Adapting Literature

Classroom Activities

Lesson 1: Characteristics of Film Noir

A full appreciation of Blade Runner will be lost if its intertextuality is not considered. Not only is the film's narrative connected to DADES, but stylistically it is connected to the tradition of film noir. Students will explore this tradition prior to viewing Blade Runner. The designation of noir is applied to certain American films during and after World War II that are "dark" in tone. The often intricate narratives generally involve a gruff private detective investigating a crime. Alienated and living outside the law, he is driven by his own moral code. Voice-over narration (original to the theatrical release of Blade Runner but removed from the 1991 Director's Cut) is common, as is an emphasis on a realistic urban setting and the use of flashbacks. A beautiful femme fatale is also commonplace. She can be read as a sexist backlash against the societal shift of the 1940s when women joined the workforce, becoming an unconscious threat to male power.

The aesthetic considerations include chiaroscuro lighting with shadows, silhouettes, and high contrast lighting. Light is accentuated by the smoke wafting from the outlaw characters who drink as much as they smoke. Venetian blinds, fans, and the patterns they create are hallmarks of the lighting design. Unbalanced compositions are also evident, with directors using odd camera angles to create interesting frames.

Before viewing Blade Runner, students will be shown the opening scene of Double Indemnity (1944). Also set in Los Angeles, this work exemplifies film noir in all aspects except the hard-boiled detective. Still, the point of view is a man who narrates his own story of corruption by a femme fatale.

Students will be asked to consider how a particular mood is created through the use of cinematic elements. After watching the scene once and asking for students' initial impressions and sensations, we will discuss the elements of film noir. We will then watch the same scene without the sound so that students can focus on the visual aspects of the composition. This lesson will prepare them for a more critical approach to visual design when viewing Blade Runner.

Lesson 2: Allusions in the Film

Blade Runner is a puzzling film, which many viewers find frustrating. While the original voice-over narration may have helped viewers make sense of the plot, most critics agree that the film is much stronger without the heavy-handed narrative. Like any mystery however, clues abound. In order to focus my students' viewing on some of the ideas discussed earlier, I will ask them to play detective like the character Deckard.

I will provide pictorial and textual clues to help them uncover meaning and appreciate the cinematic and literary allusions. Each student will receive an item, easily printed from the Internet, that in some way relates to the film. (Students could also work in teams, studying one clue collectively.) Prior to viewing Blade Runner, students will complete independent online research on their clue. As detectives, they will write short reports on their findings. They will continue their investigation by watching the film with an added focus on their particular clue and its possible relationship to the film. They will then write another short description of observations and possible connections. Finally, students will present their learning to the class and lead a short whole-class discussion on their clue. Scenes can be replayed at this time.

Clues will include.

1. Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks"
2. Humphrey Bogart
3. The monster from Frankenstein
4. Christ on a crucifix
5. An Aztec pyramid
6. Emanuel de Witte's "Interior with a Woman Playing the Virginals"
7. Jan Van Eyck's "The Arnolfini Wedding"
8. Line from William Blake's America: A Prophecy
9. William Blake's poem "The Tyger"
10. Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
11. Passage from John Milton's "Paradise Lost"
12. A unicorn

Lesson 3: Examining Film Stills in Small Groups

The next activity will allow students to take their observations even further as they examine still images from the film. Stills can be captured using free software downloaded from the Internet. Looking at stills allows students to spend quality time with many aspects of the film—literary, dramatic, and cinematic—that would otherwise be lost with a single viewing.

Students will be divided into groups, and each member given a task (facilitator, recorder, reporter, evaluators). After findings have been reported to the whole class by the reporter, each group member will evaluate the group experience with a simple rubric. This rubric, given out and reviewed prior to the discussion, reminds students that group discussion should be purposeful. Students should stay on task, listen, make eye contact, be considerate, ask questions, make connections, and take risks.

Groups will discuss the following still images and accompanying questions:

1. The large blue eye. Whose eye is this? Why do you think the film begins with this image?
2. The Tyrell Corporation ziggurat. What might this architecture tell us about the future?
3. The video billboard of Asian woman taking a pill. How might this image relate to Huxley's Brave New World?
4. The neon dragon. How might this image relate to a larger theme in the film?
5. Tyrell with glasses and the interior of the complex. What themes do these images of Tyrell and his headquarters help support?
6. Bryant's office. How does the interior of Bryant's office compare to Tyrell's headquarters? What other features do you notice?
7. Rachael's eye framed by the Voigt-Kampff machine. Why is this image and the Voigt-Kampff machine ironic?
8. The picture found in Leon's apartment. Does this image remind you of anything? What are some of the features of the photograph?
9. Deckard's unicorn dream sequence, the pictures on his piano, and the origami unicorn. What might these images suggest about the character of Rick Deckard?
10. Crowded street scenes. What are some of the significant features of the street scenes?
11. Images of Zhora, Rachael, and Pris. What do the depictions of the three female replicants suggest? Brainstorm similarities and differences.
12. Roy Batty's pierced hand and the dove. What does Roy Batty injure his hand? Why is the dove significant? Why does Roy save Deckard?

Assessment

I will monitor students' reading in class, through their Journals, and through the classroom Blog. Reading quizzes will be given if I determine students need more external motivation. Students will be formally evaluated on their research, analysis, and presentation of a "clue" related to the film.

The unit will culminate in a test asking students to identify and discuss the significance of selected still images and quotations (from novel and film). Students will also be required to complete a project from three choices:

1. Write a critical essay comparing the experience of the novel to the experience of the film.
2. Compose and record a critical film commentary to be listened to while watching at least two scenes from the film.
3. Select a scene/chapter from the novel that is not represented in the film. Using the format for a screenplay, write a well-developed adaptation.