Blade Runner (1982).  Director: Ridley Scott.  Starring: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos, Joanna Cassidy, Darryl Hannah.

If I were to vote on which film merits being called ground zero from which the term  "Director's Cut" originated, then this may well be Blade Runner.  Originally released in 1982, this film had at least three different versions before the "Director's Cut" of 1992 first appeared.

Even if Blade Runner wasn't ground zero for the term "Director's Cut", I suspect its unique, incredible visuals inspired movie companies into releasing better video formats which, in turn, inspired electronic companies to work hard on releasing the next generation television sets.

I say this because I clearly recall the early days of laserdisc and specifically recall wondering whether I should make the leap from VHS.  It was at about this time that an episode of "At the Movies" focused on the then controversial "letterbox" format releases of films.  In these pre-widescreen TV days, there were those who simply couldn't understand the whole concept of letterboxing films.  They wondered why they should care to see a film in a format that offered a gaping black empty space on the upper and lower fourths of their TV screen.  When Roger Ebert used a clip of the opening of Blade Runner, both letterboxed and "full screen" (or "pan and scan"), there was no doubt which format was best.  Letterboxing was the way to go.

In those very few minutes, he certainly won me over.  Big time.

Not too long afterwards I picked up a laserdisc player and bought the Criterion Edition of Blade Runner.  Though my memory of the event is hazy, I think this was my very first laserdisc purchase.  Even back then, Criterion presented two versions of the film in their boxed set: the U.S. theatrical cut and the International cut.  The theatrical cut of the film, of course, was the one with the Harrison Ford voice overs.  They were created in the later stages of the film's development, perhaps at the insistence of a studio nervous that the plot of the film was too confusing.  The film also featured a cheery ending, with Ford and Sean Young riding off into the green mountains, far away from the crowded and dark city.  The International Cut of the film was essentially the same, but included a couple of scenes of more graphic violence.

Even with these two versions, rumors swirled regarding Ridley Scott's original intentions.  When a "Workprint" of the film was found and eventually shown in theaters, audiences flocked to see it.  This version of the film was indeed different from what existed before, although Ridley Scott himself is dismissive of these differences:

"I think it was a great fuss about nothing.  I mean there was really just the accidental removal...a print was run without voice over and the end didn't have...it ended in the elevator.  That's really about it."

Still, the success of the release of the Workprint resulted in the 1992 release of the "Director's Cut".  Both Workprint and "Director's Cut" were very similar: Gone were the voice-overs and the mountain drive ending.  However, there was one small but very important addition: Deckard's ten seconds (or so) dream of a unicorn.

What exactly did it mean, and how did it relate to the origami unicorn Deckard finds at the film's end?  Was this the final proof of what many already suspected, that Deckard himself was a replicant?

After laserdiscs expired, Blade Runner was released to DVD, but only in the 1992 "Director's Cut".  Many were unhappy with this bare bones DVD release, as they wanted more inside information and, ironically, access to the original theatrical versions with their voice over and mountain drive ending.  With the increased success of DVDs and the dawn of high definition, it was only a matter of time before audiences were treated to a serious upgrade.

That time finally came in 2007.

To make the event as special as possible, Ridley Scott and company returned to Blade Runner and created yet another version of the film, this one labeled the "Final Cut".  The new version, however, was almost identical to the "Director's Cut" that preceded it, except for the fact that certain special effect and glitches were tweaked.  For example, the too-visible wires holding up the "flying" police spinners were removed.  Joanna Cassidy's obvious stunt double during her run through the glass windows was cleverly fixed, using computer graphics and the actress' return shoot to superimpose her head over the stunt double's.  The pigeon's flight at the end was also reworked to look more like something from the body of the movie rather than a hastily shot sequence.

There were other tweaks, but the overall story within the movie remained unchanged.

So, for those keeping score, the "complete" Blade Runner boxed set included this "Final Cut", the 1993 "Director's Cut", the original theatrical cut, the International cut, and the Work print version that kicked off all the fuss.  However, if you're looking for something truly different, I encourage everyone to look up the collection of 90 some odd minutes of alternative/deleted scenes also included in this set.  It provides an almost complete alternative movie.  In there, you'll discover that Deckard had a wife that ran out on him, and that he keeps photographs of them that look eerily similar to the photograph of Rachel and her mother (another clue, no doubt, that Deckard is a replicant).  You'll also find that Holden, the blade runner Leon shoots at the opening of the film, is alive and kept in a futuristic iron lung.  He and Deckard have a conversation that also didn't make it to the film's final cut.  Truly interesting stuff.  Rounding out the special features included in this collection are many, many hours of background/making of/interviews with the stars and crew/etc.

Whew.

Even if you're a huge Blade Runner fan, the material in this set borders on overkill.  Still, better to get it all than none, right?

So, how does Blade Runner, as a film, hold up?

I certainly love the film's atmosphere.  The film's true genius lies in making us feel like we're there, in the middle of it all, breathing in the humidity, shaking off the rain, and avoiding the crowds and the congestion.  We also feel for Rachael, the replicant who doesn't know what she is until Deckard angrily tells her.  Then we feel for Deckard, a man whose job it is to kill replicants, yet who realizes in that brief exchange with Rachael that these machines are more than just that, that they are in many ways just as human as everyone else.  It is this sense of what makes us human that lies at the heart of the story and provides its resonance all these years later.

However, that's not to say the film is without its problems.  For me, the movie's main flaw is as a detective story.  One gets the impression that certain detective movie archetypes are in full force here:  When Holden is nearly killed by Leon, the police chief automatically calls in Deckard.  Deckard has quit the job, but obviously we're supposed to think he was damn good at it (why else bring him in?).

However, for those expecting Deckard to do some truly clever detective work, you're in for disappointment.  The extent of his brilliant detective work is, while searching Leon's abandoned hotel room, he discovers of a scale in the bathtub and photographs Leon left behind.  Because of these two finds, Deckard zeroes in on Zhora (Joanna Cassidy's character).  Why didn't the police find these thing and catch up to her themselves?

I truly don't know, nor is there any real explanation as to why the police would be so inept at what seems like a simple search of a small apartment.

Afterward killing Zhora, Deckard nearly dies at the hands of Leon, but Rachael takes Leon out (two replicants gone, two left).  Following this segment, Deckard's detective work is effectively done, as he then engages with Rachael.  In the film's final scenes, Deckard confronts the last two replicants (Darryl Hannah's Pris and Rutger Hauer's Roy Batty) only because the police have discovered the bloody corpses of Tyrell (the creator of the replicants) and Sebastian (a lower level geneticist whom Pris and Batty use to get to Tyrell) at his home.  With two human corpses (one of whom is the most powerful man in the city!), the police decide that, instead of personally investigating these crimes and going full force to check out Sebastian's home, they instead decide to call Deckard and tell him to go there and see what's up.

The Blade Runner cops may be in the running for the most underperforming police force since Smokey and the Bandit.

Anyway, by telling Deckard to investigate Sebastian's home, we get the final mano a mano confrontation between Deckard and Batty.  Incidentally, it is only after Batty dies and everything is resolved that the police finally show up.

Still, despite these flaws, this film is worthy of its status.  It remains a wonderfully immersive experience with a deeper message regarding the underpinnings of what makes us human.

For those who have never seen the film and are looking to see what all the fuss is about, I heartily recommend adding the Blade Runner complete collector's edition to your personal collection.  I doubt there's a need to make any such recommendation to all the others who know about this film already.