Beginning, the female character, Rachel, (middle to top right) has prim hair and classic demeanor and is an instantly recognizable character archetype. A 40’s / 50’s film noir ‘femme fetal’, in particular the silent French movies of the late 30’s and 40’s. Traits of this styling can also be seen in the classic 1950’s Dior “New Look” which emphasized the feminine figure. A more modernistic depiction of this style can also be see in the 2008 series “Mad Men”.
Yet more noir ‘femme fatale’ traits within Racheals character are demonstrated in this image by the use of a cigarette. This shows a potential dangerous side to her personality, which is further highlighted by the harsh black background surrounding the woman’s face. However, the juxtaposition of soft lighting and delicate curls of the cigarette smoke create a stark contrast with this feel of danger, heightening the creative lighting and providing the evidence for the ‘airy subservient female character.’
Another interesting use of lighting upon the face is the angle in which it falls across the image. Her face, illuminated from below demonstrates her esteem in the eyes of Deckard, the main male character. This in turn provides evidence of the more abstract concept of the male gaze. Racheal, in the eyes of Deckard is the ‘ideal woman.’ The tragedy lies in Blade Runners more subjective message of memory and meaning.
The selection of Harrison Ford to play the main character within the film “Deckard” instantly affects the audiences’ reaction to the production. As a popular actor at the time of the films release, starring in films such as the “Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars” trilogies, the public as an audience are drawn to view the film because of his preconceived reputation. Within this poster, Deckard is demonstrated as the archetypal noir-esque cop. Throughout the film the audience is unsure as to whether or not this character is a replicant (aka “bad guy”) or he hero within the tale. This creates a mysterious persona and adds to the attraction and affection already held for the character because of the actors status. Deckard can be seen as an anti-hero in the film due to this uncertainty of his true alliances. A demonstration of this seen in this image is the gold glowing light surrounding the characters face. The colour of the surrounding suggests, at first glance, heroic qualities however the fact that the pattern in which the lines fall downwards away from him suggest a darker more negative side to his personality.
More over, this depiction of Blade Runner highlights Ridley Scotts vision of what the future may look like. A amalgamation of social and cultural imagery, blended into one catastrophic, gothic, dark environment. This decadence could be seen as a failure of the recognition of emotion and human spirit, in turn leading to the meaningless objectification of people and objects. Within the image, the viewer is forced to look down on buildings, providing evidence for the argument of the cities lack of prowess, despite the technological advances made and the implied sophistication and progression of mankind . This amalgamation of cultural imagery, to my mind implies a fragmentation within society and a loss of individualization.
The imagination and creative skill that’s required to capture the illusion of a large-scale environment within the confines of a small studio is also illustrated in the diagram. Creative camera and film techniques being employed as the option for using digital mediums just wasn’t available. A comparison could be drawn to the likes of ‘classic’ Spielberg esq films such as (starwars…) visualization in as much that big set designs, scale models and levels of craftsmanship required to create the world of Blade Runner. The image, being hand drawn and painted itself, communicates this as you can feel the meaning and purpose within the strokes and marks constructed to create an overall feel.
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