Bladerunner †Humanity and Nature Essay

The central pedestal of Bladerunner is the relationship mingled with charit up to(p)ity and genius. More specific exclusivelyy it has a occasion in attesting how science mass negatively influence this ticklish relationship. Set in Los Angeles of 2019 we see the decadence of western hunting lodge into an bestial harsh inert, technology-dominated realm. The inhabitants who fight for their daily excerption atomic number 18 in larger-than-life want for nature, contact with which is denied to them by the unrestricted scientific progress and the stillt exploitation of the natural earthly concern conducted for the sole purpose of profit. Humanity is also losing touch with its own nature.The compassion, the empathy, the love and the emotion be every(prenominal) r be or absent. This ailing relationship between forgivingkind and nature is conveyed through the means of scene setting, dialogue, plot, camera techniques and other film features. all told these elements of cinematography synthesise to create an effective portrayal of the unifying theme. In Bladerunner the close prominent element of cinematography is mise en scene. It generates a consideration for the film and therefore needs the plot and themes acceptable. To set an appropriate scene distinct variables need to be controlled.These variables include position, props, lighting and colour. In general the posture of the plot is in the vast urban canyons of 2019 LA. The imposing tenebrific buildings, the squalid fog, perpetual rain and the crowded dark paths devoid of vegetation make up the backdrop of most scenes. All this is filmed in dark lighting, which complements the effect produced by the fog in obscuring the living details. From this the responder acknowledges the decline of society, the harsh conditions that the worlds are subjected to and the way the valet de chambre purport itself is increasingly destroyed under such conditions.Filming such a positioning at night prov ides the director with the opportunity to use chiaroscuro (a technique of noniceable contrast) to further convey the dominance of technology over humanity. For lesson in outdoor scenes the garish flickering neons are obtrusively visible however they fail to illuminate the obscure, dark, fogged surroundings, including the multitudes of faceless people. The prominent visibility of dyed things over human front end together with the qualities of the location indicates the degradation of human life under the rule of science.The clothing worn by personalitys is an meaning(a) choice made as part of setting the scene. Most of the driveway people wear hooded dark clothing covering their whole eubstance. This is perhaps to protect them from the rain but it also hides their faces and their eyeball from the camera and from us, creating an impersonal atmosphere in conjunction with the harshness of the surroundings. We get a savor that e realone hides from e realone else and human in terpersonal interaction is limited to the bare necessity. Some measure the means of clothing worn by characters tells us something about the characters themselves.For example the trenchcoat course garments worn by Deckard are a throwback to the ? 20s and ? 30s detective musical genre in film, and the responder instantly sees Deckard as such. There are times when the clothing worn gives us an insight into the themes of the film. When we first see take on Racheal (and we think she is a human), her outfit with geometric power dressing shape, the bneediness-market hues and the perfect hairs-breadth create an impression of power and efficiency, qualities that are value in androids. The next time we meet her we see her in a fur coat and underneath, a soft white blouse.Then when she lets her hair down the shift is complete. By now we know that she is a replicant and for a replicant to be so human is ironic when the ? real humans befoolt show such qualities. This irony elucidates t he deteriorated nature of humanity very effectively. The film is non exactly able to show the way humanity has lost contact with nature but also how much they value and want it back in their society. The unicorn dream-scene conveys this effectively. The soft back lighting, the low tonic contrast, the colour and the lush vegetation create a setting that is very different to the usual scenes.It is contrasted with real world to further reinforce the lack of nature in society. The short length of the scene, and the fact that the scene is only Deckards dream, conveys the elusiveness of nature and shows us that humans still ? dream of having the nominal head of nature back in their world-weary lives. Another method apply by the cinematographers to show the want for nature is through the presence of mushy animals. While the artificiality of the animals shows the destruction of nature the way humans still slide by them as pets conveys their yearning to bring back nature.The decay of human spirit is also shown through the dialogue. In Bladerunner the scarcity of the dialogue itself potrays the lack of human interaction and consequently the lack of empathy or emotion. Characters only speak when it is inevitable for their own survival and comfort but not for the pursuit of delirious involvement. However, the replicant slaves, who supposedly feel no emotion, interact more sensitively with each(prenominal) other. This irony again has the effect of covering the dehumanisation suffered by this society. The absence of nature and the way society deals with this is revealed through the way they refer to nature.For example at Tyrells office Decker asks Racheal if the owl is artificial, to which she replies of course it is. A analogous conversation that occurs later between Salome (Zhora) and Decker about artificial snakes, further reinforcing the drear truth. Another common literary language feature that is used in