From the film's opening moments, which feature the fiery cityscape of a future Los Angeles reflected in an amazing close-up shot of the human eye, to Rutger Hauer's sentimental "tears in rain" speech near its close ("I've... SEEN things... you people wouldn't believe."), the use of eyes, sight, and vision is an important motif running throughout Blade Runner. That's why I've chosen this image of Roy Batty (Hauer) for The Cover Photo. There are more iconic images, of course, but I specifically wanted something that featured eyes. The fact that it captures a rare, playful moment in the film happens to be a bonus.Roy and Pris (Daryl Hannah), replicants nearing the end of their four-year lifespan, enjoy a few quiet moments in the apartment of J.F. Sebastian (William Sanderson), a genetic engineer working for the Tyrell Corporation. This type of scene, in which characters are given temporary refuge by a kind stranger, is usually reserved for the heroes of the story. Director Ridley Scott and his writers, Hampton Fancher and David Webb Peoples, simply invert this oft-used movie trope to humanize the replicants. It reminds me a bit of Karloff's monster meeting the old, blind man in Bride of Frankenstein. Considering the next sequence builds to Roy murdering his creator, Dr. Eldon Tyrell (Joe Turkel), I think the Frankenstein comparison is apt. And, since his chosen method is to gouge out Tyrell's eyes, it doubles as a prime example of Scott's preoccupation with sight in this science fiction masterpiece.
Other examples include the reflective quality of replicant's eyes and the Voight-Kampff test, which measures involuntary reactions of the pupils during questioning. There's an entire scene where Roy and Leon (Brion James) interrogate Hannibal Chew (James Hong), a designer who specializes in creating artificial eyes for the Tyrell Corporation. Even the film's dialogue is chock full of references, including Roy's quip to Chew, "If only you could see what I've seen with your eyes." I also find it interesting that so many of the human characters require some type of sight enhancement -- Chew's microscope, Tyrell's glasses, and the equipment Deckard (Harrison Ford) uses to examine Leon's photo. So, the next time you watch Blade Runner, try to keep up with all the things that highlight eyes, reference vision, aide it, or obscure it in some way. It might take your appreciation for this great, great film to another level. Or, it could make for a wild drinking game, if you're so inclined. Hmmm...
