How is Bladerunner a Postmodern text?-
Bladerunner, directed by Ridley Scott is a 1982 American science fiction film loosely based on the novel ‘Do androids dream of electric sheep?’ by Philip Dick. The film is a post modern text for several reasons where the primary focus of the whole film is in questioning humanity as a whole; this in itself being Postmodern because it examines what distinctly makes us human and separates us from machine. Postmodernism rejects the idea of progress and therefore is quite anti technology, some post modernists can even be described as followers of neo-luddism, this is a world view opposing modern technology that displaces workers and therefore increases unemployment and such thought and beliefs are replicated within the film where throughout man has been replaced by machine and the technological future appears bleak and dismal, this being furthered enhanced by mise-en-scene in terms of low key lighting use. Right through the distinction between human and machine throughout remains unclear while it also centres on whether our emotions can be programmed or humanity even be manufactured, this in itself rejects totalizing theories of universal truths such as the purpose of life as well as demonstrating a belief in the hypereality and the fabricated and therefore links to the postmodern notions of fragmentation of self-identity, hypereality and rejection of meta-narratives and overall this makes the text postmodern.
Bladerunner exhibits many Postmodern traits, most notably its visual aesthetic. The film surpasses boundaries by mixing the 1950 genre of film noir and science fiction, these genres directly juxtapose one another and this links to the postmodern idea of a rejection of generic boundaries and the focus on hybridity. The low key lighting within the film is important as it’s a common characteristic of the film noir genre, the characters live in a perpetual state of darkness where it constantly rains. Also the main character Rachel (Sean young) is dressed as the archetypal femme-fatale of film noir, her sexualised appearance and clothing are important in establishing her role within the film as this character where though it can be argued she does not explicitly bring about Deckard’s (Harrison Ford) destruction he is irresistibly attracted to her and in one scene pushes her to kiss him and have sex with her. These elements of the film noir genre are opposed by the overall futuristic setting as well as the use of technology throughout the film and this links to the manipulation of time present. Boundaries are further rejected by the use of high technology, key iconography of the science fiction genre, and the use of Aztec like buildings and the overall 1950’s film-noir genre, by combining these two genres it manipulates the generic boundaries of time and setting and this additionally makes this film postmodern in nature. Such high technology used throughout overshadows humanity for example all through the film characters are always shown using or in the same shot with some sort of technology. Deckard relies on his Voight-Kampff machine to detect replicant’s while the confusion over Rachel’s own identity as a human or a replicant represents the overall dehumanization of society to ultimately mean nothing more than a machine and this links in with the postmodern notion of a loss of identity and such a focus on the fragmentation of identity and ultimately a ‘de-centred self’ where the fact technology overrides human beings questions the makeup of humans and whether we can be created, this in itself an example of Postmodern questioning. Postmodernists dismiss modernist ideas about the ‘unified’ self and focus on defragmentation and rejection of identity, this linking to the overall rejection of generic boundaries which postmodernists believe do not govern existence, a belief which arguably Tyrell holds, proven by his creation of the replicants. We can also go further in stating that irony is used in terms of the juxtapositioning between replicant’s and humans. The Voight-Kampff machine used is an empathy test which discovers replicant’s however throughout it appears that the replicant’s are more compassionate than when directly compared to the humans, for example the fact they look out for each other and mourn one another’s death or when Roy at the very end of the film spares Deckard’s life while Deckard on the other hand shows very little compassion when ‘retiring’ the replicants (thought it could be argued he is in fact a replicant himself) and Tyrell in creating them and disposing of them so quickly in the first place.
