Rutger Hauer gives one of the most magical acting movie moments of the Century His 'tears in rain' is more powerful to watch the older you get because you start to realise life is fleeting We all want answers to our purpose in life, how long we have and why we are here Then Harrison Ford's thudding voice over comes in right when you're engrosed in the moment like a bucket of cold water tipped on your head We don't need to be told what Rutger had already expained through his amazing acting talent
The religious symbolism in this scene is profound - I've never been moved by so many emotions in such a short editing of scenes ever again since I first saw this. A man who confesses his being sick of killing to the audience via voice over is saved from 'death' by a supernatural being with a primitive nail in his hand (hint) who accepts his own death. Church bells toll inthe background and a bird, representing a soul flies to 'heaven' depicted by the only blue sky seen in the entire film. Wow!
Okay, here's what I think: VO A DEFINITE PLUS. I watched the directors cut and was, no pun intended, lost for words at the lack of vo. In the quintessential scene between Deckard and Batty, it isn't obvious from the acting alone why B saved D's life. Also, the last line of the vo in this scene sums up the central message of the movie: the fragility of life; "all I could do was sit there and watch him die"
In the words of Frank Darabont, "Yes, I know that. Thank you for kicking this beautiful, delicate, emotional note that we were achieving right in the nuts."
wow, i have actually never seen this version XD definitely not as good sadly. Almost explaining something that really never should be explained. But still love this scene :-)
Harrison's narration..well..it is the version I saw first and loved,but now not having heard it in years because the only version I had of it was on an archaic vhs..it leaves a little something to be desired
Quality of narration is 'okay' (read; not great) but I like that it tries to add a hard-boiled detective / noir aspect to it that you don't see much anymore.
WOW, watched this movie for the first time today, and was pissed off because I thought I'd gotten the "wrong" version (Final Cut)- but holy shit, this narration is awful. Glad my first Blade Runner viewing wasn't the Theatrical Version.
Can any Blade Runner fan tell me if there is a ending where it actually shows Roy's face as he says the words "Time to die"? My mom says that the ending of the blu-ray version one I played is not what she remembers. I think she is just remembering it wrong. Anyone know for sure?
The directors cut is alot better. This scene is alot better and more powerful when it's left to interpretation as opposed to Deckard explaining everything. Its like the ending, the directors cut is better because it allows the viewer to make a judgement as to what is to come rather than just having a cliche happy ending.
...funny how all these people that upload the classic "tears in the Rain" scene speak so highly of it but ALL the uploads are in crappy 240p resolution! FAIL!!!...
I have a version of this masterpiece which wasn't exactly what I was looking for. Perhaps any of you might know? There's a version like this one where there's a narration on behalf of Harrison Ford that I find meaningful and quite an asset to the outcome of the movie. Which version is this one??? Where can I find it?
When I saw this as a kid, I liked the voiceover, but now it makes me think of that of the McKenzie brothers in Take Off, and, well, it kinda ruins the best part of the movie for me.
@airguitardemon i was wondering the same thing, but i heard critics first hated this movie when it was first released, the oscars goes with what critics say about a film, but years later, so much normal fans loved this film, critics changed their minds, it really shows how hypocritical they are
Greatest movie scene of all time thanks to greatest soliloquy of all time (life's-a-walking-shadow my synthetic backside...) But I agree with Frank Darabont about the voice over.....'it's like you're having sex and someone dumps cold water on you'. If it wasn't for the Final Cut, I would rip that dvd and edit the VO out myself.
I liked it without deckard's narration in the ending, if you just look at his face when roy dies, you know that deckard realized why he saved him, it should be obvious without the narration
@bigdaddypillows actually he condensed the dialogue; it was upposed to be much longer, but RH shortened it and added the "Tears in the Rain" at the end.
This was the version I saw as a child, and while it probably helped me understand the film then (if that was even possible), in retrospect it does seem tacked on, and even a bit cheesy. This scene requires silence, not exposition. Thank the gods for the director's cut!
The version with the narration sucked! It was very distracting and it was too expositional by describing every single solitary thing that was going on in the film.
The voice over treats the audience like idiots who cannot think for themselves.
Sadly, there's lots of movies now who have some annoying sidekick explaining everything to the zombie audience who cannot do one bit of thinking themselves.
I liked the voice over the first time I saw Bladerunner on tv, but now when I've seen the director's cut it actually lessens the impact of the movie.
@McLarenMercedes the narration just shows that studios think were all a bunch of morons. Im about 15 and saw this when i was thirteen when i saw then directors cut and i completely understood it. this scene brings tears to my eyes
The VO lends the film a bit of the old Philip Marlowe style. I prefer it with the VO - but it's ultimately not that big a deal given the scope of the movie.
I know the purist do not like the Orginal version of this classic film..But for me, inspite of thr poor narration..It did add emotion to the scence..Roy Baty did indeed prove to more human than human ! Valuing life..Even of the life of the man who was hunting him !
@davis3001 I've always felt that way too. IMHO, the narration gave the film a "hard boiled" detective story edge and Deckard's eulogy of Roy amplifies the sentiment (realised too by Roy) that Deckard is just as much a slave as Roy was because they're both controlled by the same system. At the start of the film Deckard was forced out of retirement to hunt down the replicants.
Wow... that was really bad. I always heard that the original dialogue was awful, but that just was bad production value on many parts. It might have been fine if it did sound better, both acting and sound fidelity wise. This just takes the viewer out of the film and kills the mood. To Hell with it, I say. Better off without it.
The narration blows. Even Harrison Ford was pulled kicking and screaming into the studio because he didn`t want to do it. This explains why the voice acting was purposefully so brutal.
Wow this is shit. The newer one is so much better. The narration ruins it. I prefer the lack of talking, with Vangelis' beautiful score in the background. :).
The original version is light years ahead of the butchered director's or final cut versions; the dimension added to the film via lead narration is invaluable. Silly haters- reductionism is for recycling! (This is just the sound byte argument in support of the original version; the full argument utterly crushes any ideas that the later cuts were a benefit to the film).
