Science fiction films like Blade Runner (1982) present the beliefs of the general political and societal voice during the time in which they were made and released. The film radiates the fears that China and Japan would soon become the dominant superpowers in the world, taking control of Western countries and marginalising its culture. Initially this is shown in the film in the form of the marginalisation of Western people. We see a largely Asian community when first introduced to Deckard at a street vender and the inherent language barrier that leaves Deckard waiting in the rain for his meal. Language Philosopher Stephen Neale describes genre as being “instances of repetition and difference” and that without difference the economy of a genre
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This, tied with the notable presence of segregation and racism against people of colour that still occurred in America during the 1980s, divulged a Western society that was very much concerned of losing control both politically and ethnically at the time of the film’s release. Blade Runner (1982) presented these fears with the use of mise-en-scène to convey the vision of a future Los Angeles. We see this exposed in the setting of the film where giant pagoda like skyscrapers, shelled in media screens broadcasting simulacra of oriental Geishas, tower over rickshaw alleys and street vendors to present Los Angeles as an effigy of future Tokyo. Ridley Scott’s use of settings in Blade Runner (1982) and the associated context that precedes them aligns the film with significant historical context regarding the beliefs that Asian superpowers would soon penetrate and control Western …show more content…
The way lighting is used to create the atmosphere and emphasis dramatic themes to give contrast between the gleaming interior of the Tyrell penthouse and the decaying, dwelling of J.F. Sebastian. The atmosphere of the film is presented as an environment where everything is obscured and indistinct, where we view subject matter from hidden behind layers of smoke, rain and smog. Lighting in most scenes contrasts between dark and light, reflecting a chiaroscuro style of lighting that is most commonly rooted in the film noir cinema of the 1940s and 50s. In films like Double Indemnity (1944) by Billy Wilder, harsh light shone through blinds or thin bars was often used to represent a cage or bars of a jail cell; giving characters a sense of confinement and entrapment. In Blade Runner (1982) a scene which exemplifies lighting this way is the scene in which Deckard and Rachel express their frustration of the feelings they have towards each other. At this point we are becoming aware of Deckard’s situation as a Replicant; the way the light beams through the blinds, capturing them both in its horizontal shadows affirms their entrapment, not only with love for each other but with their situation as slaves of the Tyrell Corporation. As the characters become obscured by shadows and entrapped in their irregular
This, tied with the notable presence of segregation and racism against people of colour that still occurred in America during the 1980s, divulged a Western society that was very much concerned of losing control both politically and ethnically at the time of the film’s release. Blade Runner (1982) presented these fears with the use of mise-en-scène to convey the vision of a future Los Angeles. We see this exposed in the setting of the film where giant pagoda like skyscrapers, shelled in media screens broadcasting simulacra of oriental Geishas, tower over rickshaw alleys and street vendors to present Los Angeles as an effigy of future Tokyo. Ridley Scott’s use of settings in Blade Runner (1982) and the associated context that precedes them aligns the film with significant historical context regarding the beliefs that Asian superpowers would soon penetrate and control Western …show more content…
The way lighting is used to create the atmosphere and emphasis dramatic themes to give contrast between the gleaming interior of the Tyrell penthouse and the decaying, dwelling of J.F. Sebastian. The atmosphere of the film is presented as an environment where everything is obscured and indistinct, where we view subject matter from hidden behind layers of smoke, rain and smog. Lighting in most scenes contrasts between dark and light, reflecting a chiaroscuro style of lighting that is most commonly rooted in the film noir cinema of the 1940s and 50s. In films like Double Indemnity (1944) by Billy Wilder, harsh light shone through blinds or thin bars was often used to represent a cage or bars of a jail cell; giving characters a sense of confinement and entrapment. In Blade Runner (1982) a scene which exemplifies lighting this way is the scene in which Deckard and Rachel express their frustration of the feelings they have towards each other. At this point we are becoming aware of Deckard’s situation as a Replicant; the way the light beams through the blinds, capturing them both in its horizontal shadows affirms their entrapment, not only with love for each other but with their situation as slaves of the Tyrell Corporation. As the characters become obscured by shadows and entrapped in their irregular