Blade Runner struck me most with its portrait of “inhuman” replicants striving to prove their humanity whilst enduring the inhuman treatment of “real” humans. I was most interested in the instances that united biblical references and lighting technique to a powerful degree. Besides Roy Batty, the replicant I saw as most connected to the savior and martyr narratives of the bible was Rachael, whose Hebrew name was equated with “purity” and whose spelling reminded me of other famed Judeo-Christian angels such as Samael and Azrael.
Ridley Scott’s frequent use of hard lighting helped to underscore tension in his scenes and to back up their emotional textures. In the solid, golden light of the Tyrell Corporation building, Deckard first encounters Rachael, bringing forth a palpable tension between the coolly detached Rachael and the guarded Deckard, tension that the presence of Dr. Tyrell and the lit room helped to diminish somewhat. However, when Deckard and Rachael are alone in Deckard’s apartment, the combination of the dimly lit room, bold crisscrossing shadows, and heavy use of chiaroscuro lend the supposedly “romantic” scene an air of maliciousness and suspended violence. The audience is made to understand that Rachael has wholeheartedly crossed into Deckard’s domain.
Deckard’s violent and forceful behavior in making Rachael give into his advances is evident of corruption, one of the signature traits of Lucifer. This scene seemed to me to be portraying the corruption of Rachael by Deckard, who assaults her with the thoroughly “human” vice of lust or desire.
In aggreance with Andrew, I also thought your articulations on how lighting effected the meaning of the scenes were particularly articulate and insightful. I was very interested in the almost mythical and godlike aura of the scene in Tyrell Corporation when Deckard first meets Rachael. The set looks almost like a greek palace and the warm glowing light furthers a sense of the divine.
Another specific lighting choice that I found interesting was the fact that the entire film exists at night and almost entirely in the rain. The wet dark shiny reflections of surfaces creates a haunting and eerie mood that creates a tension that underlines the entirety of the film.
Linzy, I really like that you chose to focus on the biblical allusions in Blade Runner; and I think they are critical to an understanding of the film. I completely agree with you that Roy Batty is a Christ/savior figure in the film, and I think there are multiple allusions to this in the film. First, Roy is similar to Christ in that he is a super-human. Like Christ, Roy has human characteristics and existed on earth in the flesh, but also has “god-like” capabilities beyond that of a normal human. Secondly, Roy, like Christ, came from the heavens to accomplish a mission on earth. Roy’s interaction with Tyrell is also interesting, as Tyrell is the creator of Roy (and all replicants), and refers to Roy as his son—alluding to the relationship between the God the father, and Christ. However, Ridley Scott distorts this allusion, as Roy turns on Tyrell and kills him, possibly insinuating that Roy is actually the Anti-Christ.
However, Ridley Scott picks back up with the allusions to Christ later in the movie, when Roy shoves a nail through the center of his right hand, a direct allusion to Christ being nailed to the cross. Like Christ, Roy also knows that he has a limited time to live on earth; and even though Deckard is trying to kill Roy, Roy saves Deckard from falling to his death—symbolic of the Christian belief that Christ is the savior of mankind. Lastly, in Roy’s final scene, he utters “Time to die,” a phrase I found strikingly similar to Christ’s utterance, “It is finished.” As Roy dies, he releases a white dove, which I believe is not only symbolic of peace, but an allusion to the Holy Spirit, which is often depicted as a dove in the bible. I think there a multiple implications that result from Roy’s role as a Christ figure; one of which being that Deckard is a human, as Christ died to save humanity.
I enjoyed your thorough analysis of the lighting in Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner.” I too think that his deliberate application of dark and gloomy lighting helped set the undertone and mood throughout the film.
Your description of the “dimly lit room, bold crisscrossing shadows, and heavy use of chiaroscuro” in the scene in Deckard’s apartment is important for the reasons you mentioned, as well as the fact that it adds feelings of suspense in an otherwise mellow scene. Another scene where is this apparent is when Deckard administers the Voight-Kampff test to Rachel. Placing them in a dark room and the use of shadows reinforces the emotions of the scene, while the eerie light behind Rachel and the way it shines on her face and the cigarette smoke give her an ethereal feel — playing with the idea of whether or not she is human.
The one thing I would add to the analysis of lighting in this film is the use of spotlights in the background throughout. They add a feeling of being watched, and reinforce the “police state” theme. I think this coincides well with some of the problems our society faces today, with many citizens protesting the reach of the PATRIOT Act and government surveillance through the NSA. The film shows this same infiltration of privacy to the highest degree, and almost acts as a warning against taking it too far.