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Blade Runner 5 Disc: Thank you again! (1 Viewer)

Brian Borst

Screenwriter
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May 15, 2008
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I'd really like to thank you, Mr. de Lauzirika, for this great collection.
I'd never seen Blade Runner before, and decided to go for the 5-disc Collector's Edition because it was so cheap.
I absolutely loved the film. I got pretty high expectations, and they were met completely. Every actor fit the role perfectly, with Rutger Hauer at the top (but that's probably the nationalistic side in me). The special effects were gorgeous as well. I really had the feeling I'd seen it all before, but it has been a highly influential film, so that's no surprise. Picture and sound quality on the Final Cut are amazing. Other versions looked great too.
And then the supplements. 'Dangerous Days' may be the first documentary that had exactly the right length. I always wanted more when I watched other docs, but this one's so exhaustive that that doesn't happen. Every other featurette and audio commentary (although Hampton Fancher and David Peoples came off more as the Odd Couple) revealed new information as well. Minimal amount of overlapping, and that's great.
I just watched this behemoth in four days, so I won't be watching Blade Runner for a while. But it's a fantastic box set, that's on par with the LOTR Extended Editions (and those are the top releases for me). Many thanks.

By the way, I really had to laugh when Frank Darabont commented on the voice over when Roy Batty died. His comment was hilarious. And did he come up with the idea of using 'If I Didn't Care' by the Ink Spots for The Shawshank Redemption from the trailer of Blade Runner? He's oviously a big fan of the film, and I don't think it would be coincidental.
 

Ray_R

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Feb 22, 2004
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R. Ray Rogers II
Thanks Charlie for the superb 5-Disc release! I received the Limited Edition Deckard Briefcase (DVD) a couple XMAS' ago. I bought myself the HDDVD as a personal birthday present the following few months back then. I use the HDDVD to view the discs. Holy crap you outdid yourself! I rewatched alot of the various documentaries and the various cuts again awhile ago and still astounded. Before I'd have only seen the 1992 "Director's Notes" Cut and none of the others.
One of my most favourite films and yet there's one minor nitpick. How come there wasn't a sixth disc which delved into the 1997 Westwood PC game? It ran parallel (same timeframe and you get to see Deckard in the background in an image you use on the ESPer machine) to the film and I've played it several times. Also had multiple endings of which I'm still attempting to attain. Well, and other Blade Runner merchandise?
Why am I nitpicking? It's one of the best put together editions out there.:D
 

Will_B

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I just watched the Final Cut (I've had it since it was released, but was saving it for an occasion) and I just want to say how impressed I was by the sound quality. I was expecting the image would be what impressed me most, but instead, it was the clarity of the dialogue. And not just clarity, but, there was no noticeable moments when you could detect noise gates or noise reduction moving. I have no doubt this was a challenge. But it worked.

Of course everyone in the room was upset that "I want more life, fucker!" had been replaced, since they were all saying it out loud along with Roy, but, that was *the* *only* "awwww!" moment. Other replacements went by perfectly naturally ("two got fried...") and I resisted the urge to nerd-out and comment about the changes.
 

Brian Borst

Screenwriter
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Were those two seperate takes of the line? I thought Rutger Hauer was instructed to say an amalgamation of both, so it could be either way.
 

JamesTLewis

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James Lewis
I got to the party late, but I've just watched Blade Runner in Blu-ray..

Jaw Dropping.

"You've done a mans job sir" !

Many, many Thanks Charles.. incredible.
 

Mike Vaewhongs

Auditioning
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Nov 21, 2001
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Dear Mr. deLauzirika,
First and foremost, my most sincere thanks to you and the restoration team of Blade Runner 5 disc edition BluRay. I work in an industry where the consumers expect highest quality with little/no thanks. I wanted you to know from this film fan, your time & work with BR is truly appreciated.

Since purchased in January 2008, I have been watching the Final Cut (personal favorite version) about every other month. Work, family, other hobbies and >400+ other movies prevent more frequent viewing.

My 11 year old son has (voluntarily too
htf_images_smilies_smile.gif
) watched the Final Cut with me twice (except have to fast forward past the Joanna Cassidy flesh flash image). Hopefully I can groom him to his father's love of film.

I agree with all of the fan sentiments in this thread. Also Peter Bracke's review on high-def digest summarizes better than I can.

One question sir: given the usual economic push and in the current historic recession, is WB studio happy with the sales? I ask as I am afraid future restorations onto Blu Ray will not get the green light due to the financial perspective. (I.e. studio head(s) will say "well only the fan-boys/girls buy it.")

Thank you again,
Michael
 
Joined
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Charles de Lauzirika
Thanks for the very kind words, Mike. It's my understanding that Warner Home Video was very pleased with the sales. I do wonder though if the "Blade Runner" Final Cut restoration and special edition project had been greenlit in today's economic environment versus three years ago, would it have been as elaborate a release as it was? Knowing that many of the folks at WHV are true film fans who put a lot of love and hard work into these titles, I'd like to think it would.
 

Will_B

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Charles, I just noticed this question and answer at Sideshow Collectibles, and thought of you:

That's from
Sideshow Collectibles ‘Ask Sideshow’ Answers - 4/8/09

I know you have the not-quite-kosher "Android Hunter" figure, so I figure you might be familiar with Sideshow Collectibles, Inc. (which only makes licensed figures). Sounds like they could use your help!
 

Jeff Ulmer

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Hi Charles. I know that we have had some differences in the past, but having just viewed the FC as my first Blu experience, I have to hand it to you, Ridley and WB for releasing such a definitive package. I am looking forward to revisiting the older cuts and the workprint in the future.

