Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner by Paul M. Sammon Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner
Book Review: Dark Secrets of Blade Runner
Summary: 5 Stars
I fell in love with the film some years back, and with every fresh viewing find it ever more intriguing. This book answered some of the questions I had concerning the film and Dick's book Androids, and also opened my eyes to a few little-known facts and unused ideas concerning the film. I loved the photos and sketches and easy style the book was written in. A must for any true Blade Runner or PK Dick fan.Book Review: Amateurish writing, professional obsessiveness
Summary: 3 Stars
I approached this book as someone who has always loved watching the hypnotic, gorgeous "Blade Runner," but who has never considered it a particularly good movie, and who was curious about how this undeniably influential film was made and was marred. That curiosity was more than satisfied. Sammon seems aware of every question ever asked about "BR," as he constantly and cozily calls it, and he does answer those questions--sometimes four or five times in the course of this 435-page book.The writing is awful--coy, fawning, and inexpressive. (One minor example: Actor Rutger Hauer is described as "warm but genuine" on the occasion that the author interviews him. Does warmth imply lack of genuineness?) Sammon is also so far inside his own fandom that he is unable to deal with the film or its makers objectively. He goes so far as to say that the critics didn't like the film because it was too good for them. (His actual words: ". . .as if many of the nation's critics had somehow been personally offended by the subtlety and care that had gone into this picture.") That's the sort of thing that a teenager would say: "You don't understand me [my favorite movie] because you're just not as sensitive as I am."
This is not a critical examination of "Blade Runner" or a study of its influence on the cyberpunk genre. It is more like a straight narrative "making of" book (the sort that is usually one quarter its length), with the viewpoint that mostly everyone now agrees that it is a great film, so let's see how it got that way. With that point of view acknowledged, if the thing is to be done at all, one might as well go all the way, with all the detail that has been assembled here, and I did find a lot of it quite interesting. The organization is okay, although it could be better. The book could definitely use an index.
One of the most interesting aspects of the book is that it appears, from the comments gathered by Sammon, that it was as much a Rorschach test for the people who made it as it was for critics and audiences afterward: everyone has different explanations for what went into the movie and what things were meant to "mean." Some would argue this is evidence that the film lacked a coherent vision; others that a shambles (such as "Casablanca") can add up to a great movie. At any rate, Pauline Kael was right: whatever you think of "Blade Runner," it definitely has its place in movie history.
Book Review: Excellent book
Summary: 5 Stars
Any fan of the movie would find this detailed study fascinating. At times the detail seems to be more than you need; but in the end, this book will serve as an excellent chronicle of a difficult project which was released to lackluster business, only to acquire, over the years, the status of modern classic.Book Review: A Journalist With A Vision
Summary: 5 Stars
Paul M. Sammon reveals an enormous amount of information in this book. Mr. Sammon was able to gain access to all ongoings on the set for a reason; he too had a vision as Ridley Scott did and the crew noticed. Sammon was on top of it, aware that this is truly an epic film being made. I'm anticipating his next book covering all Alien films. So I wait, flame thrower in hand...extra careful when I open the pages.Book Review: Great for fans of Blade Runner or Electric Sheep
Summary: 4 Stars
I enjoyed this book very much. It provided tremendous insights into the movie and, to some degree, the book upon which it was based. (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) My only complaint was that the author never really explained what "Future Noir" means! Not being a student of the arts, it would have been nice to have had the term "film noir" defined at the beginning of the book. (By the way, it refers to a type of film portraying a dark, realistic view of the world. Apparently this generally includes Post-WW II detective movies.)One thing the author did which I appreciated was to divide the book up into several key sections. In this way, one can quickly flip to a specific area of interest, such as the making of the soundtrack or special effects.