Meh, it's a great movie in ANY version. Definitely a masterpiece. I'd watch any version of it given the chance. That said, I only own the Final Cut and I'm very happy with that decision, it's my favorite version, even though they're all good.
I like the voice over in the original. I don't give a shit what anyone says. People who say it spoon feeds you are wrong IMO. It does not impose itself on your own ideas. Books "narrate". Writers tell you things about what characters in books are thinking and feeling and seeing. If they didn't then books would be nothing more than dialogue scripts, but they are not. Why should a movie be any different? Critics and elitists hate the narration.....the rest of us like it.
I've always loved that voice over narration. It enhances the film for me. It personalizes it. It always feels like somethings missing when I see the film without it.
HAHAHAHA Wow you can tell Harrison was reluctant about the voice over. Sounds like he just threw up, was clutching for the flush and someone brought him a mic.
@hairyhoff It's not a lack of effort; it's an expression of resign at failing to understand; it's an expression of subconscious despondency caused by a suffocating dystopia. His tone is perfect.
I hate the voiceover for this scene. Firstly because Harrison clearly doesn't want to be reading it, but more importantly because it spoon-feeds you what is already obvious. The voiceover wasn't used as a narrative device, it was used as an explanatory device, and that KILLS certain scenes. The only time I ever found the voiceover to be helpful was when it explained what the term "Skin-Job" meant, but that's not enough to justify it being in the movie.
The voice over was added for the masses because test audiences didn't quite 'get it'. Because people are DUMB. Harrison Ford admitted somewhere that he purposely did a crappy job hoping they wouldn't use it.
Both versions are fine.... (with Decker's narration, AND without it) my gosh, some of you ppl need to get over yourselves. It's because the story and script (hmmmm....the entire foundation of a movie?) are just so good that both versions work and are classics. This entire debate is like trying to name the best steak you've ever had, after remembering about 200+ awesome steak dinners.
@colderbeer Finally someone with a sign of intelligence, thank you colderbeer. In my opinion 99% of you people wouldnt even know what deckard is feeling or that Roy saved him because he loved life at that moment inless you seen the narration so finally shut your mouth and realize that you owe it to the narration for half of what your finally feeling and enjoy both, or just watch one who gives a shit
@teamsleep216 Yes, very true. Deckard's narration (as to what he was thinking) after Roy surprises him by saving him instead of killing him is such an important part to the ending. Also, the fact that it's Harrison Ford himself doing the narration adds a very positive aspect to the film. So in the end, BOTH version work...and BOTH versions are classics.
@colderbeer The reasons I dislike the narration are as follows: 1) It comes out of nowhere, goes away for forty minutes of the film, and then comes back at the most jarring possible moment 2) It, like the ending that comes in the V.O. bundle, doesn't tonally fit with the rest of the film 3) The things he says, particularly in this scene, are self-explanatory. If the audience is too dumb to understand this, or to draw a conclusion from their own emotional response, then they've missed the point.
@bluffwuff Ford denies this. Even though he was opposed to the idea of voice over, he did his honest best with some really awful writing (which neither of the original writers or Ridley Scott had anything to do with).
@teamsleep216 So what you're saying is that you were asleep for the first 100 minutes of the film? Because if you saw that, then you should be able to trust what your own mind is thinking when this scene reaches its climax. So what if it's not an exact replica of what Deckard is narrating, do you not have the ability to reflect on it yourself? Perhaps you should be bewildered, or left guessing. Surely what Deckard says is not finite either, he begins by saying "I don't know," and adds "maybe."
@colderbeer For some people it boils down to the one scene. Everything in the film is essentially building up to this moment, and to many, the V.O. completely ruins it. So to use your steak dinner analogy, it's as if you were close to having the best steak of your life when on the last bite you cracked your tooth on a bone or something that wasn't supposed to be in there. People are entitled to their opinions, and to me the V.O. removal is the difference between a classic film, and a great film.
@colderbeer i liked both versions, but the directors cut was clearly better, the ending to the original ruined the tone of the film, and the narration was very bad
@colderbeer but the narration misses the point, he didn't love life...he was terrified of dying and being forgotten, he experienced all these things, but they were going to simply fade into nothingness, something that terrifies all human beings, which is what he was, in the end, simply human.
@colderbeer Both cuts have their merits, so you are definitely right about the pettiness. Of course, directors might be precious about the purity of their work, and that is understandable, but even edits or retouching cannot spoil something so great as this film! I'm off to buy the DVD finally!
@FinalExitRadio You're right, but that's not really relevant. Tons of films are made that are based on literary works that often stray from the author's original story.
@pinboyjorf: No it is not the original. The studios forced it upon Harrison Ford and Ridley Scott. Not only that, but (in case it isn't already blatantly obvious) Ford purposefully voiced his narration badly so that the studios wouldn't use it and drop the idea of a narration. AND THEY FREAKING USED IT ANYWAY, much to Ford's surprise and revulsion at the first screening of the movie!
Even the so-called "Director's Cut" did not have direct participation from Scott. Final Cut all the way.
I heard he really didn't want to do it, thot it ruined the movie, so he dedpanned it. , but I think it really made the movie more personal.. I love the narration.
He didn't want to do it. No one did, the studio wouldn't have released the film otherwise. The directors and final cut are what Scott originally planned in the first place.
@PinkOld I don't know, to me it sounds more like a "get on with it" type of drawl than calm and rational. And you can articulate clearly in your head as well, especially if it's for a movie audience.
If you can find the "Workprint" Cut, the voiceover has different dialogue for this scene which is not only better written, but Ford actually sounds into it, delivering it very low and somberly...almost whisper-like. If the voiceovers had been more like that, I wouldn't have minded them being in the movie and actually think it would have enhanced things...but the people they put in charge of writing the final voiceovers clearly had no idea how to write. Pity.
