Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is no doubt a ground-breaking piece. An intriguing horror novel that defined the genre; but was this it’s most important achievement? Beyond just the familiar territory that Frankenstein left its mark upon is also a variety of other areas that have been benefited or inspired by Shelley’s work. This can be said for a lot of surprising pieces, including but not limited to, a wide range of films. Even in the book to film media switch Frankenstein lives on, not just in the self titled features but also in movies that use Shelley’s themes as an inspirational diving board. With the essence of film mixed with the creativity and ideas of Frankenstein some bold things are bound to be unveiled.
As is the case in the movie Blade Runner which makes it apparent from the beginning that themes spawned from Frankenstein are highly prevalent in the film. Both deal with creation of unnatural life that are “human” in parts and build, but yet still differ as they are more or less copies of humans. Of course with similar happenings some of the same conflicts arise, even in the drastically unparallel settings of 16th century Europe and Futuristic Los Angeles. With the similarities of the plot and themes yet the differences of the settings and characters one can compare morals and ideas set forth by both the book Frankenstein and the film Blade Runner. And, in turn, delve into the powers of film media to unearth these underlying ideas on artificial human creation that both pieces share.
In both Frankenstein and Blade Runner the idea of producing and “human” by man made means or replicating a human in a sense is done with mostly good intentions in both cases. In Frankenstein it’s for Victor to do something that no one else has; to utilize the outdated information he cherished and use it to prove his colleges wrong, thus propelling his career. In Blade Runner the human replicates were crafted for undesirable tasks that required a human presence, for example construction, war, and pleasure. Yet in both stories major areas of human existence are overlooked and neglected. The created beings are put under severe oppression and have an unfair burden posed upon them in an artificial life that they believe should be as fair to them as it is to any ordinary human. In the Creature’s case it’s the need for friendship and affection of an equal partner that he desires to become more human and to live onward. This bargain is eventually accepted and then later denied by Victor, his respected creator. And in Blade Runner, Roy and his band of replicates, simply desire the ability to live longer than the set four years that their genetic make-up allows and to go on in life. Needless to say Roy is also denied as the change is deemed impossible by Tyrell. Both Roy and the Creature react violently towards others after knowing the lack of justice towards their being. It’s not a surprising reaction at that if you really zoom out on all the facts and see them as the humans that they really are, the humans they were made to be.
The story of Frankenstein is spell-bound to a book, which offers in most cases a story and nothing else. Meanwhile the work of Blade Runner controls many more facets being that it is a film. Beyond the basic story of Blade Runner is film elements exposed on the silver screen that offer a media-specific analysis of the unjust and slave-like themes expressed in both stories. Things like setting, lighting, facial expressions to name a few; go farther than any story in a book to illuminate these ideas in Frankenstein and Blade Runner.
The use of media specific cues is used throughout the entirety of the film. And at many points the themes of unfair human oppression are revealed, but at no part are they more apparent than at the ending of the movie. In the epic climax where Roy takes on Deckard, Roy takes on a very unique character structure. He has nothing to lose: his friends are dead, he killed his creator, and there is no way to stop his own impending death. Being a servant to humanity his whole life he now begins to embrace his enslavement. As the chase shifts towards the rooftops Roy starts howling like a dog which is what he has been treated like by humans. Deckard misses a jump and is now dangling on a beam over a fall of certain death. Roy then creeps up to him and as he peers over the edge an odd lighting with massive fans sprays a sort of projection feel over his body. This lighting suggests a few points: one of which is that it plays on the fact that Roy is a movie character and is fake, made up, and manipulated by creators (the same for the Creature). Coincidentally in the story this is exactly what he is as a replicate, controlled to every last detail in his life. Another connection is with the fans in general, they are man made and built to tame and control the winds powers. There inclusion suggests the reverse of roles from human to creation as Roy now has the upper hand over Deckard and perhaps the Replicates now have upper hand over Humanity. Roy’s dialog supports this assertion when he asks Deckard: “quite an experience to live in fear isn’t it? That’s what it is to be a slave.” thus implying that Deckard hanging on for dear life is now experiencing what Roy constantly goes through everyday. As Deckard loses his grip and begins to fall, Roy surprisingly reaches out and catches his hand. He hoists Deckard up and tosses him to the ground; Roy then kneels down beside the shaken Blade Runner with a dove in hand and proceeds to speak. He talks of the things he has seen and the memories of events that he has witnessed good or bad, as a replicate. Roy explains how these memories will all be lost “Like tears in rain” when his time comes. He expresses these lines with a heavy grimace and a look of deep sorrow, perhaps even shedding tears although this is unclear of course to match the quote. The famous line also takes another form; just like the Creature in Frankenstein, Roy has trouble with expressing emotions. Emotions are something taken for granted and when one is just thrown into the world, with out past experiences, the learning curve can be very difficult. Finally Roy’s last words are uttered: “Time to die” this line matches the one said to Deckard earlier by Leon: “Wake up its time to die!” Leon’s quote expresses in the simplest way the meaning of life for the replicates: to be born for dying. As Roy says this phrase the camera slows down as his rain drenched body hangs lifeless. The Dove with in his grasp flies away into the night’s edge, representing Roy’s life, hope, and dreams fluttering away. The camera focuses back to Deckard showing disbelief and even admiration in his face. Then the frame fades slowly out back to the now corpse of Roy, moving objects in the background further show his passing as they move about with life and he stays molded in a position of death.
Blade Runner’s plot is with out a doubt similar to that of Frankenstein. The treatment of the Creature and the Replicates is both cruel and unfair towards their artificial yet very human selves. Cast into a world of confusion where they were built to match humans and at the same time forced to be lower than them and denied basic rights like partnership, emotions, and life itself. This hatred from their human crafters fueled the revolt and violence set forth. And the supposed “work of the devil creations” should be seen as more accepted, because any other real human would act the same if they were thrown into a similar situation. This example in prevalent in war, slavery, and government control in all corners of the earth, where due to oppression, violent measures are taken to combat the injustice posed on ones personal rights. With this in mind the “creations” developed by man now seem more human than human and overall good natured. Questions and reasons like these can continue in an infinite spiral which Mary Shelley expresses within her novel very well, yet the film aspects of a movie like Blade Runner can even more accurately portray the complexities of artificial life to create a very convincing dynamic effect.
