‘Blade Runner’ – Tears in Rain for a Lost Generation
Rutger Hauer's timeless performance speaks to an essential ache within us
“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.”
As I commemorate what would have been my father’s birthday today and his legacy left for me, the haunting words of Rutger Hauer in Ridley Scott’s 1982 masterpiece “Blade Runner” resonate deeply.
These words, now forever tied to Hauer’s passing, serve as a poignant reflection on the timeless nature of his performance and the profound themes the film explores.
In 2019, as Hauer’s departure prompted a reconnection with the rain-soaked landscapes of “Blade Runner,” an innate timelessness became evident despite the years that separated us from the film’s debut.
Attempting to grasp this sentiment, I penned an earlier article, “Tears in Rain: Blade Runner as Theo-Drama,” endeavoring to decipher the underlying message.
Derived from Hans Urs von Balthasar‘s theological exploration, “Theo-Drama” propels us to reevaluate traditional pursuits of “the good, the true, and the beautiful.”
In this view, beauty assumes primacy, asserting that authentic goodness and truth inherently possess profound beauty. This essence encapsulates “Blade Runner’s” dystopian imagery, initially unattractive yet irresistibly compelling.
The film’s exchanges between Hauer’s Roy Batty and his creator, Tyrell (Joe Turkel), encapsulate beauty and despair. Batty, a Replicant grappling with a truncated lifespan, confronts Tyrell with a raw entreaty: “I want more life, father.”
This moment of profound desperation reverberates within us all.
My viewings of “Blade Runner” stirred personal contemplation. Those scenes, steeped in melancholy, spoke to the characters and my yearning for transcendence.
In a world seemingly detached from divinity, I wandered in pursuit of meaning amid life’s hollowness. Batty’s plea resonated as a reflection of my inner longings.
Hauer’s light might have dimmed, yet his portrayal perpetually illuminates “Blade Runner” as a theo-drama, diving into the depths of human existence.
It unveils our darkest moments, prompting a realization that we are mere threads within a grand narrative, an intricate drama that stretches beyond mortality.
In a contemporary landscape often distant from concepts like “the good, the true, and the beautiful,” Blade Runner’s scenes are remembrance of something more. They resurface our spiritual quests when we turn away from the divine, submerged in a realm of vacuous ideologies and superficial pursuits.
Hauer’s embodiment of Roy Batty mirrors our struggles and yearnings for depth. His legacy persists in his artistry and the profound message he conveys through the film.
However, some interpretations might view “Blade Runner” as a descent into a void, an acknowledgment of humanity’s bleak destiny in a world stripped of genuine connection and meaning.
My perspective contends that the film’s message is a cautionary tale, urging us to forge our paths back to authentic purpose.
In the absence of Hauer, we both lament his absence and celebrate his indelible imprint on “Blade Runner’s” legacy. His passing makes us ponder his performance and the film’s resonance.
Just as Batty’s plea mirrored our own soul’s yearning, the overarching narrative of “Blade Runner” reminds us of a patiently waiting God. Essentially, it’s a return, recognizing our innate need for the transcendent.
Hauer’s echo persists amidst rain-soaked atmospheres, encapsulated in the enduring essence of “Blade Runner.” It beckons us to seek beauty even in the bleakest junctures, to recognize our roles in our narrative guiding toward eternal truths.
As we bemoan the fading memory of this film, we commemorate the work’s lasting influence as a reminder that even amid rain and tears, an eternal direction still points us homeward.
In my case, to the memory of my Dad.
I’m afraid, given present Hollywood, the ability to grant the poor soldier’s request, like many individuals, to be seen as more than ephemeral, or something transactional or made of meaningless group identity, but reborn out of one worthy of honor.
Without fighting for more life, it might certainly be a Time to Die.
Editor’s Note: The exact phrase from the film is “Tears in rain.” An earlier version of this article had an extra “the” included.
Robert Orlando, B.F.A., School of Visual Arts, is an award-winning author, filmmaker, and entrepreneur who founded Nexus Media. As an award-winning writer and director, he has released more than a dozen movies, including the thought-provoking documentaries “Silence Patton,” “The Divine Plan” and “Trump’s Rosebud.” His latest book and film is “The Shroud: Face to Face,” hitting bookstores and theaters later this year.
For more insights into Orlando’s work, visit robomantix.com.
Is that your response to the article???
Do you know how petty that is???
Have you seen the film??????
R
You are correct vis-a-vis the early versions, where the line was more than a bit jarring. In the later releases, including “The Final Cut” Scott cleaned up many scenes, and made this one in particular more appropriate by changing the dialog to “father”, which Tyrell was.
My parents died in 1987, less than 30 days apart. Both in the hospital at the same time, on the same floor, and across the hall from one another. I was 32 yrs old. A devout Christian at the time, with three young children. Apart from my parent’s dying, it was a terribly challenging period in my life, the hardest up to that point, really. ### As I grappled with my faith, and tried to understand all the Why?Why?Whys? of their death, and its implications, I was never angry with God; nor did I feel robbed. I just felt a cold emptiness that lasted for a long time. There were no tears shed. Instead, I bottled every emotion and question to do with losing my parents this way, and buried them deep inside where I thought nobody could see them. ### It was that summer I went to the video store and saw “Bladerunner” on the shelf, and took it home. The movie was compelling, to say the least, and it remains in my Top list of films that I love, and still return to. But it was during the chase scene with Batty and Harrison Ford that my emotions begun to unravel, and the voice to express my brokenness found its way through me and I exploded with tears, and sobbing, and complete release of every pain within me; very much like in the article, “It unveils our darkest moments, prompting a realization that we are mere threads within a grand narrative, an intricate drama that stretches beyond mortality.” I found more strength and hope in Batty’s soliloquy than in any bible verse or admonition from well meaning friends. I still do, and often share that with my friends via youtube link. ### And for sure, I really miss Rutger Hauer, he was fabulous! Thanks for reading this, and your excellent article too. 😉
Thank you for sharing. These experiences define our lives.