The voiceover is there simply to spoon-feed the premise to the wider audience who don't like too much cerebal activity served alongside the mis-on-scene. The director's cut hints at the protagonist being a replicant himslf; another fantastic twist that elevates the version from the boring traditional Hollywood Narrative. Like someone said before, it's purely subjective which version is better. It's probably also fair to say that your preference speaks volumes about your noetic value...
I think its great that they remastered the original but why didn't they give you both versions on the Final Cut ? I find myself missing the voice-over even if Harrison Ford hated doing it, it certainly helps hold it all together.
I think perhaps it's the execution, Ford is sooo monotone and lifeless, which he did purposefully so the studio would be willing to take it out. Being a film Noir fan, i love narrated voice overs, I'd prefer if they'd done it better atleast.
The final cut ends with Rachel (Sean Young) and Decker (u-know who) walking into an elevator. In the original theatrical release they leave the city in a spinner, and we see the scenery from another movie of treelines and wooded hills. It is a huge relief from the congestion of the sets on union station etc.
in the original script, Roy Battey (Rutger Hauer) had found that the original Dr. Terrel had died, and what he killed was another replicant. There were hints that Decker was one also!
classic cinema, really love this scene. Humanizes the Roy character who up until then has been this crazy android running around killing people. But he has been running around killing people for a very simple reason, he doesn't want to die.
I love the v/o version. It's not the "explanation" thing, it's just more...emotional at some points, sharing the thoughts. Some love it, some hate it :)
At one point we all share on opinion...this movie is one of the greatest!
City scape the pigeon flies into was also changed in the directors cut. In this, the pigeon flies off to a simplistic skyline in the rain. The ending of this also has futuristic car drive to the sunset.
No. It was because the studio felt it needed an explanation. Ridley Scott thought the v/o was insulting to the audience. He's been saying that for 20 years. That's why the final cut didn't use the v/o.
on the dvd editor terry rawlings said he and scott were in a screening and ridley said to him "its great but what the fuck does it mean?" im sure the studio felt the same tho
Wow...didn't even know there was a version with a v/o....that sucked! It's better without one. If some people can't understand the movie without that v/o it's too bad for them!
haha now i understand this movie, i watched the directors cut and harisons voice over was cut out in it so the replicant died and u never found out why.
The voice over ruins this scene... The words speak for themselves.. It needs no explanation. If you can't feel for him after what he just said... you never will. There is something to be said for subtlety. It makes for a more poignant piece. Nobody working on the film liked the idea of a voice over either. especially Harrison Ford. It was forced on them.
well said. I remember someone commenting " Harrison Ford's voice-over felt like someone was pointing a gun at his forehead and asking him to read lines." - so apt. lol. but yea. awesome movie (without the narration). poetic scene.
LastReplicant, whether you prefer the voiceover or not is a purely subjective thing. I appreciate that - as with all matters artistic - people will have very strongly held opinions, but they are ultimately just that - Opinions.
There's no need to go around insulting the intelligence of people who express perfectly valid opinions on a film.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
I hear your words clearly and you articulate your point very well...but alas... they are so soaked in the stench of hippy pussy that I can't take them seriously. I appreciate the fruitless effort of defending an opinion on the internet thought.
Ah, nothing like a nice Internet "flame war." The last refuge of socially stigmatized, acne-encrusted, 23-year-old self-professed "comic nerds" the world over.
The alleged "stench of hippy [sic] pussy" you discuss will probably be the closest you get to pussy of any kind for much of your life...so rather than criticize it, you should be loving it, my World of Warcraft friend.
Well we can't all be super cool Battle Star Galactic fans like you, my hypocritical chum. As for the pussy thing...well...I must admit that it has been hard for me to get laid since the cops made your mom clothes her brothel...shame too...it's hard to find a good gummer now a days.
Ouch, a hooked on phonics joke. Perhaps you'd like to pull out another gem like "You are the weakest link, goodbye" or something equally dated and combatively flacid? Finish the job your mothers pimp tried to do with a coat hanger when you were in the womb and kill yourself.
Wow, all this invective over a difference of opinion on film.
It's mildly entertaining, because of the sick desperation to your anger that reveals you probably don't have much going on in your "life" other than stupid shit like flame wars on youtube.
Try not to upset the bag of chee-tohs all over your parents' basement carpet when you take your victory lap.
"Flacid" is spelled with two c's, by the way. It's a term that applies to sexualized mom jokes too - Those were old in the 1980s.
While the narration was a little dead pan it did make a point. To draw some sympathy from the audience . I saw this in the theater the day of the release . You can put it on any format you want but nothing beats the big screen. Not too long from now replicants could be possible but maybe people will remember this scene and decide not to. Slaves no matter where they are from diminish all of us because it's we who made them.
i second that I think Harrison's voice over here is very moving, and I like the voice overs very much, even though he should have taken them more seriously.
I know this is not a popular view among many Blade Runner afficionados, but I actually like Harrison Ford's narration.
Don't get me wrong - I agree that it doesn't necessarily add much to each specific plot development.
That said, the narration is delivered in such a jaded, embittered tone, a la Sam Slade...so that it really makes it a film noire detective movie with a scifi setting. Without the narration, the film really loses that film noir feel.
Rutger Hauer gives one of the most magical acting movie moments of the Century His 'tears in rain' is more powerful to watch the older you get because you start to realise life is fleeting We all want answers to our purpose in life, how long we have and why we are here Then Harrison Ford's thudding voice over comes in right when you're engrosed in the moment like a bucket of cold water tipped on your head We don't need to be told what Rutger had already expained through his amazing acting talent
Oucluscupitumamo1 2 weeks ago
I agree. I love the original version with Harrison Ford's commentary.
dakorja1 4 weeks ago
this film is set in 2019. Why no attack ships off the shoulder of Orion yet, NASA?
JackieChan173 2 months ago
@JackieChan173 The shoulder of Orion is not a place you want to be when Betelgeuse goes supernova.