In terms of mise-en-scene not only does the location mix up two types of film genres and the use of technology props present the dehumanization of society but it also focuses on the Postmodern idea of the mass media and popular culture being the most powerful and important institutions within society, this can be demonstrated by the frequent advertising used in the film. Throughout there are always advertisements to the other, better worlds and how people should join them while the films aesthetic in terms of the huge billboards constantly advertising products made by national corporations portrays how in the future we will be turned into a global village of consumerism. The fact that Tyrells company are allowed to manipulate the human mind and create replicant’s in the first place also demonstrates the power institutions uphold in the film, power constantly reinforced by the fact that the rich live high up away from the murky, rainy polluted setting below. Therefore this not only displays Postmodern ideas but Marxist ideas too where because huge companies now effectively rule the planet society has dissented into polluted chaos where the poor suffer at the hands of the rich and their companies and factories, which arguably produce all the pollution. Also the popular 1980s prediction of the United States being economically surpassed by Japan is reflected in the domination of Japanese culture and corporations in the advertising of LA 2019.
Furthermore the dystopian themes explored in Blade Runner are an early example of cyberpunk concepts expanding into film where eyes are a recurring motif, as are manipulated images, calling into question reality and our ability to accurately perceive and remember it. Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre of film noted for its focus on ‘high tech’ and ‘low life’.
Additionally we can view Bladerunner as a parody, another postmodern concept, parodying and even mocking totalizing theories of universal truths such as religion and this is a feature of postmodernism. Tyrell can be seen as God, this in itself linking in with the power sustained by the media conglomerates, where he creates replicant’s as God created mankind. There are immediate references within the film to the epic poem, Paradise lost by John Milton where Roy and his followers can be seen as Milton’s fallen angels who having been separated from their maker (Tyrell) and alike to Lucifer in this poem all of the followers, particularly Roy, set on a course of destruction against their maker where in Milton’s poem the battle between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ takes place in heaven however in Bladerunner it is fought on earth. Furthermore the camera angle used to film the lift ascending to Tyrell’s headquarters gives the viewer the impression that it is actually going up to heaven while in terms of mise-en-scene the interior decor resembles that of a cathedral and there is an aura of holiness about the place.
We can state that such intertexuality is purposefully used in order to parody both philosophical and religious theories, in Bladerunner ‘God’ is presented as an almost manipulative cold character who freely experiments on his replicant’s such as Rachel while has no problem in demanding their retirement. Additionally we do in some ways sympathise with the plight of the replicant’s who are just desperate for more time on earth and such a juxtaposition in representations in terms of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ demonstrate such parody. Additionally the unanswered question of whether Deckard is in fact a replicant perhaps suggests that the replicant’s triumph over their maker Tyrell, specifically as he is killed by Roy and this further plays on the satirist nature of the whole plot and links to the idea of rejecting universal truths, which are perceived as wrong as Tyrell’s creation of replicant’s is, in order to seek more contingent theories. However if we do focus on this theory we can state that rather than the film being Postmodern it actually focuses on characters in the Postmodern condition and the film is about Postmodernism, rather than Post modern in nature where the characters actively look for their maker to demand more time on earth and the fact they kill him and Deckard lives while Rachel’s future is unknown can be seen as progress against the evil of Tyrell and his media corporation and progress is rejected in Postmodernism.
As stated before manipulation of time is a huge feature of this film for example the replicant’s only have 4 years to live however want to change this while Sebastian, the genetic designer working for Tyrell has an aging disease where he physically ages however is actually only in his twenties and therefore has a shorter life span, a like to the replicant’s. This manipulation of time links to the decay in generic boundaries e.g. the general human life span as well as the idea of hyper-reality.
To conclude this film is a postmodern text for several reasons, it focuses on the fragmentation of identity and its rejection as well as the manipulation of time, both of these linking in with the postmodern concept of a rejection of generic boundaries. The mixing of genre’s, primarily established by the use of mise-en-scene, is also key in enforcing such a rejection of boundaries by a juxtaposition of two key genres. Other elements of postmodernism are used throughout the film such as that of parody and irony, in terms of the fairly compassionate nature of replicant’s who are designed to be the complete opposite, furthermore it explores some key dystopian themes associated with the postmodern genre of cyberpunk which additionally supports the fact it is a postmodern film.
