THE AVEX ENSEMBLE, ‘BLADE RUNNER FINAL CUT’ – BRIGHTON CENTRE 23.9.24
Well, when you find out that your favourite ever film is having a special screening at the Brighton Centre then you jump at the chance don’t you!
Mine just so happens to be Ridley Scott’s multi-Academy Award®-nominated cult classic ‘Blade Runner’, which is based on the Philip K. Dick novel ‘Do Andriods Dream Of Electric Sheep?’, and this evening we head on down into town in order to lap up the joys of the 2007 Final Cut version of ‘Blade Runner’ which is being presented on a HD screen. Not only that, Vangelis’ synthesiser-led score – which is an absolute classic and proudly sits in my record collection – is being performed live by The Avex Ensemble in sync with the 1982 motion picture. I’ve seen the film more than any other and yet this will be a brand new way for me to experience this iconic film like never before!
Tonight is one of just 6 select screenings throughout the country with four of the others already having taken place in Glasgow, Manchester, London and Birmingham over the past few days. The final date will be on 28th September at Bournemouth International Centre. The event has previously been premiered at the Royal Albert Hall in London back in 2019 and although photography is not permitted on this tour, we have managed to secure some shots from this previous show for your enjoyment and these are shown throughout this review.
To say both myself and my mate were excited about tonight, would be a gross understatement! When you read reviews from previous events where the likes of Time Out quote “The single most immersive and tactile world ever created for the cinema” then you can see why!
For those of you that aren’t aware, ‘Blade Runner’ is a stylish noir sci-fi thriller that sees detective Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) continue as Replicant Hunter following the escape of 4 Replicants from colonies who’ve returned to earth. His mission however is complicated when he falls for Rachel (Sean Young); a Replicant based at the Tyrell Corporation.
The incredible soundscape score in ‘Blade Runner’ is one of the most defining of all time – heralded for both its 80s sound, but also its evocative and futuristic elements that have seen it become a staple of cinema sound composition.
And so just before 7:30pm we take our seats. The upper East and West side wings have been curtained off this evening, although there is the extra rising seating from the main arena up to in line with the South Balcony seating. The venue has been adapted to be packed out for the event. The audience is a decent cross-section of society, which is pleasing to see.
The Avex Ensemble live orchestra take their positions on the Brighton Centre stage. There are eleven musicians in total including the bandleader who sits with his back to us. The other musicians are facing us and as far as I can tell there is a trio of keyboardists, one of which I think also makes an appearance on the saxophone, there are the same number of violinists, there are two drummers, one of which also takes care of the chimes, there’s a cellist, a guitarist, and a vocalist. They are all wearing black so as not to take eyes away from the film which is to be shown above their heads on a large, but sadly not enormous screen. By that I mean it does not fill the whole width of the curtain, which is a shame.
The lights go out and all eyes are on the large screen and at 7:33pm our evening’s entertainment begins……………
“Harrison Ford. Blade Runner. Rutger Hauer. Sean Young. Edward James Olmos. M. Emmet Walsh. Daryl Hannah. William Sanderson. Brion James. Joe Turkel. And Joanna Cassidy……”.
And so the story begins….
“Early in the 21st Century, THE TYRELL CORPORATION advanced Robot evolution into the NEXUS phase – a being virtually identical to a human – known as a Replicant. The NEXUS 6 Replicants were superior in strength and agility, and at least equal in intelligence, to the genetic engineers that created them. Replicants were used Off-world as slave labor, in the hazardous exploration and colonization of other planets. After a bloody mutiny by a NEXUS 6 combat team in an Off-world colony, Replicants were declared illegal on earth – under penalty of death. Special police squads – BLADE RUNNER UNITS – had orders to shoot to kill, upon detection, any trespassing Replicant. This was not called execution. It was called retirement”.
“Los Angeles November, 2019”…….our journey begins……..
Having seen the film on numerous occasions, I find myself split watching ‘Blade Runner’ and then the musician below. It’s fascinating to be able to see with my own eyes the live instrumentation. A masterstroke is the addition of subtitles throughout the film. It seems to cement those classic lines that I have enjoyed over the past 40 years. I’m even surprised on a couple of occasions where the wording was different to what I thought it was, which although set me straight, wasn’t as interesting as what I perceived was being said. There were also a few lines that aren’t clearly audible in the film and yet the subtitles came up, which was nice.
Unlike watching the film at the cinema, there was an intermission after exactly one hour and so at 8:33pm we whizzed to the bar for some liquid refreshment, which sadly is now at £8 for a pint of IPA. We headed back to our seats and the film commenced at 8:57pm and ran for 57 minutes until its conclusion at 9:54pm. For me personally, the sound levels could have been a tad louder, but maybe the orchestra had to balance the sound levels of those in the film, so as to be a seamless transition from the parts they were playing to the spoken word sections in the film.
All the way through, the audience were attentive and silent, which is what you expect having forked out good money for a decent night out.
This is the second such event I have attended, the first featuring David Mahoney & The Novello Orchestra performing the award-winning 122 minute 2019 film ‘Joker’ at Brighton Dome on 28th October 2021. The orchestra that night performed a medley over the closing credits for a further six minutes after which the audience heartily applauded and some even stood to their feet whilst clapping. The night was a big hit! (Read the review HERE). Whereas this evening there was appreciation from the crowd, but not to the same extent as the Brighton Dome concert, which is a shame! There just didn’t seem to be the same amount of buzz and anticipation in the air.
Highlights this evening were the saxophone on ‘Rachel’s Song’, plus the occasional live wailing style vocals, and the eternal dialogue in the film that starts “I’ve…seen things, you people wouldn’t believe” as Roy Batty signs off.
In conclusion, all-in-all a great night out and one I’m pleased to have attended.
www.avexclassicsinternational.co.uk