DrSamba1 1 month ago
The religious symbolism in this scene is profound - I've never been moved by so many emotions in such a short editing of scenes ever again since I first saw this. A man who confesses his being sick of killing to the audience via voice over is saved from 'death' by a supernatural being with a primitive nail in his hand (hint) who accepts his own death. Church bells toll inthe background and a bird, representing a soul flies to 'heaven' depicted by the only blue sky seen in the entire film. Wow!
mosihasteen 2 months ago
Okay, here's what I think: VO A DEFINITE PLUS. I watched the directors cut and was, no pun intended, lost for words at the lack of vo. In the quintessential scene between Deckard and Batty, it isn't obvious from the acting alone why B saved D's life. Also, the last line of the vo in this scene sums up the central message of the movie: the fragility of life; "all I could do was sit there and watch him die"
LarysaB 4 months ago
Harisun narate wus said 2 such a degre u undestand Rutgr wus developng luv ov life thats he saved him at the end of his own.A sort ov suicide.
jgtdaw 4 months ago
In the words of Frank Darabont, "Yes, I know that. Thank you for kicking this beautiful, delicate, emotional note that we were achieving right in the nuts."
FCWPM 5 months ago
NARRATION IS terrible beyond words
BobbyD167 5 months ago
wow, i have actually never seen this version XD definitely not as good sadly. Almost explaining something that really never should be explained. But still love this scene :-)
nosgothgbr 5 months ago
The coolest moment in movie history...
cobosenriquez 6 months ago
Harrison's narration..well..it is the version I saw first and loved,but now not having heard it in years because the only version I had of it was on an archaic vhs..it leaves a little something to be desired
bloodsling 7 months ago
Deckard sounds drunk.
mojonotsag 7 months ago 4
@mojonotsag ROFLMAO!!! I have thought the same things for years!
lotr333 7 months ago
I THINK THAT THIS SCENE IN ITALIAN IS MORE POETIC
__www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UVhl8t3Tu8
listen... up or down guys
lupo1thewolf 8 months ago
Quality of narration is 'okay' (read; not great) but I like that it tries to add a hard-boiled detective / noir aspect to it that you don't see much anymore.
rasicar 9 months ago
Isn't it remarkable Rutger Hauer ad libed "tears in rain". I am in awe of his acting and extraordinary brilliance.
irarube 9 months ago
WOW, watched this movie for the first time today, and was pissed off because I thought I'd gotten the "wrong" version (Final Cut)- but holy shit, this narration is awful. Glad my first Blade Runner viewing wasn't the Theatrical Version.
blizzaire08 9 months ago
Can any Blade Runner fan tell me if there is a ending where it actually shows Roy's face as he says the words "Time to die"? My mom says that the ending of the blu-ray version one I played is not what she remembers. I think she is just remembering it wrong. Anyone know for sure?
MisterBinx 10 months ago
@MisterBinx i believe he says "Time to Die" in the Final Cut of the film. This is the directors cut.
iprovokefights 10 months ago
The directors cut is alot better. This scene is alot better and more powerful when it's left to interpretation as opposed to Deckard explaining everything. Its like the ending, the directors cut is better because it allows the viewer to make a judgement as to what is to come rather than just having a cliche happy ending.
SuperEverythingman 10 months ago
I hate this narration.
Silentzio 11 months ago
...funny how all these people that upload the classic "tears in the Rain" scene speak so highly of it but ALL the uploads are in crappy 240p resolution! FAIL!!!...
SteveSabbai 11 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
This film changed my life.
chrisnolanistheman 1 year ago
This film changed my life.
chrisnolanistheman 1 year ago 22
yeah i dont think Harridon Ford wanted to do the narration at all.
sanguineknight18 1 year ago
I have a version of this masterpiece which wasn't exactly what I was looking for. Perhaps any of you might know? There's a version like this one where there's a narration on behalf of Harrison Ford that I find meaningful and quite an asset to the outcome of the movie. Which version is this one??? Where can I find it?
gabykapps 1 year ago
When I saw this as a kid, I liked the voiceover, but now it makes me think of that of the McKenzie brothers in Take Off, and, well, it kinda ruins the best part of the movie for me.
See what I mean: watch?v=1BFPt001PYU
tttar 1 year ago
Hahaha that narration sounds incredibly sarcastic
isthisnamestillfree 1 year ago
greed is a way to feel secure in ourselves......do you feel secure yet?
dacmiller 1 year ago
This hapend to me once
awsomedom3 1 year ago 2
best comedy ever. The original, that is.
brainwasher9876 1 year ago
deck be blade runner... he be replicant.... now, who run barter town?
therealplease 1 year ago
I wish someone could explain how Rutger Hauer didn't get an Oscar for this movie.
airguitardemon 1 year ago 5
@airguitardemon i was wondering the same thing, but i heard critics first hated this movie when it was first released, the oscars goes with what critics say about a film, but years later, so much normal fans loved this film, critics changed their minds, it really shows how hypocritical they are
SuperHeroMania 1 year ago
Greatest movie scene of all time thanks to greatest soliloquy of all time (life's-a-walking-shadow my synthetic backside...) But I agree with Frank Darabont about the voice over.....'it's like you're having sex and someone dumps cold water on you'. If it wasn't for the Final Cut, I would rip that dvd and edit the VO out myself.
TheKingOfCarmel 1 year ago
Harrison sounded really bored lol. "I don't know why he saved my life...but I couldn't care less"
RandomHL 1 year ago 2
I liked it without deckard's narration in the ending, if you just look at his face when roy dies, you know that deckard realized why he saved him, it should be obvious without the narration
SuperHeroMania 1 year ago
Did you guys know that this was not in the book or the screenplay and RH made that shit up on the spot?
bigdaddypillows 1 year ago
@bigdaddypillows wow best part of the movie
capucchan8 1 year ago
@bigdaddypillows actually he condensed the dialogue; it was upposed to be much longer, but RH shortened it and added the "Tears in the Rain" at the end.
mikesummit 1 year ago
This was the version I saw as a child, and while it probably helped me understand the film then (if that was even possible), in retrospect it does seem tacked on, and even a bit cheesy. This scene requires silence, not exposition. Thank the gods for the director's cut!
matternicuss 1 year ago 2
@matternicuss so agreed
SuperHeroMania 1 year ago
Para mi sigue siendo la mejor escena de todos los tiempos. Exquisita. Gracias!
sonitaluz 1 year ago
great movie, a bit depressing though
capucchan8 1 year ago
The version with the narration sucked! It was very distracting and it was too expositional by describing every single solitary thing that was going on in the film.
jheadSF06 1 year ago
great movie, I personally like the narrative
dano94 1 year ago
The voice over treats the audience like idiots who cannot think for themselves.
