Blade Runner (lost San Diego sneak preview cut of science-fiction film; 1982)
Roy Batty in a found scene from another cut.
Status: Lost
Blade Runner is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott. From its original workprint, a total of 6 different versions exist. These versions of the movie are the US Theatrical Cut, International Theatrical Cut, US Broadcast Cut, Director's Cut, Final Cut, and the San Diego Sneak Preview. Each version has different scenes and edits.
Summary of all Blade Runner cuts
When the workprint was shown to test audiences in Denver and Dallas, it received negative results and multiple edits were imposed by the studio. A San Diego Preview was then shown after editing the film and after a few changes, the US and International Cuts were screened in cinemas which include a happy ending, thirteen explanatory voice-overs and three snippets of violence for the International Cut. In 1992, after a positive response to screenings of the workprint in 1990 and 1991, the so-called "Director's Cut" was created which removed the happy ending, the voice-over and added a unicorn dream sequence, however, it lacked the snippets of violence from the International Cut, the dream sequence was incomplete and this cut wasn't done by Ridley Scott due to working on Thelma & Louise and 1492: Conquest of Paradise. In 2007, after some legal issues, The Final Cut was released which was done by Ridley Scott. This cut has the changes of the Director's Cut including a few fixes and additions like the entire unicorn dream sequence and the snippets of violence from the International Cut. [1]
The Preview
While the other versions have seen a wide release, the San Diego Preview was shown only once as a special preview event in May 1982. The edit is said to be nearly identical to the US Theatrical Cut, except for 3 additional scenes that are not found in any other cuts.[2] These scenes are:
- An introduction for Roy Batty in a VidPhon booth. (Now replaced with recycled footage from Roy confronting Tyrell and Roy's hand in the Bradbury Building)
- Deckard reloading his gun after Batty broke his fingers.
- A shot of Deckard and Rachael riding off into the sunset, likely tying in with the ending scene in the 1982 theatrical release.
Despite the cult status of this movie, these scenes have not been released since the sneak preview event. Due to the home video recording technology of the time period and presumed security around the event, it is unlikely anyone was able to bootleg the cut. With the 5-disc Ultimate Collectors Edition not containing these scenes, it's unlikely that these scenes will be commercially released.