RobO
You have quoted one of the most iconic lines in movie history wrong.
What????
That’s your response to this article???
Have you even seen Blade Runner???
R
Why do so many people who claim to love this movie and this iconic scene get it wrong? The line is not “like tears in the rain.” It’s “like tears in rain.” It’s a minor distinction, but an important one, I think.
What????
What’s your response???
Did you attend church?
R
There is glaring misunderstanding of the scene with Batty and Tyrell. Batty doesn’t say I want more life ” father”, that was a redone PG version. In the original version he says I want more life ” fu.. er”. It’s not a plea in as much as an angry frustrated outburst. He is raging against the fact that he was robbed of life to be by his so called creator without as much as a second thought about the creation as a sentient being with a life to live. And so he hands his creator the same outcome by ending his life before it’s his “time to die”.
Hello Friend,
I was polite to push the article through without any censorship, did you know how to figure that out?
RobO
It’s “Tears in Rain” NOT “Tears in the rain” poetically that’s quite a big difference
I agree; the original theatrical release is my favorite too. Not a popular choice!
It’s a broken Masterpiece That Hollywood would have never made and tried to crush.
WAKE UP!!!!
What he actually says is, “… like tears in rain”, not “tears in the rain”.
Hello Friend,
After reading my article, is your response to correct this???
God, you’re making the point of the article
R
Hello Friend,
After reading my article, is your response to correct the words and not realize that I was trying to keep ti PG???
God, I worry about this generation.
R
I believe it was “Sea Beams glittering in the dark near the Tennhauser Gate” not C beams.
And Batty’s confrontation with Tyrell, “I want more life F-cker!” not “…more life Father!”
Early versions had fu***er. The final versions had ( more appropriately) father, as Tyrell truly was Batty’s father, which adds even more complexity to the relationship between mortal human existence and deity.
Hello Friend,
After reading my article, is your response to correct C Beam to Sea Beams??
And by making the F-Bomb into Father to make sure the article gets through???
God, I worry about this generation.
R
Eh.. Old mid movie.
Hello friend,
Did you write, eh, an old movie.? Are you woke or out of it???
It is one of the greatest imperfect, broken masterpieces of all time.
Hollywood’s past, present, and future without the Blade Runners or Ridley Scott is bankrupt.
Unless you want to film as an artform to be a slave to politics and social engineering????
Can you imagine doing a screening in China for BR vs. Barbie? OMG!!!
Watch the film again, and we will talk. But first, get serious.
RobO
Tears in rain.
Not tears in THE rain.
Hello Friend,
Check out the title.
RobO
Wonderful article on a timeless film. Rutger Hauer’s performance elevated the entire movie. Just one correction though. When Roy was with his creator, he didn’t say “I want more life, father” he said I want more life, f***er” illustrating his rage at the realization that he was doomed, and the man in front of him just didn’t care.
Thanks Friend,
One of my favorite movies of all time and why I am a filmmaker!
As per your comment, I was trying to keep it PG. Duh.
RobO
Rutger Hauer was a brilliant actor in several genres. He was excellent camp in Buffy, he was a chilling psychopath in The Hitcher, and an unforgettable Roy Batty in Blade Runner.
I’d agree with JJ in that, while Deckard is the character that the story “follows”, Batty is the focus and star. It’s a similar narrative construction as was used in Hunt for Red October. That movie followed Jack Ryan, but it was about Marko Ramius.
Blade Runner is indeed a masterpiece. I prefer the original release with the old film noir style detective voice-over. While it bears no apparent relation to the source novel, it was beautifully cast and written.
I agree , it’s a masterpiece . My favorite movie of all time. I must have watched it probably around a hundred times! And I agree also about the original version, except for the very end, the Hollywood ending. It would have been perfect with original version and the director’s cut ending. Deckard and Rachel were both replicants with a 4 year life span to spend with each other till they expired. In the director’s cut ending, there is no mention of Rachel being special with no expiration date and also Deckard realizes what he is when he sees the origami unicorn, he shakes his head in an understanding nod and walks into the elevator with Rachel, door close, film ends, a bleak noir ending!
Thanks Friend,
One of my favorite movies of all time and why I am a filmmaker!
RobO
Hello Friend,
I could not agree more!
RobO
I gree!
RobO
I could not agree more.
To the author, my condolences on your father’s passing. Blade Runner is one of my all-time favorite films. A small point of correction: The Hauer quote is not “I want more life, father”, but actually “I want more life, fuc*er”.
You are correct vis-a-vis the early versions, where the line was more than a bit jarring. In the later releases, including “The Final Cut” Scott cleaned up many scenes, and made this one in particular more appropriate by changing the dialog to “father”, which Tyrell was.
Thanks.
R
Looking back on it, it was Hauer who really stole the show. He was more of a lead than Harrison Ford’s Deckard.
Hello Friend,
I agree. He was not the lead, but his gravitas and the nature of his tragic role stole the show. Also, what is so little known is how much Harrison Ford fought Ridley Scott at every level, and it was a significant impediment to making the film. Though he was one of our greatest actors, Blade Runner was largely successful despite Ford and his political views.
RobO