Ridley Scott : The Film Director and the Film
look at the picture that she left and, just for
the briefest of moments, the photograph comes to
life, with the shadows of trees in the
background of the image moving, and the sound of
children playing. This coming to life of the
photograph represents a fundamental shift in the
characterisations of both Rachael and Deckard.
In the case of Rachael the shift is an ironic
one; Deckard is the one responsible for the
destruction of everything that Rachael held true
- that she was human and that she had, at one
time or another, had a family. The irony is
that just as these things were dying for her the
image of her with "a mother she never had" came
to life in the hands of Deckard. The shift in
characterisation of Deckard does not come until
a little later in the film; the scene where he
is slumped in front of his piano. This scene is
initially prompted by Rachael's photo., but also
leads to the questioning of Deckard's identity
and concludes with the exploration of
photographs as being more than merely two-
dimensional artefacts. The claustrophobia
created by the decor in Deckard's flat is an
essential part of our experience in the film. 		Ridley's dense texture in the film provided an
interesting background for a strong story of
yearning masochistic romance, which was
permeated with the original novel's sensibility.

By integrating visuals and sound the film
director can create very interesting narratives,
without the use of written or spoken words.
This is clearly shown in the middle of the film,
in the scene where Deckard is is beginning to
feel a strange empathy towards the replicant
called Rachael (played by American actress Sean
Young). This scene takes place in Deckard's
flat at night, which is always dimly illuminated
for added effect. The film's entire plot takes
place at night-time. A hint of the Los Angeles
city life in the year 2019 is just audible from
outside his apartment window, with random
flashes of advertising neon signs coming through
the blinds.

Deckard is alone, and as the camera slowly
pans around the room we find him slumped over a
piano with numerous photographs of different
people, possibly his relatives, on top of the

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