'Blade Runner' Costume and Type-Casting

Costume:

Deckard’s style of dress:
- conforms to that of a stereotypical American detective
- resembles styles from the ‘40’s and 50’s.
- brown trench coat and coloured shirt and the way his weapon is holstered at the hip, have connotations of a Western ranger.
- old fashioned compared with the advanced technology his world.
- Deckard’s weapon although advanced in function has a retrofit look.
- generally dark or duller colours = highlight his skill for blending in.
- constant motif of darkness 
- tie a symbol of professionalism, but rather than creating a sleek image for Deckard his mismatched ties show a certain scruffiness and, like the rest of his outfit, practicality.
- Over the course of the film Deckard’s appearance becomes more dishevelled, particularly directly after the fight sequences where his number of injuries are also increased.

Type Casting: Deckard’s character

- strong and silent

- moments of intense emotion (For example, the kiss scene and the final climatic fight).

- appearance connotes to strength to make his conflicts with the replicants seem plausible

- double layering of the trench coat, with its large collar and the jacket create an enhanced shoulder size and emphasise Harrison Ford’s height.

- Male protagonist chosen for this reason too,

- aggressive and emotionally detached.

- mid-brown hair and lack of distinct facial differences create the image of an ‘Everyman’ that the audience can relate to and follow.

Rachael’s style of clothing:

- sculptural

- accentuates not just her femininity

- also creates the implication that she is an android due to some of the angular lines.

- shoulder padding, use of straight lines and rigidly set hair highlight her perfect proportions.

- her demur outfits share likenesses in style to those from forties Films Noir particularly with the use of black.

**The film has acknowledged the cyclical nature of fashion but they have also altered the richness of those classic outfits to make them more rigid and mechanised.**

- high-heels are a female icon but Rachel's characteristic rhythm on the floor at Tyrell Corp. denotes to the seemingly cold and reserved side of her character. Later this sound is used to symbolise her power as she chooses a new path of her own.- Rachael’s clothing transforms, following her personal development.

- A voluminous fur coat, which has a high, stiff collar that frames her face gives her an edge of softness but also takes on an animalistic look when she kills Leon.

- the colours of her outfit  soften to a light, silk grey girlish dress with horizontal stripes and a small bow.

- most significant change in her appearance is when she lets down her hair. Her messed up curls soften her angular face and create a sense of her vulnerability. Here, with more natural make up (without the dark eyeliner and the bright red lips) she looks less like a porcelain doll and more human, ironically this is when she accepts the truth that she is a replicant.

- smoking, perhaps indicating her deep need for something to rely on but also it gives her an air of mystery as often the tendrils smoke hide or blur her face.

 

Type casting: Rachel's Character

- exceptionally dark hair make her stand out from the two other women in the film, 

- highlighting her internal differences externally, 

- perhaps implying that she is ‘the dark horse’ of the film – the unexpected survivor/winner. 

- Her appearance is to exploit her beauty and present her as a desirable character. 

 

‘Blade Runner’ is a cyberpunk vision of the future and for this reason the style of the replicants (who are treated as a subservient lower class) have costumes that reflect their status.

 

Roy’s Style:

- black and grey scale clothing

- a long, reflective coat-  resembles waste. This is to convey the consumerism and post-industrial fashion of the predicted 2019.

- the coat also resembles Deckard’s with its large collar and, like Deckard’s, is worn mainly for concealment.

- the leather jacket allusion has connotations with rebels even in our society.

- Black in clothing also creates an impression of size and on Roy, who is an A grade physical model, it emphasises his size and potential strength

- creating a very imposing image.

- In contrast with the darkness of his clothing Roy has practically white hair and incredibly blue eyes

-  In the final fight scene, Roy removes most of his clothing and strips to just a pair of black shorts.

In doing so he removes the restrictions society has placed upon him becoming wilder and more animalistic in his attack. However, at the very end before his death, Roy’s near nakedness could be to imply that he was still a child (not yet 4 years old) and return him to a state of vulnerability and innocence.  The rain in this scene washes the blood from him, cleaning him, which could also support this idea.  

 

Type casting: Roy's Character

Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty

- showed both the good and evil within his character

- balanced the violence of Roy with his powerful reflections.

- The appearance of the replicants who are supposed to be superior to humans should be that of physicality, beauty and danger.

- Roy’s image is cold, Aryan and flawless in order to highlight his power,

- Tyrell even describes him as the “prodigal son”.

- The actor’s strong features and large eyes draw focus to Roy’s intense emotion.