Blade_Runner_&Frankenstein

“The most interesting aspect of texts written in different times is seeing the differences in what people value.” Texts written in time invariably contain many of the important morals which society as a whole values; thus, it is both interesting and enlightening to compare texts written in different periods. It allows one to see how far a society has come, or, in the case of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and Ridley Scott’s “Bladerunner”, how far the reflections indicate parallels in history. The influence of new technology, the role of women and even the questions raised in both are highly similar; more so than one would expect in a world claiming prowess in all areas of societal development. Technological development has undoubtedly progressed greatly since Shelley’s era; it is coincidental that a similar technology is being developed during Ridley’s time. The creation of Frankenstein’s ‘monster’ in “Frankenstein” is directly influenced by numerous experiments into reanimation of dead animals during Shelley’s time, by scientists such as Erasmus Darwin. These scientific explorations attempted to use electricity to force life to return to the bodies; the creation of the ‘monster’ stems from these explorations into creation of existence. This can be seen through Frankenstein’s plundering of already-dead bodies in graveyards to obtain the necessary physical elements of his creation, as well as the requirement for power in the form of electrical storms at the time of animation. Furthermore, Shelley’s work questions the effects of technology on a society already progressing through the Industrial Revolution; with the omnipotence apparently imposed on her society through their domination of darkness and other improved technological discoveries, it was legitimate that scientists of the era feel they are capable of becoming God himself. This can be seen by Frankenstein’s admission that his “imagination… was too much exalted to doubt of [his] ability to create an animal as wonderful and complex as man.” The consequences of such actions, however, herald a warning to society as a whole; scientific development as Shelley has depicted it is strikingly devoid of a female presence, meaning that the creation of new life from such research is doomed to failure due to the removal of a traditional female role. In a parallel motion, director Ridley Scott explores a highly similar concept in “Bladerunner”: the creation of androids. In the age of dawning computer technology, a large proportion of society held fears similar to those expressed in Shelley’s “Frankenstein”, namely, the possible creation of new forms of ‘life’, and the possible effects of this upon society and individuals. Scott portrays a world where ‘Replicants’ are hunted, and set a life-span of four years to ensure the safety of the human race. Bladerunners themselves have been set up to protect society from the Replicants who abandon their duties by ‘retiring’ them; this shows a separation of scientific creations from humanity as a whole, similar to the experiences of Frankenstein’s monster. The incorporation of the life span in the Replicants as opposed to solely a creation of life in “Frankenstein” shows the influence of ‘fail-safe engineering’, the conception of which occurred during the second half of the 20th century – over a hundred years past Shelley’s time. While the overall premise is the same, “Bladerunner” contains more influences regarding scientific concerns than “Frankenstein” does, due to a century of technology development and realisation of the effects of these. This is shown through the aforementioned ‘fail-safe engineering’, and also through the changes in the environment depicted. Los Angeles, the only setting for the film, is presented as dark and dank. Technology and economic interests in particular are shown to dominate the landscape; the opening scene depicts smoke towers belching flame and pollution into the atmosphere, and the Tyrell Corporation building is dominating in structural terms, but is also shown to be bathed in golden light, emphasising this. Both of these reflect growing concerns in society regards capitalism, and the effects of our need for power on the global environment. Coal power, while in use during Shelley’s time, was not found to be an environmental pollutant; by Scott’s, it had. While both “Frankenstein” and “Bladerunner” present similar technological fears relevant to their societies, “Bladerunner” also reflects the complexities that modern society has developed in relation to technology. The progression in terms of the development of the female role, however, has not found complexities, or indeed, changed much through the interval of time between Shelley and Scott. The position of a woman in “Bladerunner” can essentially be boiled down to a pleasure role; this is supported through the commentator urging the audience to watch as “[Zhora] takes her pleasures from the serpent which once corrupted man”. The meaning is overtly sexual, reflecting the ‘sexual