From watching Blade Runner The Final Cut (2007), I was extremely fascinated by the setting, especially the city and the off world. It was a bit difficult to follow at the start of the film, and I vividly remember questioning where am I? Nevertheless, it was beautiful to watch and interesting to see how the setting contributed to major themes throughout the film.
In the beginning, we are introduced to the city of Los Angeles in the year 2019. The streets are filled with tons of people and dozens of taxis. It is also very dark and dreary with trash and excessive waste covering the streets (i.e., when Sebastian meets Pris she is hiding in a pile of garbage bags). There is also an enormous blimp floating around in the sky projecting noisy commercials. Thus, the setting of the city streets further shows the harsh living conditions of people in the city. It seems very crowded, cramped, and dirty. They also seem to be heavily controlled and under surveillance by the constant blink of lights circling the city which can be seen inside of Sebastian’s home. There is also no real sense of community; we don’t see any meaningful interactions between people walking the streets. We also don’t see any form of light or nature in the city, which signifies a lack of freedom and peace.
This further points to the theme of social class where the city people represent the lower/working class as they have little to no power. For example, Sebastian lives in an old, dirty apartment in which he works for the Tyrell corporation. He is so isolated from society that he creates toys to serve as his friends. He seems to have no sense of peace or contentment outside of his toys. Similarly, the man who works in the facility to make eyes for the replicants is also representative of the lower class as he, too, is working for the Tyrell corporation; he is isolated in a lab with a bunch of eyes. I would also argue that Deckard serves as another example in which he is isolated from society as he lives alone in a small, outdated apartment. He, too, is controlled by the Tyrell corporation as he has no choice but to commit to the mission of retiring the replicants.
In contrast, the setting of the Tyrell Corporation in the off-world appears as a futuristic, ancient building with high-tech systems (Voight Kampff machine) and flying cars, which is the total opposite of the city. It reflects that of a temple with its statues, creative wall designs, and pillars, which signifies power and wealth. This can also be seen in the design of Eldon Tyrell’s apartment. Inside his bedroom, Eldon has several candles placed in candelabras, decorative centerpieces, elegant curtains, and a very large bed. This highlights his sense of power and wealth as he is the maker of the replicants. When Roy confronts Eldon, he has to “travel up” to his bedroom in order to meet with his “father.” This is significant because it reinforces the hierarchy of their relationship as Eldon carries more power over Roy as his maker. However, this idea can be challenged as Roy ultimately kills Eldon. Who really has the power? In that case, does Eldon’s status truly matter? What happens when there is a shift in power?
Sources:
https://screensense.wordpress.com/blade-runner/mise-en-scene/setting/
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