I would also hope that this kind of attention becomes the norm when it comes to films with such a rich history. While the costs may seem high, the end product will maintain its value, and I'm certain Blade Runner will remain among the top picks for many years to come. I'm sure there are many of us who have bought newer versions of films we have known for decades and been disappointed when yet another version appears. This package is one that any fan of the film shouldn't hesitate to own, and any film which is presented with this amount of care should also find itself a home in people's video libraries, even if those people have previously purchased prior versions.
 
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Charles de Lauzirika

Believe me, Will, a lot of us who were involved in the 25th Anniversary campaign were hoping for some kind of merchandising deal for "Blade Runner" to happen. There were serious discussions about it a few years ago, and Sideshow was certainly considered, but the deal didn't happen. It's kind of maddening to go down to Comic-Con every year and see a mountain of collectibles on sale devoted to even more obscure films than "Blade Runner," but I suppose you could make an argument that it would cheapen the film's legacy if you could buy officially-licensed talking Roy Batty bobbleheads. I think a lot of us on the project were hoping for at least classier, more upscale collectibles like prop replicas or coffee-table books. But who knows? Maybe for the 30th Anniversary. Or maybe for the year 2019, which is approaching us far too rapidly for my liking!

Jeff: Thanks for the comments.
 

Carlo_M

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2019...now THAT would be a killer tie-in! :D

I do agree that licensing for something like Blade Runner needs to be handled very carefully. Roy Batty Bobble Heads, indeed! :eek:

Was it Sideshow WETA who did the LoTR special edition DVD pieces [Gollum, Minas Tirith, Argonath statues]? If so, those were very classy and well-made pieces and I wouldn't mind them taking a stab at some of the figures and ships in Blade Runner.

And as always, thank you again for a wonderful Blade Runner Blu Ray experience. It's been out for a while now, and it is still the centerpiece of my BD collection despite the many dozens of discs I've purchased since then.
 

Will_B

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Ah, I could have deduced you'd be at ComicCon.

I can relate a bit. I'm a Fifth Element fan, and after years of waiting, last year they finally came out with a product: a Mondoshawan bobblehead. Which was kind of nice, in fact, but had me scratching my head a bit.

Ah well. The action figure business is done with until the recession ends anyhow... Maybe in a few years companies will indeed try again.
 

Jeff Ulmer

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Still working my way through this set. I had been happy enough just with the inclusion of all the different versions, but last night had a chance to view the documentary and must say that this will be a hard release to beat.

The doc is great, and really gives a new appreciation to all the work that went into making this film.

I also found it interesting after watching the US cut for the first time since I saw it in the theatre at how much better the film is without the voiceover. Still have two cuts to watch, but am very glad I picked up this set. If only some of my other favorite films could be treated this well...
 

Larry Geller

Supporting Actor
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Jan 10, 2002
Messages
608
Just got the Blu-Ray yesterday, and I would like to know why my copy does not seem to have a True HD soundtrack on Disc 1. I have an Oppo Blu-ray, and D1 only shows Dolby Digital 5.1 & Dolby Digital (which I assume is the original Pro-logic track), but no hi-rez track. Are there mispressings out there (my disc 5 IS the Workprint)? BTW, great work on one of my favorite films.
 

Jerome

Second Unit
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Apr 9, 2002
Messages
301
In the dvd review of Thedigitalbits a few years ago, they said:

The only thing that's not included on this disc that was originally advertised in Warner's press release are the various image galleries (including a Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep Cover Gallery, The Art of Blade Runner, a Unit Photography Gallery and a Marketing & Merchandise Gallery). These unfortunately had to be dropped because of disc space concerns. However, I'm told that there's talk that these may be made available online at Warner's official website for the release at some point in the future. I also wish that Ridley Scott's 1984-inspired Apple Macintosh commercial was here, just for fun (sadly, sources say that Apple wouldn't allow it). Like I said before, these are small criticisms. What you get here is all pretty spectacular, as you'll see for yourself when you get your hands on this set.

Is there any chance that will happen some day ?

+ it seems that storyboards for a deleted scene of Blade Runner will be sold during an auction next week. The storyboards of Sherman Labby are known to be lost except for these few pages.


http://www.profilesinhistory.com/items/hollywood-memorabilia-auction-40/original-sherman-labby-storyboard-art-for-deleted-scene-from-blade-runner.html


 

Johnny Angell

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A few days ago, I discovered the menu for the making-of doc works kinda oddly. I did a play all on day 1, watched about 3 chapters, stopped and in the intervening day watched another blu-ray. Then I put the DVD with the doc back in and selected the next chapter. After it was done I was returned to the menu.


So I thought, I'll just do another play all, and skip to the chapter I want so that I won''t be forced to return to the menu to select each ensuring chapter. Well, the skip button is not allowed, I could not skip a chapter. That meant I had to select each chapter individually to watch. A small PITA.


Why disable the skip button? And if I select chapter 3, why not continue on to chapter 4? Seems like odd design to me.


On a positive note, I was very pleased with how good the SD documentary looked. And it is a good doc too.
 
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Charles de Lauzirika
Jerome: If I ever have the privilege of working on another "Blade Runner" release, those galleries will be a priority for me. It doesn't automatically mean that they'll be included but I will, as always, make my best effort. However, I still think that an elegant "Art of" coffee table book would be the best showcase for all those images.


Johnny: I've never had a problem chapter-skipping through "Dangerous Days" or any other Play All presentation in the "Blade Runner" set. It sounds like a very unique authoring issue that might be player related. If it is a widespread problem, this is the first I've heard of it and, I assure you, it certainly wasn't intentional. I always encourage giving the viewer as much control over their experience as possible. Sometimes, that desire runs afoul of a particular studio's spec, but I don't believe that to be the case here.
 

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