Blade Runner Film Analysis
Derek Liu
Cine 285N
Professor Chantal Rodais
14 May 2016
Final Paper
1. Cinema is a set of landscapes accompanied by a story. However, landscapes tell a story of their own. They tell more than just the story, but the underlying thoughts behind the film. This can be seen in Blade Runner by Ridley Scott, THX 1138 by George Lucas, and Children of Men by Alfonso Cuaron, as the landscapes help develop the complexity of the story. The directors of these films use setting and landscape to express and contribute to the development of the main argument of each film. In Blade Runner, Ridley Scott immediately constructs a dark, gloomy, and worn out Los Angeles to convey the main argument that if society is not maintained it will end up in destitution …show more content…
One example is when Lucas uses mise-en-scene to construct the prison landscape, that THX is put into after he is caught. The setting emphasizes the space of confinement, of punishment, and one without boundaries or any horizon. The lack of walls due to everything being circular introduces the idea that there is no escape. The lack of escape in the landscape creates the desire to escape, which makes people wish that there was a door. Furthermore, the prison landscape allows society to instill obedience in the prisoners, as they are unaware of when they are watched, which suggests that humans have been reduced to nothing more than tamed animals. Afterwards, Lucas uses the shot of THX and SEN as they try to escape show how dehumanizing the space is. Due to the colors of the background being so similar to the white costumes that THX and SEN are wearing, they almost blend into the surrounding. This similarity in color shows that society has almost relegated them to part of the background. In addition, the initial landscape they see as soon as they escape is a wide angle shot that is clustered with people all heading in the same direction. Lucas uses the shot to provoke the idea that humans are like cattle being herded around, and that the obedient cattle are kept together, while the ones who are not, are then …show more content…
Cuaron’s use of cinematography throughout the film is a good example of how similar the film is to present day society. He uses a lot of tracking shots and long shots to give the viewer a good look of the landscapes of Britain. These landscapes are extremely familiar and recognizable, there’s nothing extraordinary, there are no flying cars, it is just the setting of today’s Britain. It introduces the idea that the future is today. Cuaron uses the familiar setting and landscape to reflect the current anxieties and chaos in present society. Mise-en-scene is used to construct the shot of Theo getting off the train onto the platform, the setting is populated with police and immigrants in cages, as well as a sign that asks for an ID card and transit papers. The scene is a reference to the xenophobic platforms of the train stations during the refugee crisis of 2015. Later, in the landscape of Bexhill, the refugee camp, Cuaron uses mise-en-scene to construct a scene of enormous cluster, with little lighting, and worn out costumes, to convey the destitution that refugees from 2015 have had to face in their trip. The tracking shot that is used, draws the viewer in to the scene and make them understand how horrible it is. Cuaron uses landscapes to commentate and convey his opinions on the fear and anxieties of modern society, as well as show how the future is
Cine 285N
Professor Chantal Rodais
14 May 2016
Final Paper
1. Cinema is a set of landscapes accompanied by a story. However, landscapes tell a story of their own. They tell more than just the story, but the underlying thoughts behind the film. This can be seen in Blade Runner by Ridley Scott, THX 1138 by George Lucas, and Children of Men by Alfonso Cuaron, as the landscapes help develop the complexity of the story. The directors of these films use setting and landscape to express and contribute to the development of the main argument of each film. In Blade Runner, Ridley Scott immediately constructs a dark, gloomy, and worn out Los Angeles to convey the main argument that if society is not maintained it will end up in destitution …show more content…
One example is when Lucas uses mise-en-scene to construct the prison landscape, that THX is put into after he is caught. The setting emphasizes the space of confinement, of punishment, and one without boundaries or any horizon. The lack of walls due to everything being circular introduces the idea that there is no escape. The lack of escape in the landscape creates the desire to escape, which makes people wish that there was a door. Furthermore, the prison landscape allows society to instill obedience in the prisoners, as they are unaware of when they are watched, which suggests that humans have been reduced to nothing more than tamed animals. Afterwards, Lucas uses the shot of THX and SEN as they try to escape show how dehumanizing the space is. Due to the colors of the background being so similar to the white costumes that THX and SEN are wearing, they almost blend into the surrounding. This similarity in color shows that society has almost relegated them to part of the background. In addition, the initial landscape they see as soon as they escape is a wide angle shot that is clustered with people all heading in the same direction. Lucas uses the shot to provoke the idea that humans are like cattle being herded around, and that the obedient cattle are kept together, while the ones who are not, are then …show more content…
Cuaron’s use of cinematography throughout the film is a good example of how similar the film is to present day society. He uses a lot of tracking shots and long shots to give the viewer a good look of the landscapes of Britain. These landscapes are extremely familiar and recognizable, there’s nothing extraordinary, there are no flying cars, it is just the setting of today’s Britain. It introduces the idea that the future is today. Cuaron uses the familiar setting and landscape to reflect the current anxieties and chaos in present society. Mise-en-scene is used to construct the shot of Theo getting off the train onto the platform, the setting is populated with police and immigrants in cages, as well as a sign that asks for an ID card and transit papers. The scene is a reference to the xenophobic platforms of the train stations during the refugee crisis of 2015. Later, in the landscape of Bexhill, the refugee camp, Cuaron uses mise-en-scene to construct a scene of enormous cluster, with little lighting, and worn out costumes, to convey the destitution that refugees from 2015 have had to face in their trip. The tracking shot that is used, draws the viewer in to the scene and make them understand how horrible it is. Cuaron uses landscapes to commentate and convey his opinions on the fear and anxieties of modern society, as well as show how the future is