Perhaps the most poignant of all short elegies in Sci-Fi cinema, Roy Batty's rain-soaked swansong is a favourite of mine and Arto's. His replicant sadness makes his cessation above the silent Deckard all the more profound.
Rutger Hauer did such a fine job playing the role of Roy the new Blade Runner will be hard pressed to follow it.
Which Sci-Fi speeches do you like?
Wotan Wades in (again)
Sorry Woodsy, this is becoming a habit! The Illustrated Blade Runner compresses this wonderful speech into a single brief para, but also elaborates slightly with more detail.
"You like our owl?" Battys elegiac speech is beautiful and probably the most memorable. Interestingly, the 'Tannhauser Gate' is briefly referenced in Kurt Russels deplorable 1998 flick 'Soldier'and also appears on a tattoo on his arm.
ReplyDeleteThe storyboards themselves are also lovely. The art is by Mentor Huebner, who was working as far back as "Forbidden Planet". I have a full photocopy set of his boards for "Total Recall" -the unfilmed Bruce Beresford/Patrick Swayze version (which were rescued from a dumpster some 20 years ago!)
ReplyDeleteI'm always amazed what gets thrown in dumpsters Lewis. Well done whoever rescued it. Patrick Swayyze isn't associated with Sci Fi but I always enjoyed his acting. Maybe he was typecast as a muscled dreamboat. His high point for me was Road House, which mixed Zen, Kung Fu and heroism. Swayze would have made a fine Quaid but Arnie did a grand job too. I must say I'm not keen on the modern remake. Checking the Bruce Beresford link on Google I see that the original Dirctor was going to be David Cronenberg, one of my favourites. Can't think of anything I haven't seen by him. Cronenberg and Total Recall...hmmm, it would have been very gruesome with lots of mutating flesh everywhere! I've also checked out mentor Huebner's site, which I think has been created by his wife. the initial poem actually made me weep. its so moving! The film art is amazing and as you say he worked on Forbidden PPlanet. That's incredible and the conceptual art is really fascinating with robby clear;y visible. Mentor is not an artist I had heard of before Lewis, a fabulous insight. Thanks ever so much for pointing it out!
DeleteWow, Patrick Swayze in Total Recall? cant see that working somehow, but I do like the recent remake.
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