24th July 2019
Rutger Hauer, ‘Blade Runner’ co-star, dies at 75 (variety.com).
Passing away on 19th July at his home in the Netherlands after a short illness with his funeral held today according to his agent.
His most cherished performance came in a film that was a resounding flop on its original release. In 1982, he portrayed the murderous yet soulful Roy Batty, leader of a gang of outlaw replicants, opposite Harrison Ford in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi noir opus “Blade Runner.” The picture became a widely influential cult favorite, and Batty proved to be Hauer’s most indelible role.
It most certainly was and giving the cyberpunk Generation X that iconic monologue by the futuristic take on Frankenstein’s monster to be spoken when either stoic fatalism requires or just drunk enough over RPG tabletop: “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe…”
Rutger Hauer’s ‘Tears in the Rain’ speech from Blade Runner is an iconic, improvised moment in film history (esquire.com).
What’s most incredible is that the poetry of this speech was written by Hauer himself. There was originally a longer version of the speech in the script, but Hauer rewrote and improvised a shorter, more beautiful version. It’s a stunning moment—one that captures man and machine, life and death in an elegant, concise way.
And with Blade Runner set in 2019, passing away in the same year as the much loved character which in some sense sadly does seem like destiny.
#RIPRutgerHauer (Instagram).
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