Sadly, there's lots of movies now who have some annoying sidekick explaining everything to the zombie audience who cannot do one bit of thinking themselves.
I liked the voice over the first time I saw Bladerunner on tv, but now when I've seen the director's cut it actually lessens the impact of the movie.
McLarenMercedes 1 year ago
@McLarenMercedes the narration just shows that studios think were all a bunch of morons. Im about 15 and saw this when i was thirteen when i saw then directors cut and i completely understood it. this scene brings tears to my eyes
underbightdog23 1 year ago
This quote has stuck with me for years..But with the precursor line about knowing how it is to live your life in fear..
It strikes me as such a noble way to summerise how transient and fragile life is
SweetVitriol 1 year ago
The VO lends the film a bit of the old Philip Marlowe style. I prefer it with the VO - but it's ultimately not that big a deal given the scope of the movie.
pretzelberg 1 year ago
Not a fan of Ford's VO. The Bluray director's cut is the first and only real cut of the film that I've seen all the way through
Aurongel 1 year ago
I know the purist do not like the Orginal version of this classic film..But for me, inspite of thr poor narration..It did add emotion to the scence..Roy Baty did indeed prove to more human than human ! Valuing life..Even of the life of the man who was hunting him !
davis3001 1 year ago 2
@davis3001 I've always felt that way too. IMHO, the narration gave the film a "hard boiled" detective story edge and Deckard's eulogy of Roy amplifies the sentiment (realised too by Roy) that Deckard is just as much a slave as Roy was because they're both controlled by the same system. At the start of the film Deckard was forced out of retirement to hunt down the replicants.
JayArgonaut 1 year ago
Wow... that was really bad. I always heard that the original dialogue was awful, but that just was bad production value on many parts. It might have been fine if it did sound better, both acting and sound fidelity wise. This just takes the viewer out of the film and kills the mood. To Hell with it, I say. Better off without it.
DOMINOSMOFO 1 year ago 2
The voice over would have been fine if it was better. It's monotone and slurred as it is. He almost sounds like a 5 year old.
palinsbutthole 1 year ago
I bought a copy of "Blade Runner for Dummies," and it was a DVD collection of all the versions of the film that included voice over narration.
chimpiki 1 year ago
The narration blows. Even Harrison Ford was pulled kicking and screaming into the studio because he didn`t want to do it. This explains why the voice acting was purposefully so brutal.
infectedcalf 1 year ago
my favorite movie scene of all time. :o(
scottiemcnichols 1 year ago 35
How old are you?
Router812 1 year ago
@Router812...47.
scottiemcnichols 1 year ago
Deckard is a replicant! I just realised it.
CombatRocks 1 year ago
Wow this is shit. The newer one is so much better. The narration ruins it. I prefer the lack of talking, with Vangelis' beautiful score in the background. :).
wellwornhand 1 year ago
Ford's narration completes the scene!!!
occasm 1 year ago
The original version is light years ahead of the butchered director's or final cut versions; the dimension added to the film via lead narration is invaluable. Silly haters- reductionism is for recycling! (This is just the sound byte argument in support of the original version; the full argument utterly crushes any ideas that the later cuts were a benefit to the film).
MysticalWheel 1 year ago
@MysticalWheel your a damn genius
teamsleep216 1 year ago
@teamsleep216 Shhh...vulgarities get you nowhere. The original was better and that's the consensus.
MysticalWheel 1 year ago
@MysticalWheel Whose consensus? It seems fairly split, to be honest.
chimpiki 1 year ago
Meeeh, I like the DC much more than the first theatrical version. The voice overs totally kill the mood, especially on this scene.
.
And is is just me, or does Fords voice over not only completely reluctant, but like he was drunk?
Furzkampfbomber 1 year ago
@ mrster
i read somewhere that harrison ford dont like the idea of a narration of deckard.
furthermore he said that it was his worst movie role he has ever played. i think its his best role.
he was good at star wars or idiana jones but i couldnt imagine this movie without him.
digga234 1 year ago
Meh, it's a great movie in ANY version. Definitely a masterpiece. I'd watch any version of it given the chance. That said, I only own the Final Cut and I'm very happy with that decision, it's my favorite version, even though they're all good.
AnotherSchmoe 1 year ago
I like the voice over in the original. I don't give a shit what anyone says. People who say it spoon feeds you are wrong IMO. It does not impose itself on your own ideas. Books "narrate". Writers tell you things about what characters in books are thinking and feeling and seeing. If they didn't then books would be nothing more than dialogue scripts, but they are not. Why should a movie be any different? Critics and elitists hate the narration.....the rest of us like it.
SCROGY 1 year ago 2
The voice-over is not bad.
The audio quality of this video is bad.
mschneider18xx 1 year ago
the voice-over
is
fucking terrible.
gtroup 1 year ago 2
@gtroup i fucking reckon it ruins the moment so bad
Flukey006 1 year ago
worst voiceover ever
broadsword303 1 year ago
great movie
djallen16 1 year ago
I've always loved that voice over narration. It enhances the film for me. It personalizes it. It always feels like somethings missing when I see the film without it.
therudeboy77 1 year ago
HAHAHAHA Wow you can tell Harrison was reluctant about the voice over. Sounds like he just threw up, was clutching for the flush and someone brought him a mic.
