Blade Runner: A Scientific Look into Philosophy
...d portrays a sense of self-awareness and femininity very much like a human woman. This helps to awaken Deckard’s sexual drive. Their dialogue also serves to demonstrate the intertwining of their two different worlds. Deckard tells Rachael that he dreamt of music and Rachael tells him she did not know if she knew how to play, but she has someone’s memories of piano lessons. Obviously, the issue of their humanity is plaguing both of them. Deckard brings up the fact that he dreamt of music making us wonder if his memories are also implanted, but then we get Rachael’s response that reassures us that implanted memories do not degrade their ability to be human. The way this scene is shot also helps to plead the case of Rachael being human or Deckard being no less human than a replicant. Rachael is shot at a side view as she is playing the piano. Suddenly, Deckard emerges from her face looking in the same direction. This clearly demonstrates that their worlds are juxtaposed and that they are almost the same person or at least going in the same direction. Duality is a common theme that continues throughout the whole movie, and there is no greater example than the battle between Deckard and Roy Batty. Deckard and Roy have already confronted each other. Deckard is injured from the ordeal and Roy is dying from a short lifespan. As Deckard bandages his hand, Roy stabs his own hand to put more life into it. This shot is done with cross-cutting so that we are given the illusion that they both work on their hands at the same time in hopes of doing the same thing, sustaining life. This dualism of creation and deconstruction is skewed because it portrays the hero, Deckard, as the villain. He fixes his hand in efforts to destroy, to extinguish the existence of another being. Through stabbing himself, Roy prolongs his life. This abnormal way of thinking is a result of his life of torment as a replicant and not belonging anywhere. He always brings up the fact that he knows how it is to live in fear and to live like a slave. His being consists of pain and despair. He is an alien consciousness living in a strange world and in a strange body. He cannot be accepted as human, but he has taken human form. Roy lives with this dilemma everyday of his life, but it is no different from Deckard’s job as a blade runner. We can see that Deckard is uncomfortable and awkward as a blade runner more so because he knows he can get the job done. So in this scene when Deckard injuries his hand and on top of that loses his gun, he loses his ability to be a peacemaker. However, Deckard has only one weapon left in his arsenal and that is his life. But Roy strips him of the chance of being a martyr when he saves Deckard from falling to his death. Deckard fails as a peacemaker because his task is to terminate the alien beings. Despite Deckard’s failure, Roy is able to end the war by ending the ignorance. It is only human instinct to be afraid of what you do not understand. Roy understands that there is only one option left to him. He has to explain to Deckard on what it is to be a replicant. He does succeed at this by explaining to Deckard that he has had so many experiences and memories that to die and lose them all is the greatest lost that anyone or anything could experience. We finally understand the dualism between the two and it is based on life and death. The fact that Roy, an artificial being, can fear death the same way that Deckard fears life, drowning his past in alcohol and living as if he has nothing to lose, we realize that these two men are the same person, but look at the world through different perspectives. This is justified even more with Roy’s last speech to Deckard. Deckard can only look at him with understanding and respect. How this scene is shot also helps to stress that Roy and Deckard are exactly alike. After Roy dies, there is cross-cutting between Roy and Deckard, but then there is a long dissolving shot of Deckard and Roy where it gives the impression that they are both the exact same person. This portrayal of dualism among characters in Blade Runner is a recurring theme especially when the viewer is placed into the film. Deckard steps out of the elevator and walks to his front door. He looks around as if alerted by something. He then pulls out his gun and calls Rachael’s name. The peculiarity of this long take is how the moving shot is down. The camera is hand-held and follows Deckard from the elevator, but then Deckard passes the camera as if not noticing it. But he turns around as if aware that someone is there. When he pulls out the gun the camera moves right...