Introduction
- a science fiction spoof - which Dick found
nonsense. This was the beginning of a
suspicious gulf between Hollywood and Philip K.
Dick.

In the first chapter, which focuses on the
author of the book, Philip K. Dick, I hope to
set a general background to the writing of the
novel. In addition, the key themes of his work
and the social background he was experiencing
will also be used as further reference, giving
the novel a social context as to when it was
written and how the author’s private life
influenced many of the elements found throughout
his (not inconsiderable) body of literary work.
This chapter also explores what it meant - for
P.K.D. at least - to be human, as this is a key
theme that runs throughout both the novel and
the film.

The next chapter deals with the
divergencies that the film took from its source
novel and the possible reasons for the emphasis
on certain elements as well as taking into
consideration some of the elements of the novel
that did not make the transition to the film.

The third chapter gives a brief overview of
the main driving force of the film: Ridley Scott.
It will provide a background to the person who is
largely credited for giving Blade Runner its
incredibly dense, distinctive visual style. It
will also touch upon the directors frustration at
the critics’ misinterpretation of his earlier
film, Alien (1979), as well as discussing the
directors most significant area of control.
Although this chapter will present instances of
recurring themes within the work of Ridley Scott,
it will not be as exhaustive a study as some
would like. The aim of this chapter is not so
much to concentrate on the themes of his cinema,
rather to consider the role of a director on a
project. To this end the emphasis of the chapter
will be over his role in the visualisation of the
screenplay. During this chapter I have also
taken the liberty of presenting the reader with a
somewhat lengthy excerpt from the actual shooting
script. As explained more fully in the chapter,
this is a pivotal scene within the film, and
while I acknowledge that it would have been
easier just to present a brief synopsis in
paragraph form, I think that this would have
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