OK, after many many years of wondering, i have now seen two of the deleted/changed sequences that only featured in the workprint or sneak preview versions of Blade Runner, a film which appears to be making quite a resurgence in my life.
are they what i expected or hoped for? i had no idea what to expect and i hoped for nothing. here's a breakdown, then.
Hospital Scene - Deckard visits the unfortunate "blade runner" who got hit by Leon in the opening (Holden?). he's in an enclosed "iron lung" thing, a machine keeping him alive. i see now why they got rid of it, totally distracting and adds absolutely nothing. it also makes Deckard an "actual" detective, in so much as he is doing detective work. the fact that, by and large, the "final" (ha! we have still not seen a final version as far as i am concerned) version of the film does not show Deckard doing much hunting, for some reason he knows where they are, adds to the ambiguity of the fact that maybe, just maybe, Deckard is a replicant himself. which leads us too..........
Unicorn Dream Original Edit - and it's no longer a daydream or a memory. in this first take on it, Deckard is quite clearly wide awake and all too aware of his vision of the unicorn. significance? the origami unicorn in Deckard's apartment at the end. this edit of the sequence makes it fairly clear that Deckard is supposed to be seen as a Replicant himself. not sure how great an idea being so blatant is, much of the charm is that it trusts an audience to interpret at will.
none of this will make much difference if you hate the film anyway, or just think that it is "OK". i would still very much like to get my hands on a full blown copy of the workprint or the sneak previews, but alas it seems they are no longer available for sale anywhere. ho hum.
not much else other than listening to Blade Runner has been happening.
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