Blade Runner – Vangelis
Blade Runner is a stark, bleak and extremely futuristic film from the early 1980s. This stark, bleak feeling is reflected in Vangelis’ use of what was then modern synthesisers to recreate these feelings throughout the entire film.
The synthesisers sound almost orchestral but you instinctively know that they are electronic in nature. The futuristic feel of the film is echoed thought the score – bleeps and blips occurring regularly and in the more dramatic moments of the film there is an emphasis on pulses and beats. The synthesisers also convey the feeling of the setting of the film in a futuristic dystopian world. The future and the futuristic sounds working in harmony to convey that in the score.
I would describe the music as being wholly incidental with lack of any leitmotif. I looked at the film soundtrack and noticed that there is a piece of diegetic music, probably the only one in the entire film. The piece is called “Blush response” and blush response is mentioned in the film and that particular piece is played at that moment.
The music is perfectly aligned with the theme of the film – bleak futurism. A complete use of synthesisers replicating the theme throughout with the changes in tones emphasising more dramatic elements within the film.
Amanda Music BA (Hons) 