XXIV edition
9/14 December 2014
Blade Runner is Noir’s surprise film
Ridley Scott’s masterpiece will be closing the festival on Saturday, in all the splendor of its original colors and soundtrack; this is the only version of the film that is truly faithful to the spirit of Philip K. Dick’s sci-fi noir, and the only one approved by the director.
Thirty-two years young: Blade Runner, Ridley Scott’s 1982 masterpiece, returns to the big screen with its glorious original colors and soundtrack intact, in the only version that is true to the spirit of Philip K. Dick’s sci-fi noir, and the only one approved by Scott himself.
As is well known, there are seven different versions of Blade Runner by now, the result of lengthy mediation and compromises made first by the producer and then by the director. In the end, what’s come out of it all is an editing and narrative structure that reflect the intention and ambiguity of Ridley Scott’s original project and are sure to grant this iconic film a new lease on life on screens the world over next spring. The European premiere, promoted by BFI in partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures and the film’ producers, is slated for Sunday, December 14 in London. But thanks to a special accord with Warner Bros. Italia and the support of BFI, Courmayeur Noir in Festival is honored to usher out its 24th edition with a surprise screening of this masterwork tomorrow, Saturday, December 13, at 21:30.
"The exciting project to breathe new life into this masterpiece," declare the artistic directors of Noir in Festival, Giorgio Gosetti and Marina Fabbri, "involved a remarkable commitment by Warner Bros. and the British Film Institute over the past months. So we consider the world premiere of the film at Courmayeur, coinciding with the London premiere, to be an extraordinary gift, and a fitting end to an evening during which we will be honoring filmmaker Gabriele Salvatores for his passion for the noir genre; Salvatores, in fact, has had a close bond with the world of Philip K. Dick and fantasy noir since Nirvana. We believe that the return of Blade Runner to the big screen is a marvelous treat for Salvatores and film fans everywhere."