Mrster 2 years ago 3
Voiceover sounded cheeezy as hell, noir or not,
the mainpoint of the scene was for own interpetion without getting spoonfed by a voiceover.
Scott and Harrison disliked it for a good reason
simonistic 2 years ago 2
haha the voice over made me laugh, especially the deliberate lack of effort!
hairyhoff 2 years ago 4
@hairyhoff It's not a lack of effort; it's an expression of resign at failing to understand; it's an expression of subconscious despondency caused by a suffocating dystopia. His tone is perfect.
MysticalWheel 1 year ago
Im glad they got rid of the voice over
Nirvana10588 2 years ago 3
I hate the voiceover for this scene. Firstly because Harrison clearly doesn't want to be reading it, but more importantly because it spoon-feeds you what is already obvious. The voiceover wasn't used as a narrative device, it was used as an explanatory device, and that KILLS certain scenes. The only time I ever found the voiceover to be helpful was when it explained what the term "Skin-Job" meant, but that's not enough to justify it being in the movie.
TheShockMaster 2 years ago
The narrative voice-over by Ford at the end is classic to the film noir detective genre.
Hey, if it worked in the opening scene, then it's not a problem to close with it either.
zippyman818 2 years ago
yeah, except it sucked.... HARD
tomman222 1 year ago
The voice over was added for the masses because test audiences didn't quite 'get it'. Because people are DUMB. Harrison Ford admitted somewhere that he purposely did a crappy job hoping they wouldn't use it.
DanaBanana75 2 years ago
Both versions are fine.... (with Decker's narration, AND without it) my gosh, some of you ppl need to get over yourselves. It's because the story and script (hmmmm....the entire foundation of a movie?) are just so good that both versions work and are classics. This entire debate is like trying to name the best steak you've ever had, after remembering about 200+ awesome steak dinners.
colderbeer 2 years ago 28
I don't agree! The narration is just a bunch of superfluous statements and platitudes!
MrHochstapler 1 year ago
@colderbeer Finally someone with a sign of intelligence, thank you colderbeer. In my opinion 99% of you people wouldnt even know what deckard is feeling or that Roy saved him because he loved life at that moment inless you seen the narration so finally shut your mouth and realize that you owe it to the narration for half of what your finally feeling and enjoy both, or just watch one who gives a shit
teamsleep216 1 year ago 2
@teamsleep216 Yes, very true. Deckard's narration (as to what he was thinking) after Roy surprises him by saving him instead of killing him is such an important part to the ending. Also, the fact that it's Harrison Ford himself doing the narration adds a very positive aspect to the film. So in the end, BOTH version work...and BOTH versions are classics.
colderbeer 1 year ago
@colderbeer The reasons I dislike the narration are as follows: 1) It comes out of nowhere, goes away for forty minutes of the film, and then comes back at the most jarring possible moment 2) It, like the ending that comes in the V.O. bundle, doesn't tonally fit with the rest of the film 3) The things he says, particularly in this scene, are self-explanatory. If the audience is too dumb to understand this, or to draw a conclusion from their own emotional response, then they've missed the point.
chimpiki 1 year ago
@chimpiki apparently Ford did a drab voice over on purpose
bluffwuff 1 year ago
@bluffwuff Ford denies this. Even though he was opposed to the idea of voice over, he did his honest best with some really awful writing (which neither of the original writers or Ridley Scott had anything to do with).
lindencrazed 1 year ago
@teamsleep216 So what you're saying is that you were asleep for the first 100 minutes of the film? Because if you saw that, then you should be able to trust what your own mind is thinking when this scene reaches its climax. So what if it's not an exact replica of what Deckard is narrating, do you not have the ability to reflect on it yourself? Perhaps you should be bewildered, or left guessing. Surely what Deckard says is not finite either, he begins by saying "I don't know," and adds "maybe."
chimpiki 1 year ago
@colderbeer You are absolutely right.
PSXnigma 1 year ago
@colderbeer
Hear hear!
KillSwitch2 1 year ago
@colderbeer For some people it boils down to the one scene. Everything in the film is essentially building up to this moment, and to many, the V.O. completely ruins it. So to use your steak dinner analogy, it's as if you were close to having the best steak of your life when on the last bite you cracked your tooth on a bone or something that wasn't supposed to be in there. People are entitled to their opinions, and to me the V.O. removal is the difference between a classic film, and a great film.
chimpiki 1 year ago
@colderbeer I so feel you, so very much. Godspeed. I always cry at this scene, always. It reminds me of my late father too.
jsrl317 1 year ago
@colderbeer i liked both versions, but the directors cut was clearly better, the ending to the original ruined the tone of the film, and the narration was very bad
SuperHeroMania 1 year ago
@colderbeer but the narration misses the point, he didn't love life...he was terrified of dying and being forgotten, he experienced all these things, but they were going to simply fade into nothingness, something that terrifies all human beings, which is what he was, in the end, simply human.
Konform2zoidberg 1 year ago 6
@colderbeer Both cuts have their merits, so you are definitely right about the pettiness. Of course, directors might be precious about the purity of their work, and that is understandable, but even edits or retouching cannot spoil something so great as this film! I'm off to buy the DVD finally!
bartonim 1 year ago
@colderbeer not to mention neither one have anything to do with the original story...
FinalExitRadio 11 months ago
@FinalExitRadio You're right, but that's not really relevant. Tons of films are made that are based on literary works that often stray from the author's original story.
colderbeer 11 months ago
@colderbeer agreed :)
FinalExitRadio 11 months ago
Original version kicks the shit out of the director's cut. They should've never touched it.
TRAWETS64 2 years ago 3
i like the voiceover its the original and part of the movie when it first came out. leave it the hell alone. i agree.
pinboyjorf 2 years ago
@pinboyjorf: No it is not the original. The studios forced it upon Harrison Ford and Ridley Scott. Not only that, but (in case it isn't already blatantly obvious) Ford purposefully voiced his narration badly so that the studios wouldn't use it and drop the idea of a narration. AND THEY FREAKING USED IT ANYWAY, much to Ford's surprise and revulsion at the first screening of the movie!
