NPR: 'I'm Not in the Business. I Am the Business.'

'I'm Not in the Business. I Am the Business.'

Director Ridley Scott attends the Blade Runner premiere at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

I just got off the phone with Tom Bullock, our head foreign producer. When both of us are in the country, we share a very small, very messy office. He's in Baghdad right now, but I called him with the news that Ridley Scott is releasing yet another version of Blade Runner in the coming months.

We have had a long-running conversation about various top fives (obviously inspired by High Fidelity), and Blade Runner makes both of our lists. As does The Empire Strikes Back, as well as Alien and Aliens. We disagree about the last entry, but that's simply because he's wrong in thinking 2001 is better than Terminator.

But yet another cut of Blade Runner? The movie was released 25 years ago, the director's cut 15 years ago, and now a five-disc set.

Blade Runner, in my opinion, still works. It feels real. It feels like a dirty, rainy, global megalopolis that could exist today. It still feels like an accurate portrayal of an ever-approaching future.

Why? Well, Wired has an interview with Scott this week. Here's what he says about how he approached the design of the film:

In this instance, my special effect was the world. That's why I put together people like [industrial designer] Syd Mead who were actually serious futurists. The big test is saying, Draw me a car in 30 years' time, without it looking like bad science fiction. Or, Draw me an electric iron that will be pressing shirts in 20 years without it looking silly. I wanted the world to be futuristic and yet feel — not familiar, because it won't be — but feel authentic. One of the hardest sets to design was the kitchen. It's easy to fantasize about Tyrell's giant neo-Egyptianesque boardroom, but imagining a bathroom and kitchen in those times, that's tricky. Nevertheless, fascinating. I love the problem.

It's on my Netflix list. You all rate the top five differently?

- JJ Sutherland

12:17 PM ET | 09-28-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

Those hardly a top five at all. BEHOLD:

1. Brazil
2. The Devil and Daniel Webster
3. City of Lost Children
4. The Night of the Hunter
5. Ikiru

Now that's a top 5

Sent by Jody Sol | 12:52 PM ET | 09-28-2007

Send a Comment

Comments are reviewed and edited by NPR prior to display. All comments will be read, but not all will be posted.

NPR reserves the right to read on the air and/or publish on its Web site or in any medium now known or unknown the e-mails and letters that we receive. We may edit them for clarity or brevity and identify authors by name and location. For additional information, please consult our Terms of Use.

E-mail this Page

Recipient's e-mail address:	» Up to twelve addresses, separated by commas.
Your e-mail address:
Your name:
Personal message (optional, 600 characters max):
Your NPR member station:	» List of local stations (PDF)
Are you a member of your local NPR station?	Yes No
Would you like to receive information from your local NPR member station? (see NPR's privacy policy)	Yes No
May we contact you with information about NPR programming and services? (see NPR's privacy policy)	Yes No

(Information collected by NPR will be used solely for internal NPR or NPR member station purposes and only if you selected 'yes' above. See NPR's privacy policy for more information.)

Tom Regan

Blogger

About Us

This year's election cycle has been one of the most exciting in memory. At the NPR News Blog we'll do our best to bring you interesting, informative -- and controversial -- stories from our own reporters and bloggers, as well as the rest of the best of the Internet and blogosphere. And we hope you'll let us know what you think as well.

Want to learn more? Be sure to read our Frequently Asked Questions and our discussion guidelines.