative thing I have to say about this wonderful
event/impressions: I have seen this movie countless times on the big
screen. Sure enough I always find something new - the irony being, that
during _this_ particular screening of the undoubtedly most flawless
version - thanks to Zinema!! - because of the clarity/brightness of the
print I noticed a glitch in the compositing of the otherwise glittering
and mesmerizing (as it's always been) spinner in the first shot of the
giant billboard right after Holden's been shot (pun?): There is actually
something falling apart on the back wheel to the right. A "floating" piece
of matte line or detail, whatever. Now I can spot it even on the still on
the back of the first dvd. Never noticed that one before.
This was a short moment of confusion, but then I got into the movie and
t'was heaven of course:
I tried not to notice all the litte tweaks (like Deckard's bruise now
finally gone before his confrontation w/ Leon) just to keep "inside" the
movie.
A short list of my favourite "Ahaa" moments:
The Hades landscape I have to appreciate next time, because at that moment I had still to get used to the digital projection system and I was
"distracted" by the billowing flames being different...
Happily I didn't have to blink anymore when Rachael steps in front of the
sun...
All the supposedly "old" bits of extra violence I have never ever seen
before. I never understood the assumption in FN, that the international
version should have incorporated all of this long ago. In movie theatres I
saw the original version, the director's cut, I still own the original VHS
of the "original" version, but I've never seen this footage here in Europe
anyways...
It added extra adrenalin to this experience, as if first-time...
I was quite happy to see that all the magnificent matte paintings have
been corrected to shine on all equipment (which is a pet gripe of mine:
Even masterpieces like 2001 which appear flawless in their natural
environment, e.g. theatrical exhibition, have been marred by video
transfers, DVD no less, that reveal stuff like front projection, that
_are_ invisible in the superior original medium. That's why I'm looking
forward to this particular film's re-issue on DVD).
One minor detail amidst the countless additions and corrections on the
soundtrack (I was well aware of all that during the screening): The
awkward cross fade from 'Memories of Green' to the 'Blade Runner Blues' right at the beginning of the balcony scene has finally been corrected...
I'm also glad the shadow of the camera operator has been removed, but I'm equally glad that Zinema treats us w/ all the previous versions of the
movie to revel in these old, well-known, even beloved quirks, if we feel
like it.
Hmmm, it's easier to think of things that still puzzled me, because all
the nice, subtle enhancements felt right and didn't call attention to
themselves e.g. left me inside this mesmerzing world and let me enjoy the movie again...
Things I was astounded were _still_ left in this version:
The wrong angle on the hardcopy of Zhora's face, the too-tight-for-comfort cut to the line (she would still be in the room to hear it?!!?) "She's a replicant, isn't she?".
Something which didn't bother me up until now, which has been pointed out nonetheless by one of our companions, who saw the movie for the first time only a couple of weeks before: There's a continuity error w/ Pris' tongue which sticks out only in later shots (of course preparing the very powerful shot of Roy kissing her...). Two more things: The Esper still starts zooming in w/o request one time, although you could call that a jump cut forward in time. Ooops, the other one escapes me right now...
[EDIT]
Now I recall:
It's Zhora's eyes (no wonder that I kept looking on them every time - this movie kind of creates a fixation on eyes for the viewer .
I've always been under the impression that they moved or more precisely "jumped" for one two frames, when her head gets turned before they zip her up, maybe it's an optical illusion,...
... otherwise I love that scene and how it now let's you feel empathy w/ Zhora, not the stunt double...
When I get hold of the DVDs and have built my shrine, erm, I will surely freeze-frame through the sequence to make piece with this once and for all.
[/EDIT]
Don't get me wrong. This is a fabulous version that nearly brought tears
into my eyes and seeing this version for the first time will keep
haunting me in my dreams for the next couple of nights...
...but I mean, when you turn perfectionist with this version these are
valid omissions to be pointed out, right? No big deal though, we all know
how it is with the real world...
It would be tremendously interesting to have Mr. Zinema comment on the above observations, including the spinner problem which apparently has always been there and I never spotted it.
Of course there are all these glorious new shots added back into the
fourth sector, the unicorn sequence, etc...
The sky shot with the dove flying into it has been done quite tastefully too, IMHO.
Can't wait to freeze frame my way through this definitive version!!
Finally it's amazing how after all these years and viewings Roy's speech
at the end - thanks to this special occasion - still manages to create so
much emotion. *sigh*
Afterwards it was quite fun to discuss/observe that others who obviously
haven't seen the movie quite as repeatedly didn't realize there where any changes except maybe two or three, but subconsciously they were brought back in to the movie emotionally on this big screen by all the
enhancements that would make the movie feel a bit lacking in execution
(despite all the unique FX, especially the incredibly beautiful lens flares etc. at the time, don't get me wrong), hadn't they been applied so lovingly by Mr. Zinema's and of course Ridley Scott's efforts...
One little critical afterthought though: I am under the impression that
(one of) the film prints I saw back in 1992 was nearly completely free of
any film grain compared to this digitally projected version which showed
quite a bit up close, but then again it's been 15 years since...
All in all it felt like a "fresh" and nearly perfect version of the "old"
movie, no more, no less (and nobody else has done something quite like
that before, not with for example Lawrence of Arabia or Star Wars, two
other completley different approaches to film restoration that come to
mind, anyway
I must stop now, because I could go on and on about this experience I'll
treasure in my heart...
We all have this new gem to enjoy, discuss, and talk about until 2019,
hurray!
Have a better one,
Martin