Gillian Hevey
English 101
Professor Meehan
Blade Runner and Frankenstein
There is no music; only Sebastian’s voice timidly informing Tyrell that he brought a friend. Roy’s face is barely visible in the background, behind the doors. Tyrell calmly walks toward them in silence. The silence in this part of the scene hints at a conflict and when the menacing conflict when Roy comments that it’s not easy to meet your maker slow menacing music plays. Roy asks for more life from his father, walking towards him slowly but purposefully as Tyrell backs up suggesting that Roy holds the physical power in the relationship. As Tyrell refuses to extend Roy’s life the camera focuses on Roy’s face looking stern but as the candle light flickers on his face it is clear that there is anger bubbling underneath his cool exterior.
As the conversation continues the interaction becomes less menacing and more caring. Tyrell comments that the light that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and you have burned so very, very brightly Roy. He then proceeds to sit on the bed next to Roy and stroke his head, beginning to look more like a father figure than simply a creator and Roy confesses that he has done ‘questionable things’ as a son would to his father. Tyrell comforts Roy, telling him that he has done ‘extraordinary things’ and Roy places a single hand on Tyrell’s face.
Roy’s face is inches from Tyrell’s, the lighting is dim, making the scene a more menacing one with a sense of impending doom. While the lighting is dim the colors are a sepia tone, drawing the viewers eyes into this scene. Tyrell’s face is resting in one of Roy’s hands, and as his second hand rises to cradle Tyrell’s face, Roy smiles a conniving smile that hints to the inevitable. Roy closes in on Tyrell, giving him a long, passionate kiss ending when Roy’s thumbs find Tyrell’s eyes, gouging them out and, in turn, killing his maker.
The story of Frankenstein is one that deals with creation, the creator, the created, and the relationship between these two entities. The story of Frankenstein is not solely told in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, there are many books, movies, and other stories that have these themes of creation and relationships. One story, a movie called Blade Runner, deals with this theme of creation and this intimate relationship. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Victor is the creator and the Monster is his creation while in Blade Runner Tyrell is the creator and Roy is his creation. An interesting parallel between the movie and the novel is the relationship between the creator and the created; in both stories the monster and Roy have a certain compassion for their creator and plead for something that only Tyrell and Victor can provide. When the creators fail to comply with the needs of their products, Roy and the Monster turn to violence.
In the movie Blade Runner Roy is a replicant, created by Tyrell. Tyrell and Roy share a relationship somewhat similar to that of Victor and his Monster. Both creators fear their creations to some extent, and most importantly both Victor’s monster and Roy have a sense of great attachment to their creator but simultaneously harbor intense anger towards humans. Roy demonstrates this compassion and childlike interest in his ‘father’ when he has a conversation with Tyrell sitting down on the bed, symbolizing that they are on equal footing. When Roy realizes that he is not going to obtain the extra life he was seeking, however, he resorts to violence. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, it is clear that the monster has a certain amount of compassion for Victor as throughout the novel Victor is never killed and the monster comes to Victor pleading for a companion. When Victor refuses his request, similarly to Roy, the Monster resorts to violence killing those close to Victor.
Both Blade Runner and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein deal with relationships between the creators and the created. Blade Runner effectively enhances this relationship through it’s use of color and sound. The lack of both vivid color and sound allows the viewer to focus solely on the relationship being portrayed and forces the audience appreciate the complexity of the connection between Tyrell and Roy.
