MovieChat Forums > Blade Runner (1982) Discussion > Uplifting ending ?

Uplifting ending ?

posted 3 years ago by questionall (2)
8 replies | jump to latest

I have the Home edition on DVD. On the back it says this edition's ending (Roy's speech & death) replaces the "Uplifting" ending originally shown (in cinemas ?).
What was the "uplifting" ending ? Did the replicants get what they wanted - more life, equality ?

It includes the unicorn scene but not at the end - where they placed it is a bit confusing & not very elegant.
Hauer's acting is the best & his death scene is the most powerful end to any film I have seen.

[–] thingmakersback (1286) 3 years ago

Must refer to the original theatrical cut. That ended with Deckard and Rachael deriving off into a green an pleasant countryside that apparently existed just beyond the city...

[–] Ed (523) 3 years ago

I like film noir, so I like the theatrical version of Blade Runner. Voice-overs play a big part of this.

The director’s cut has a different vibe that is not film noir anymore, all due to changes regarding Decker’s status as human or replicant.

Both versions are good.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

"I like film noir, so I like the theatrical version of Blade Runner. Voice-overs play a big part of this."

Fellow outlier here... I also enjoyed the original theatrical release to the many subsequent versions.

I read once that it was the studio that insisted that Scott include a voiceover. They thought audiences wouldn't be able to fill in some of the blanks in the story. Ford reluctantly agreed, but deliberately put as little emotion into the dialogue as he could as his way of expressing his displeasure. If that's true, the plan backfired imo. Ford sounds exactly like a world weary ex-cop/Bladerunner would sound like in this scenario.

[–] thingmakersback (1286) 3 years ago

I can see the value of the voice-overs but I can do without them. I can really do without that "uplifting" ending.

[–] SandyR (7906) 2 years ago

And yet...the voice over tells a completely different story. It's clear from Harrison Ford's voice he wanted nothing to do with it.

[–] ak47wong (489) 2 years ago

You can see the theatrical version of the ending here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3l1iUUq_fE

Most fans lambast the "happy ending" and prefer the bleak, ambiguous ending of the Director's Cut and Final Cut, but personally I never felt it was satisfactory having the movie end with Deckard and Rachael just walking into an elevator.

[–] SandyR (7906) 2 years ago

The studio tacked on the happy ending (using outtakes Kubrick shot for the beginning of The Shining) because they showed the movie to a test audience of idiots in California who thought the movies was a "bummer." The director's cut is vastly superior in every way. Studios should never fuck with a director's vision.

[–] pjl69 (2586) 2 years ago

"The director's cut is vastly superior in every way."

Not in every way. I like the original cut where Vangelis' Love theme fades into the end credits music. The ending of theatrical cut has a better music mixing.