Social and historical contexts surrounding Mary Shelley’s prose fiction text Frankenstein, 1816, and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (Director’s Cut), 1992, influence the meaning and significance of each text as perceived by their audiences, through contrasting mediums of the novel and the film. By employing techniques significant to each medium, such as the multiple plot structure and epistolary narrative of Shelley’s novel, and Scott’s use of mise-en-scene and lighting, the composers convey a provocative view of texts in time. The elements of Frankenstein and Blade Runner are often disparate and distinctive for the reason that values and perspectives are reflected in the context. The contrast of both these texts allows singling out common features of some of their elements which altogether create new contexts and themes. Differences in these texts’ settings, plots, and structural techniques create such themes as human’s usurpation of the power of God, the concerns with science excess, as well as the essence of humanity and duality of mankind.
The texts under consideration picture the events of different periods of time and have absolutely different settings, but both Frankenstein and Blade Runner express the desire of a human to have powers of God. The plot of Frankenstein set in the 1790’s is situated in a broad spectrum of places throughout Europe, much of the action taking place in and around a Castle. Shelley also employs various literary devices, the portent dream, overwrought emotion and metonymy of gloom which together with the castle setting contribute to the Gothic sense of the novel. In contrast, Blade Runner is set in only one location, namely in a bleak, dystopian and postmodern Los Angeles during the year 2019. It is as if this futuristic rendering of Los Angeles exists in a perpetual state of darkness, a common trope of film noirs. This shows that, irrespective of how modern or developed the society is, there are always people who try to stand out and take full control over natural processes. Both Tyrell and Victor try to play God through the creation of life. These characters have different intentions regarding their creations. Victor, for instance, experiments with the revival of a dead because he wishes to learn “the secrets of heaven and earth” (Shelley and Hindle, p. 39). Tyrell, in his turn, creates Replicants as a cheap labor force; moreover, he seems to take much pride in himself for having powers of God because he even tries to control the Sun by polarizing his office window.
In addition, the plots of Frankenstein and Blade Runner reflect the progressive concern of science which is evident in both the texts. In the 19th century when Frankenstein was composed discoveries were being made in all fields of research; in those times there emerged evolutionary theories of Darwin and various branches of medicine, including the potential for electricity (galvanism) to restore life to dead bodies. Blade Runner, in its turn, was released in the post World War II, the Cold War, and the Holocaust era. In this period, improvements in medical treatment and antibiotics enabled many people to overcome life threatening illnesses, which led to science and medicine becoming immensely valuable for society. This rapid scientific development in both the periods of time led to the excess of science and creation of such beings as the Monster (Frankenstein) and Replicants (Blade Runner) who were “virtually identical to a human” (Blade Runner). Both the texts can be a depiction of what is expected of the modern world in case the use of technologies becomes uncontrollable.
Finally, both the texts utilize structural techniques which emphasize their expression of such themes as the essence of humanity and duality of mankind. In case with Blade Runner, the recurring visual motif of the eyes is significant in the development of the theme of humanity, in the sense that, if a being is able to look at, perceive and interact with the society, then that being may be considered to exist within that society. Scott also employs close-ups on the character in the majority of his scenes; through focusing on the face and eyes of a character the viewer is pressured to ‘see’ and thereby recognize the duality of mankind. Frankenstein achieves the same effect through Shelley’s utilizing a medium, the Monster, to show Victor’s inner corruption, ambition, and hard-heartedness. The Monster turns out to be even more empathetic that Victor, a human capable of emotions. Similarly, by means of the Replicants, Blade Runner induces the audience to reevaluate what it means to be a human. The empathy tests which the Replicants go through annually reveal that quite often these creatures exhibit more compassion than real humans who are impersonal and cold. This shows that Tyrell succeeded in making these creatures even more empathetic than humans for once he told Deckard: “More human than human” is our motto” (Blade Runner).
Thus, to truly grasp an understanding of the purpose and significance of each text, the responder must acknowledge how both texts have been shaped by their respective contexts. Even audience sympathies and the responder’s perception of the creations change from dislike to understanding and compassion due to the context. However, a comparative analysis of Frankenstein and Blade Runner highlights that despite the influence overall context can have on shaping textual elements, some elements such as setting, plot, and structural techniques remain almost identical because of similar contextual concerns.
Works Cited
- Blade Runner. Prod. Michael Deeley, Dir. Ridley Scott, Perf. Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. DVD. Warner Home Video, 2006.
- Shelley, Mary and Hindle, Maurice. Frankenstein. London: Penguin Group, 2003.