Even the so-called "Director's Cut" did not have direct participation from Scott. Final Cut all the way.
topraman519 1 year ago 2
@TRAWETS64 yeah no, ford's monologue fucking ruins the entire scene, even ford himself hated it
tearsinrain86 1 year ago
That's how the movie was originally made. That's what I wanna see. I suppose you like the remakes of Star Wars as well? Lame.
TRAWETS64 1 year ago
Monotone or not.. the voice over quote was with the utmost beauty.
SnapMode420 2 years ago
god i love the voice over! it makes it seem so real!
bakiebeanie 2 years ago
the voiceover itself is eloquently scripted - but HF really coulda put a bit more life into it. geez!
arlpoon 2 years ago
It sounds like he did it while drunk...though if I was in his position, I think I would be drunk too.
KrzyCanuck 2 years ago
I heard he really didn't want to do it, thot it ruined the movie, so he dedpanned it. , but I think it really made the movie more personal.. I love the narration.
Blondame 2 years ago
He didn't want to do it. No one did, the studio wouldn't have released the film otherwise. The directors and final cut are what Scott originally planned in the first place.
ronaldmonster 2 years ago
Well, you have to consider that HF's normal speaking voice sounds deadpan flat most of the time.
After all, isn't an inner dialogue supposed to be calm and rational?
It would have sounded truly cheesy had he really put emphasis into it.
The whole idea that he deliberately flattened it is also widely disproven.
PinkOld 1 year ago 2
@PinkOld I don't know, to me it sounds more like a "get on with it" type of drawl than calm and rational. And you can articulate clearly in your head as well, especially if it's for a movie audience.
brainwasher9876 1 year ago
The voiceover sucks, that's all there is to it. It just kills the scene, one of the best scenes in any movie EVER!
phxsns1 2 years ago 3
If you can find the "Workprint" Cut, the voiceover has different dialogue for this scene which is not only better written, but Ford actually sounds into it, delivering it very low and somberly...almost whisper-like. If the voiceovers had been more like that, I wouldn't have minded them being in the movie and actually think it would have enhanced things...but the people they put in charge of writing the final voiceovers clearly had no idea how to write. Pity.
TheShockMaster 2 years ago
The voiceover is there simply to spoon-feed the premise to the wider audience who don't like too much cerebal activity served alongside the mis-on-scene. The director's cut hints at the protagonist being a replicant himslf; another fantastic twist that elevates the version from the boring traditional Hollywood Narrative. Like someone said before, it's purely subjective which version is better. It's probably also fair to say that your preference speaks volumes about your noetic value...
Deu5Vult 2 years ago
I don't think the voice-over is necessary. And so didn't Scott, Ford and Hauer. That's why Scott left it out of the director's- and final cut.
originaltonicwater 2 years ago 2
i really didnt understand this part until i saw this version. the voiceover certainly helps
greygibbon 2 years ago
thats one of the souls
LegoMan10952 2 years ago
I think its great that they remastered the original but why didn't they give you both versions on the Final Cut ? I find myself missing the voice-over even if Harrison Ford hated doing it, it certainly helps hold it all together.
jared1971 2 years ago
in the directors cut I missed the end scene where they drive in a car outside the city in the country
pieper230674 2 years ago
First, because Ridley Scott did not want his original idea of how the movie (Final Cut) to have it added to it.
Second, the Final Cut is a bit longer, so the narration would have had some large gaps.
PinkOld 1 year ago
Removing the voice-over killed the movie IMHO. One of my all time favorites.
Mutrino 2 years ago
this kills it for me. I get why people like it. but it's more powerful with no voiceover.
antoniowolff1 2 years ago
Disagree; voiceover enhances it. But I guess this is subjective.
MisterPrice1 2 years ago 3
I think perhaps it's the execution, Ford is sooo monotone and lifeless, which he did purposefully so the studio would be willing to take it out. Being a film Noir fan, i love narrated voice overs, I'd prefer if they'd done it better atleast.
jaggedsymmetry 2 years ago
All I could do was sit there and watch him die. What a great ending to this clasic.
Sarah8674 2 years ago 2
why did they cut it !? this is the best! hate the cut !
bakiebeanie 2 years ago 2
The final cut ends with Rachel (Sean Young) and Decker (u-know who) walking into an elevator. In the original theatrical release they leave the city in a spinner, and we see the scenery from another movie of treelines and wooded hills. It is a huge relief from the congestion of the sets on union station etc.
in the original script, Roy Battey (Rutger Hauer) had found that the original Dr. Terrel had died, and what he killed was another replicant. There were hints that Decker was one also!
abacab987 2 years ago
classic cinema, really love this scene. Humanizes the Roy character who up until then has been this crazy android running around killing people. But he has been running around killing people for a very simple reason, he doesn't want to die.
wicknight 2 years ago 2
I heard in the original script it was " farts in the wind...' but this works better.:)) ( My top 3 all time favorite movie ever)
tapper36 2 years ago
lol
arunmulkher 2 years ago
I love the v/o version. It's not the "explanation" thing, it's just more...emotional at some points, sharing the thoughts. Some love it, some hate it :)
At one point we all share on opinion...this movie is one of the greatest!
NecroPhil85 2 years ago
The voiceover version towers over the director's cut and the final cut; it simply elevates the movie to a new grade.
MisterPrice1 2 years ago
City scape the pigeon flies into was also changed in the directors cut. In this, the pigeon flies off to a simplistic skyline in the rain. The ending of this also has futuristic car drive to the sunset.
GazamYT 2 years ago
the only reason the v/o was there was because ridley felt the movie needed explanation
TURBODORK2 2 years ago
No. It was because the studio felt it needed an explanation. Ridley Scott thought the v/o was insulting to the audience. He's been saying that for 20 years. That's why the final cut didn't use the v/o.
