Incredibly resonant for film buffs
Not only does the visual richness of Ridley Scott's film reflect the conceptual density of Philip Dick's source novel, but, leaving aside its oft-discussed thematic power, for film buffs BR also offers an incredibly resonant celebration of classic cinema. Metropolis, Citizen Kane, Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, Night Of The Hunter and more - BR's breadth of reference is not just confined to film noir. And what more appropropriate a place for creating this feast for film buffs than the old Warner Bros backlot.
Scott was once quoted as having ambitions to become "the John Ford of science fiction cinema." It's maybe more accurate to call him science fictions?s answer to Sergio Leone. For as a viewing experience, BR has much in common with Leone?s Once Upon A Time In The West - the stunning cinematography, the unhurried, deliberate "European" pacing, the sense of style, the attention to detail, the marvellous synergy of music and image, the frequent nods to cinematic forebears. Both these films have turned out to be incredibly influential, and are now widely acknowledged as classics, yet both underperformed on initial release (and in similarly compromised versions).
I'm sure others can can add to the following incomplete list of films either consciously referenced or more vaguely drawn upon or echoed in BR:
Metropolis: well, obviously.
Citizen Kane: Scott himself has cited it as a stylistic influence - just compare the lighting and acoustics in the Thatcher Library scene with the scene in BR where Deckard visits the Tyrell pyramid to VK Rachael.
Touch Of Evil: the character of Bryant is somewhat reminiscent of Welles? seedy cop Hank Quinlan. In fact, if Orson Welles happened to watch BR, he would doubtless have recognized the cinematic debt.
Casablanca: The emotionally troubled Deckard recalls Bogart?s world-weary Rick Blaine, and the atmosphere of Warner Bros studio exoticism is recreated, celebrated and amplified into the dazzlingly eclectic milieu of 2019 LA. I?ve often thought of BR as "the Casablanca of the ?80s." (Also, Abdul Ben-Hassan is surely a little nod to Sydney Greenstreet?s fez-wearing Ferrari character?)
The Big Sleep: BR?s debt to Chandler is unarguable, and the scene where Deckard slips into the guise of a nerdy official sent to inteview Zhora is surely a direct reference to the moment when Bogart?s Marlowe poses as a nerdy bookshop customer in order to obtain information.
The Maltese Falcon: Both films open with an explanatory text crawl that sets up the story, and both end (or, at least, were intended to end) on a scene involving the fateful descent of an elevator/lift. Also, the character of Rachael is styled and costumed to resemble Mary Astor?s Brigid O'Shaughnessy (or Joan Crawford?s Mildred Pierce.)
Night Of The Hunter: Deckard?s aghast reaction to his own shooting of Zhora and, especially, Pris always brings to my mind the look of horror on the face of the Lilian Gish character when she blasts Robert Mitchum?s phony Preacher with her shotgun and he flees, yelping demonically, to seek refuge in her barn.
Alphaville: Godard?s playful 1965 science fiction noir, whose hard-boiled detective hero falls for a beautiful young woman, whom he rescues from her ?programming?.
The LA exoticism of Chinatown and the steam-and-neon streets of Taxi Driver also come to mind - and Vangelis' Love Theme has a very similar feel to Bernard Herrmann's main theme for the Scorsese classic.
Scott has also mentioned the films of Stanley Kubrick and, I think, Bernardo Bertolucci?s The Conformist as stylistic influences, and I also vaguely recall Paul M. Sammon saying something about the 1979 film Agatha (starring, oddly enough, Dustin Hoffman). Think I?ll have to track that one down and give it a watch.
I?d also add those hypnotic, cerebral SF films of Andrei Tarkovsky - Solaris, Stalker - to the list of influences on BR?s rich texture. (And Soderbergh's Solaris remake pays tribute to BR with its rain-drenched earth scenes.)
On a minor note, Rutger Hauer?s Roy Batty, strutting around in his leather trenchcoat, seems amusingly like a pumped-up version of all those haughty SS officers played by Anton Diffring in countless World War Two films, while JF Sebastian functions as a kind of Elisha Cook Jr 'fall guy' character. And there's even a bit of Bond - note the distinct resemblance between Pris? acrobatic attack on Deckard and the Bambi & Thumper fight scene from Diamonds Are Forever.
It?s often been noted that the Bradbury building was previously employed as a location in Harlan Ellison?s classic Outer Limits episode, Demon With a Glass Hand, which not only shares BR?s ominous ambience, but also a final revelation not unlike that intended by Scott for BR. Also, those weird stocking-caps worn by the replicants when Bryant shows them to Deckard on his TV screen make them look rather like agents of the Kyben. And Batty breaking Deckard?s fingers during the showdown in the Bradbury could be taken as a reference to Trent?s quest in Demon to obtain his missing fingers. All largely coincidental, perhaps, but all adding to BR?s incredible resonance.
Like the man said, the more you bring to a film, the more you get out of it. And BR is one of those solid classics that, to coin a cliche, really does reward repeated viewings.