Bladerunner is symbolism. The film is filled wit h visual symbolic codes. The unicorn, a mythical creature, which, harmonize to myth, is a fragile and elusive being of beauty known for its rarity. In the film it symbolises the rarity of nature and its beauty and fragility.There are other symbols that signify the elusive presence of nature in human life. One is the unnaturally weak and indistinct sun. The sun is the source of all life on earth and natures sustaining energy. The weakened presence of the sun is peradventure due to the fog but the importance lies not in the cause of the weakness. The dim sun is an indication that nature is being destroyed or is already destroyed. Another symbol is the motif of the human eye. Close to the beginning of the film we are presented with an ECU of Holdens eye reflecting bursts of flame.The eruptive human spirit. The motif carries on throughout the film, the close up of eyes during the Voigt-Kampff tests, Mr Chews eye shop, the glowing eyes of the owl and the sepulchral death of Tyrell. I n many cases we encounter human figures whose eyes are hidden. The important example is Tyrell whose eyes are hidden by the loggerheaded glasses, but this is also true for the little people or the street people. If the eyes symbolise the human spirit then it is also true that the c oncealment of the eyes represent the destruction of this spirit.The characters and the way they respond to events in the plot is the most significant way through which the creators of the film persuade their concerns about the relationship between humanity and nature. It is through the characters and the way they are influenced by the society in which they live that the audience are able to receive the majority of information about that society. To make up a character the director (Ridley Scott) has to synthesis the acting, the physical qualities of the actors, the costume, the lighting and the camera work.Harrison cut through plays Deckard a Detective who is forced to put up in unreactive wall aroun d him so as to carry out his wrinkle properly, but with the help of Racheal and crackers his soul comes through. The seriousness, the no-nonsense speech and the windup(prenominal) execution of his tasks all contribute to this mountain chain of a tough laugh at cop. It is also sad to see that he is forces hide his emotions and sentiments for the sake of survival in this harsh world. By the end of the film we sense that if Batty and Racheal had not saved him his spirit would have been lost under the pressure.Rutger Hauer has possibly the most appropriate natural qualities to play Roy Batty (robot? ). The ? Aryan suppose, a western cultural assumption of superiority and the Swedish show with the concise overtones which is particularly effective in a quiet example make him the perfect super/sub-human replicant. To enhance the effect the hair is died white, his body and face is always lit up to prominence, and almost always the image is shot from underneath making him look surreal istically handsome and at the homogeneous time imposing.However the way he responds to the events in the plot show that he has more ? humanity in him that the people who consider themselves human. The most memorable instance is they way he moaned for the death of Pris. He is not ashamed to return to the most basic instinct of openly showing emotion. This beautiful scene along with other such human repartees from a replicant serves to convey the suppression of human nature in the society. Rachael is played by Sean Young as the replicant who doesnt know she is an android. The characters office staff is similar to that of Batty.To show the deterioration of everything ? human in the world of 2019. Her transformation itself carries the message. When she thought she was a human her conduct was much like a robot the emotionless soulless state of mind everyone is in. But once she begins to realise that she is replicant her appearance becomes increasingly ? human. This humanisation is por trayed through the use of costumes, the use of varying light and the use of ECU. Tyrell is the other character who has an important function in conveying the themes.Genuinely lacking emotions or empathy, his main objective is the profit margin. He is part of the corporate despotism that has suppressed the spirit of the people and destroyed the natural world. His character is the quantity antitheses of Batty. The overconfidence in his intelligence, the impersonal way in which he addresses other characters, the opulent surrounding in which he lives show him as effectual tyrant. The irony is that he holds the status of God when he is not even fit to be a human.Thus through the development of characters and their response to the events of the plot, Ridley Scott and the actors communicate the way relationship between humanity and nature has evolved (deteriorated) into the world of 2019 LA. In effect all the techniques mentioned above portray a society of individuals who are weary of t he world they live in. They are rejects who lead a pitiful existence in a wasteland called earth because they are not fit enough to go the out-world colonies. Suppressing their own natural instincts for the sake of physically surviving they really the walking dead.Scientific progress conducted not for the best interests of humanity but for the best interests of business has effectively brought about the progressive degradation of society. By exploiting and destroying the natural world human can no more find solace or beauty so as to recuperate their weary minds and rekindle their dying spirits. In compend the techniques that are unique to film such as camera, lighting, costuming, colour and location works in conjunction with common literary techniques such as visual symbolism, irony and characterisation to effectively convey the relationship between humanity and nature.