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Home , Dark romanticism

Analyse how and Blade Runner imaginatively portray individuals who challenge the established values of their times.

Mary Shelley’s epistolary gothic novel Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s 1994 seminal film Blade Runner both, despite their vastly contexts imaginatively examine the fundamental nature of what it means to be human as they challenge the established views of their times. These cautionary tales warn us of the dangers of the unethical pursuit power through scientific advancement, man’s fear of mortality and the destruction of the natural world.

In Frankenstein, The Modern Prometheus challenges the view that the power of science alone will advance the quality of human existence through the character of Victor. Shelley was a key figure in Romantic literary movement and Frederic Schlegel defined as “literature depicting emotional matter in an imaginative form” and dark Romanticism became a sub-genre known as Gothic. Victor, an archetypal Gothic character, is propelled to scientific endeavour to attain personal grandeur through sinister means. He reveals Shelly’s underlying fears as seen when he states with overwrought emotive language and personal pronouns, "I believed myself destined for some great enterprise”. He reinforces his selfish motives through high modality in the lines “Wealth was an inferior object; but what glory would attend the discovery”, emphasising his desire for immortal fame. His egotism is highlighted through verb usage when he claims grandiosely “I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation” reflecting the themes of dark Romanticism. “How unhappy is he who aspires to be greater than his nature will allow” and here Shelly, using high modality and emotive language to highlight the consequences Victor suffers for pursuing science unethically for personal gain. Scott’s protagonist Tyrell shares this desire for scientific exploration, however he is motivated by wealth and we see this framed in a medium shot in utilizing the film noir low key lighting to emphasise his openly commercial motives “Commerce is our goal here. More Human than Human is our motto.” Thus we see how Shelly contests the dominant social ideology of the Enlightenment Era in her concerns for mankind’s humanity and this is reflected in Victor’s emotive Gothic lament, “How dangerous the acquirement of knowledge”.

In Scott’s futuristic film noir Blade Runner challenges the prevailing culture of developing globalisation, secularism through his depiction a world obsessed with consumerism and devoid of ethical constraints as rapidly advancing technology dominates the landscape. The 1980’s were a time of rapid technological advancement and the culture of excess, reflected in the “greed is good” philosophy. This world is established through an establishing shot, using film noir conventions, that slowly zooms in to reveal The Tyrell Corporation’s world of 2019, consisting of high rises, flaming smoke stacks and no natural light. The chiaroscuro motif of artificial light and shadows reinforces the hell of urban decay echoing the fears of the Romantics through Victor’s remark, “it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived.” The dark city lit only by forks of lightning and flames symbolically representing a world devoid of any natural elements. Scott clearly fears that this obsession with commercialism and secularism is compelling man to detach from the natural world. The extreme close up of Roy’s eyeball, reflecting the world in its gaze, uses synecdoche to convey the sense of a world where the ever watching self appointed god Tyrell, hubristically controls and dominates all. Similarly, it echoes Shelly’s description of the “gloomy earth and the presence of the staring eyes” However Scott also represents Tyrell as a gothic character, seen through long shot when he emerges from the darkness framed by flickering yellow light, symbolic of the flames of hell fire, and dressed in to highlight his lack of humanity. Therefore we see how Scott challenges the established consumerism driven time of the 1980s, with depiction of a world overcome with the consequences of a belief of excess and unrestrained corporate domination.

In Frankenstein Shelley also expresses her anxiety about the deteriorating relationship between humanity and nature and this is reflected in the relationship between Victor and the . The Romantics viewed nature as sublime and having the power to heal and as a feminist Shelly challenges science’s role in man’s attempts to usurp the natural order in their desire to create life. This is embodied in Victor’s emotive proclamation “ I would create a species that would bless me as its creator”, the emphasis on the personal pronouns and high modality words emphasising the unnaturalness of his desires. He is portrayed as an unnatural creator who rejects and fears the Monster as seen in the metaphor “the filthy daemon, to whom I had given life”. The Monster is represents Romantic ideals with his emotional character, his identification with Milton’s Paradise Lost and his love of nature. He confronts Victor demanding he fulfill his paternal duty as he declares imperatively “Do your duty towards me, and I will do mine towards you”. Thus, the unnatural creature demonstrates that he understands the laws of nature and morality and he represents the Romantics fear about this dying connection. He is also isolated from society and so his only comfort and connection is with nature itself as he states emotively “magnificent scenes of nature afforded me the greatest consolation”, sibilance reinforcing his reverence for the natural world that has become his nurturer. Ironically it is the Monster, like Scott’s replicants, who challenges the dominant ideology as he is more humane than his creator and Shelly provides us with a didactic text that warns humanity about the importance of our relationship with natural world.

In Blade Runner Scott realises the anxiety of Shelley and the Romantics as he challenges the late 20th century ideas as his Los Angeles 2019 is devoid of any natural elements due to the prevailing culture of materialistic consumerism and this is also reflected in the relationships between humans and replicants. The film was released at the time of social recognition about how this consumerist lifestyle was threatening to irreversibly damage the natural world. Scott emphasises how our growing obsession with consumerism and technology is furthering moral and physical decay through the visual bombardment of enormous floating billboards that dominate the screen, viewed from low angle long shots to highlight the prominence of corporate logos such as Pan Am, Cuisinart, Atari and Coca-Cola. The unemotional and detached Deckard represents the desensitized society is juxtaposed against the humanity of Roy. He is a self described fallen angel highlighted through his misquoting of ’s America A Prophecy "Fiery the angels fell....” His ultimate humanity is showcased through a close up of his face, with a backlight illuminating his pale skin and blonde hair to create a Christ-like image, representing his sacrifice as he using his last strength to save Deckard, he says, “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe… all those moments will be lost in time like tears in rain. Time to die’, the simile and biblical allusion highlights Roy’s vulnerable humanity and as his head slowly bows in death we briefly see the wings the wings of a white dove symbolizing his soul. Like Roy, the Monster believes that he has a human spirit and despite his sins he will receive God’s absolution when he says emotively “My spirit will sleep in peace.” Thus Scott illustrates that if man disconnects and destroys the natural world then it will be at the cost of our humanity.

Both Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner examine the essence of what makes us human. These didactic texts warn of a bleak future for mankind if we divorce ourselves from the natural world through the quest for power through scientific advancement at the cost of our humanity.