revolution’ during the 1960s and 1970s; sexual freedom made it acceptable for such scenes to be presented within a popular film. Furthermore, Pris and Rachel are both pleasure models; “A basic pleasure model. The standard item for the military clubs in the outer colonies”. This reflects the movement of feminism during the 1970s, as women became confident of the worth and ability to choose. However, as there are no real women presented during the film, the role of the Replicant females is shown to be the sole purpose of a woman as valued by society during this period. Interestingly, the traditional role of a woman during Shelley’s time was not so different to this: Frankenstein says that “the saintly soul of Elizabeth shone like a shrine-dedicated lamp through our peaceful home”, emphasising the ideal female qualities of bringing joy and comfort to a male. Frankenstein’s monster’s retelling of the story of the DeLaceys, and the happiness brought to the family with the arrival of Sadie. History shows that during this time, women were not recognised as individuals; instead, they were often treated as pawns and trade-items. The virtues of a chaste, humble and selfless woman are extolled in various texts of this time, such as Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”; Victor Frankenstein further observes that “Elizabeth… strove to act the comforter to us all”, even though she herself was feeling immense grief. The requirement for a woman to provide pleasure to a man expressed through Shelley’s text is relatively subtle, and unlike “Bladerunner”, reflects a desire for more than base physical gratification. However, the comparison of the two are regardless similar; too similar for comfort in a civilised, equal society. Another disconcerting element of both texts, particularly for a modern society wrought with self-confidence, is the questions they raise. Through the moral debate raised in “Frankenstein” over the effects of the development of reanimation as a scientific technique reach into further questions: what it means to be human. Though the monster is depicted as ugly and foreign – and thus evil – he presents the values which the audience would expect from a human; for example, he begs that “I ought to be thy Adam”, which thereby expresses a desire for a father figure, someone to look up to and be looked after by. In the context of Shelley’s time, this was particularly important, as any child without a father was labelled a bastard; often in temperament as well as breeding. Frankenstein’s monster is depicted as both, though he does not possess a cruel personality, as raised by the situation where he “saved a human being from destruction, and as recompense, now writhed under the miserable pain [of a bullet]”. He performed an act of goodwill – an extremely humane act – and was punished due to it, for a cause he does not understand. The juxtaposition of this act performed by the so-called monster, with the unjust and impulsive injury caused to him by a human, raises questions regards the definition of humanity. Further emphasis on this theme is created by the monster’s statement to Frankenstein that he was “the slave, not the master, of an impulse”; an impulse being another important facet of humanity. Through these quotes, Shelley causes the audience to doubt the typical definition of humanity and our sense of justice and purpose concerning our actions; we must ask, ‘who is more human'’ In “Bladerunner”, over a century later, Ridley Scott raises identical questions, through the juxtaposition, speeches and actions of his replicants and humans. Most notably, this is through the portrayal of only the Replicants possessing humane qualities; for example, Leon wants his ‘precious photos’ and Batty laments “if only you could see what I’ve seen through your eyes”. Deckard himself is also included in this technique, as there are doubts cast upon his true nature, such as the connection established through similar movements in himself and the artificial owl; after upsetting Rachel, he tells her “I made a bad joke. You’re not a Replicant. Go home. Okay' No really, I’m sorry.” This is further emphasised through the homo sapiens’ obvious lack of humanity: for example, the police chief tells Deckard “You’re not cop, you’re little people”. The comparison of human and Replicant causes the audience to question who is more human; a concept ironically summed up by Tyrell’s declaration of his corporation’s aims as “more human than human.” Though far past her era, Ridley causes his audience to question the definition of humanity with eloquence equal to that of Shelley. The assumption that the period of Shelley and the 1980s are so very different in social composition and values is a fallacy, one which supports the common phrase referring to the consequences of an assumption. The comparison of the two, expressed through “Frankenstein” and “Bladerunner”, is undoubtedly interesting, though more so as a marker to indicate how little society and its values have progressed in the span of one hundred and eighty years.