Blade Runner and Frankincense despite contextual differences reflect almost identical concerns transcending ethical boundaries for scientific advancement. While Blade Runner can be seen as offering a parallel plot to Frankincense, Riddle Scott take the story of a creator and his being to new heights and answers questions Shelley left unsaid. Parity between both texts is driven in the meet the creators scene that demonstrate the fundamentally similar themes prevalent in both contexts, where the lines between science and religion blur.
The Age of Enlightenment, Galvanism and he Romantic period shaped Frankincense the epistolary novel whilst rapid advancements In science and technology Influenced Blade Runner through the ethical concerns of DNA cloning and capitalist greed. By exampling the parallel issues of; mans manipulation of god, the effect of industrialization and globalization on the environment and the ethical and moral boundaries of science, the context of the sass and the sass are accentuated. Through a comparative study of these similar ideas, a deeper understanding of the text’s contextual concerns arises.
At a time where the role of religion was being questioned, Shelley warns of the thinning line between totally and humanity, overlooked in Blade Runner where the push for scientific rationalism and move away from religion of the sass’s is heightened. In Both creator scenes its evident the creators lack insight, humanity and empathy being egocentric and indifferent to the needs of their creations. Victor does not realize the tragic ramifications of his ambitions, he abandons his fatherly role which In tern results In self imposed exile.
The being is lost and ostracizes from society as Victor neglected his role as father when he abandoned the creature. Ram anomalous because ram miserable. Am I not shunned and hated by all mankind?… Why I should pity man more than he pities me?. The repetition of rhetorical questions highlight the monsters humanity where hyperbole demonstrates his estrangement from society. Shelley highlights the disputes of time by playing on the church’s fear of mans attempts to play god. Both creators have disregarded their creations where their lack of divinity is shown through their careless actions towards them, which results In both creators downfalls.
When Tersely, a visionary genius, recklessly creates the replicates for commercial gain, he disregards the moral and ethical repercussions for society and for the wellbeing of his creations. Miss-en-scene of roman architecture, papal robes and candles coupled with non-dietetic synthesized orchestral accompaniment portray Trestle’s factitious role of creator. Religious symbolism is used in the naming of Roy as the ‘prodigal son’ and Tersely as the god of bohemianism highlighting reinstatement of science over religion of the 1 sass. The monster demands a female companion to enrich his life, where similarly In Blade
Runner Roy Batter wants more life than his programmed four years. Shelley both praises and addresses the advancements in science where “these philosophers have indeed performed miracles… They have acquired new and unlimited powers; they can command the thunders of heaven, mimic the earthquake and even mock the invisible world”. Religious references highlight the line between away from religion. The discussions of the time are highlighted through the idea of artificial creation where the idea of god is replaced by human intervention and science. The glorification of man through his scientific abilities is similarly explored in
Blade Runner where Dry Eldon Tersely takes on a god like figure in the secular society. The god like monolithic Tersely Corporation is shown through the panning up of the Egyptian pyramidal structure which dominates the cityscape showing cooperate wealth reminiscent of the chain of being. The scene shows the ethical concerns of the time with the rapid advancements in science and capitalism becoming predominant in society. The idea of humans breaking boundaries usurping god like figures through artificial creation presents the contextual concerns of both texts where the push for science was questioning the role of religion.
Shelley embodies Romantic ideals through her warning against the tampering of nature where the calamitous effects of industrialization and globalization upon the environment is alarmingly illustrated in Blade Runner. The transcendent descriptions highlight Shelley reverence and caution concerning nature. “The sound of the river raging among the rocks, and the dashing of waterfalls around spoke of a power mighty Omnipotence” The alliterated personification of ‘river raging illuminates the romantic values of the pantheistic text, corresponding to the environmental concerns f the sass’s.
Blade Runner represents the opposite of the Romantic world where the Hades scene uses miss-en-scene where a pan moves towards the industrial flames belching pollution in the dyspepsia world absent of natural beauty and disruption of the environment. This clearly connotes Coot’s development of Shelley industrial concerns, repeated with the issue of globalization. In contrast Frankincense makes rich use of natural scenery emphasizing the pantheistic views, where idea of mimicking nature is embodied in the creation where he “tried to imitate the pleasant owns of the birds… He uncouth and inarticulate sounds which broke from me frightened me into silence again”. The creation and his fabricated qualities are juxtaposed among the alluring animals of nature, creating imagery of monstrous qualities disturbing the natural environment demonstrating his displacement within the setting. Correspondingly in Blade Runner the replicates although artificial exhibit the most human qualities where their natural instinctive emotions are Juxtaposed against the artificial environmentally degradation of the world.
The use of the Fight miff test creates irony, provoking an emotional response in replicates, that is not reached in humans, these creations in Tersely words are “more human than human”. The use of cold blue lighting and the symbolism of the bonsai plant in both test scenes show how nature has been tamed and deformed by mankind, reflecting the concerns of the context. Clearly influenced by the era, Shelley Romantic novel reveals continuous appreciation of the beauty of nature, where Scott concerns of the late 20th century of globalization, pollution and mass-consumption of natural resources results in the annihilation of nature itself.
The unfettered pursuit of science and technology and its repercussions on humanity are concerned in Frankincense with the influence of Galvanism and Blade Runner Age of Enlightenment and the rapid development of science and technology of the sass embody the scientific advancements of the day shaping the idea of artificial creation. Shelley concerns the transcending ethical boundaries, questioning the moral and ethical implications of science. Victor has no connotation when assembling his creation as “darkness had no effect upon my fancy;and a churchyard was to me merely the receptacle of bodies deprived of life… Inning a seat of beauty and strength, had become food for the worm”. Symbolism of darkness conveys the ideas of death where his ambitions have blinded his Judgment of morality, being a concern of the context. Blade Runner developed these ideas of overstepping moral implications as Tersely refers to Rachel as “an experiment nothing more” where the value of life is euthanized as the advancements of modern day science, as they serve as commercial gain. Tersely in this scene is depicted in dark lighting accompanied by flashing lights to illuminate the dangers of science through the Tersely Corporation.
Victor driven by his ambition to develop his further understanding, feels an urge to leave his imprint in the scientific world, as the age of Enlightenment brought credit to many. “life and death appeared to me ideal bounds, which I should first break through, and pour a torrent of light into out dark world”. Juxtaposition between dark and light reinforce the idea of light symbolizing knowledge where metaphor highlights the idea of enriching the world with his creation. Similarly these replicates served mankind, in off world exploration, yet pose threat to Earth, suggesting the ungenerous implications of science and its uncertainties.
Tersely can create perfect biomedical structures but cannot manufacture a soul, reflecting concerns of the context highlighted by the blue, flickering light and smoke of the miss-en-scene in the final scene, alluding to elements of film noir. Scientific discoveries of both contexts question the ethics of science and the morality involved where the creations embody the experiments of the period. The congruent themes of both texts accentuate the distinctive contexts of Frankincense and Blade Runner and their universal attributes certifies the enduring elevate of these texts.
Parity between both texts is driven in the meet the creators scene that demonstrate the essentially analogous themes ubiquitous in both contexts. The role of God, which Tersely and Victor manipulate for material gain mirrors the Age of Enlightenment and capitalist values. The warning of globalization and destruction of the natural environment portray Shelley Romantic pantheism and sass’s environmentalism. The ethical and moral boundaries of science and its repercussions on humans highly reflect the contextual concerns of DNA cloning and galvanism that embodied the scientific advancements of the time.