Cacaoatl 2 years ago
on the dvd editor terry rawlings said he and scott were in a screening and ridley said to him "its great but what the fuck does it mean?" im sure the studio felt the same tho
TURBODORK2 2 years ago
Wow...didn't even know there was a version with a v/o....that sucked! It's better without one. If some people can't understand the movie without that v/o it's too bad for them!
feonor26 2 years ago
haha now i understand this movie, i watched the directors cut and harisons voice over was cut out in it so the replicant died and u never found out why.
thank you for posting this =)
calmo69 2 years ago
the whole movie is about them wanting to expand their life. how could you not know why he died?
Jazzam69 2 years ago
I wrote a haiku about this scene for a contest recently...I thought you might enjoy...
Not of sheep, but life -
On the wings of a white dove
Do these androids dream
ekstyle 2 years ago 3
Very strong acting indeed! Thanks for posting this!
ibewcountry 2 years ago
The voice over ruins this scene... The words speak for themselves.. It needs no explanation. If you can't feel for him after what he just said... you never will. There is something to be said for subtlety. It makes for a more poignant piece. Nobody working on the film liked the idea of a voice over either. especially Harrison Ford. It was forced on them.
PandaSloth 2 years ago 3
well said. I remember someone commenting " Harrison Ford's voice-over felt like someone was pointing a gun at his forehead and asking him to read lines." - so apt. lol. but yea. awesome movie (without the narration). poetic scene.
Numina1988 2 years ago
I prefer the V/O version of BR so much more than the "Directer's Cut!"
voicetube 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
You...are...an....IDIOT!
TheLastReplicant 2 years ago
LastReplicant, whether you prefer the voiceover or not is a purely subjective thing. I appreciate that - as with all matters artistic - people will have very strongly held opinions, but they are ultimately just that - Opinions.
There's no need to go around insulting the intelligence of people who express perfectly valid opinions on a film.
GlobeeCat 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I hear your words clearly and you articulate your point very well...but alas... they are so soaked in the stench of hippy pussy that I can't take them seriously. I appreciate the fruitless effort of defending an opinion on the internet thought.
TheLastReplicant 2 years ago
Ah, nothing like a nice Internet "flame war." The last refuge of socially stigmatized, acne-encrusted, 23-year-old self-professed "comic nerds" the world over.
The alleged "stench of hippy [sic] pussy" you discuss will probably be the closest you get to pussy of any kind for much of your life...so rather than criticize it, you should be loving it, my World of Warcraft friend.
GlobeeCat 2 years ago
Well we can't all be super cool Battle Star Galactic fans like you, my hypocritical chum. As for the pussy thing...well...I must admit that it has been hard for me to get laid since the cops made your mom clothes her brothel...shame too...it's hard to find a good gummer now a days.
TheLastReplicant 2 years ago
Close** my bad.
TheLastReplicant 2 years ago
Damn straight, your bad. Time to deploy some of your Wal-Mart hourly wages towards a "Hooked on Phonics Worked For Me" kit.
GlobeeCat 2 years ago
Ouch, a hooked on phonics joke. Perhaps you'd like to pull out another gem like "You are the weakest link, goodbye" or something equally dated and combatively flacid? Finish the job your mothers pimp tried to do with a coat hanger when you were in the womb and kill yourself.
TheLastReplicant 2 years ago
Wow, all this invective over a difference of opinion on film.
It's mildly entertaining, because of the sick desperation to your anger that reveals you probably don't have much going on in your "life" other than stupid shit like flame wars on youtube.
Try not to upset the bag of chee-tohs all over your parents' basement carpet when you take your victory lap.
"Flacid" is spelled with two c's, by the way. It's a term that applies to sexualized mom jokes too - Those were old in the 1980s.
GlobeeCat 2 years ago
While the narration was a little dead pan it did make a point. To draw some sympathy from the audience . I saw this in the theater the day of the release . You can put it on any format you want but nothing beats the big screen. Not too long from now replicants could be possible but maybe people will remember this scene and decide not to. Slaves no matter where they are from diminish all of us because it's we who made them.
alarmboy01 2 years ago
Amen brother
voicetube 2 years ago
that shit almost made me cry
andresrojas22 2 years ago 3
the narration fits for a book, but i think the final cut version is more suitable considering that this is a movie
pwnageprata 2 years ago
fucking epic
USSRRussianPower 2 years ago 3
i liked more that director's version where wasnt main character's voice.
RedheadMetalC 2 years ago
I couldn't stand Harrison's voice - I think his character was much more interesting without the narration for the hard-of-thinking.
As you can tell I'm fresh from The Final Cut IMAX experience
Raymint 2 years ago 2
The most beautiful line ever in a movie!!
DreamgirlM 2 years ago 4
I have a friend who wants the words "LIKE TEARS IN RAIN" on his tombstone.
MrUnidyne 2 years ago
Yes take a narrator, use subtitles with capital letters and make sure that ev`rybody understands ....and try the best to ruin this scene.
Macrotodon 2 years ago
i second that I think Harrison's voice over here is very moving, and I like the voice overs very much, even though he should have taken them more seriously.
mannzilla 3 years ago 6
I know this is not a popular view among many Blade Runner afficionados, but I actually like Harrison Ford's narration.
Don't get me wrong - I agree that it doesn't necessarily add much to each specific plot development.
That said, the narration is delivered in such a jaded, embittered tone, a la Sam Slade...so that it really makes it a film noire detective movie with a scifi setting. Without the narration, the film really loses that film noir feel.
GlobeeCat 3 years ago 9
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Are you queer?
rgeens 2 years ago
The guy gives his opinion about a movie and you ask if he is queer? I don't understand.
dantedraco 2 years ago 8
I agree with your point and myself prefer the voice-over -- it adds to the gritty feel, etc.
voicetube 2 years ago
It's FAR better with Ford's narrative at the end. Hauer's little speech does so much in just a minute. He should be proud forever.
Ptrgamb 3 years ago