It probably wouldn't have been as bleak if you had seen it in the 70s;

I felt the opposite, actually. I'd have thought it too bleak then, improbably so. Now I watch it and think "Wow. Could you really tell that long ago? And you got the money to say so?"

What's the source?

Notes:

DO NOT confuse this original complete score with the official soundtrack released in 1994. The 1994 soundtrack release was completely re-recorded and some of the tracks were not even performed by Vangelis. A very good, indepth analysis of all the soundtracks can be read here.

------------------- Review by Sebastian.

"This is it. Don't look any further. Had I known this release was on its way‚ I would have found it difficult to give many of the other Blade Runner bootlegs the maximum rating in the past. This "Esper Productions" double cd private release is‚ to date‚ the most comprehensive and accurate Blade Runner version to see the light of day. Where every other BR bootleg falters‚ this version is resilient. I believe it's as close as we've ever come to the "Ultimate Blade Runner Soundtrack" so far. With so many Blade Runner boots out there‚ many reading this review might be asking‚ "so what's the big deal?" I'll give it a shot:

Basically‚ this release parts on a similar premise of the 2000 OWM release (i.e. a double disc release trying to take music from every BR source) but takes this idea much farther with never-before-heard music and excellent production quality. For the first time‚ this release has virtually ALL of the music from the film (Directors Cut and 1982 theatrical release). Highlights of new goodies on these discs:

. Most noteworthy‚ this release debuts "Thinking of Rachael" - the shorter and different take of the Love Theme‚ (heard only in the 1982 theatrical release where Deckard dozes off on his piano). A first on any release.

. For the first time‚ the incidental music heard when Deckard wakes Rachael‚ just before their escape at the end of the film is present on the track titled "Rachael Sleeps."

. At long last‚ (as in the film itself) the eerie electronic rumblings leading into the "Love Theme" is expanded and presented in its complete form‚ titled "I am the Business." (The recent Deck Music and Deck Art releases decide to "chop up" this sequence into several parts for no apparent reason).

. Incidental music from the Esper photo examination film sequence is present on the track titled "Esper Analysis."

. The "Prologue and Main Titles" track contains the original "LA‚ November 2019" sound effect cue leading into the Main Titles‚ as heard in the film itself. (The Deck Music and Deck Art releases layered a spinner effect over it)

. The track titled "Deckard Enters the Bradbury" also has expanded music‚ not heard on any BR release.

. For the first time‚ the complete "Tears in Rain" dialog is presented here (i.e. "time to die" omitted from other versions)

. Lastly‚ this release contains interesting new mixes and transitions‚ (i.e. the fusion featured on the track titled "Sushi Bar- Damask Rose")

As gathered from reading many BR reviews in the past‚ some fans might find the brief dialog sequences distracting‚ preferring the musical purity principle of the "Gongo" or "BR 2001" releases. Nonetheless‚ it's clear that this Esper Productions release is extremely true to the film's atmospheric offerings while presenting all of the major themes in a very coherent and original manner. For this‚ and it's many new additions I find this "Esper Edition" BR release as close to perfection as it gets. Truly‚ a must have."

• **** (5/5 stars)

=========================

Okay, maybe I was a tad over-zealous with my initial post. However, that doesn't change the fact that the free download opportunity of this bootleg offers the chance for a fan to finally get a comprehensive soundtrack version to the movie they love. Pick nits all you like and eeeeeeeexcuuuuuuuuuuuse me for wasting my time letting you folks know about it.

pfft

I know I'm a bit tired, but I fell asleep twice during that dance number, which I'd rather have had replaced with actual plot-related interaction between characters. I'm not saying it had to be replaced with dialogue -- they could have danced or sung the interaction. But it felt so gratuitous to me -- just an "Oh, dear, we have all these ideas and are almost at the end of the movie!"

ita, have you seen The Red Shoes? Because if I'm remembering correctly, I think Gene Kelly was inspired by the long ballet in that film and he wanted to do one too. He had to fight for it too, because the studio thought ending a movie with a hugely long dance piece with no singing or dialogue was commercial death.

Edited to say that I'm a little partial to the Gershin ballet myself.

Am I missing the bit where it says where the music is from? Is it ripped from the movie itself? Is it from the original recordings?

He had to fight for it too, because the studio thought ending a movie with a hugely long dance piece with no singing or dialogue was commercial death.

How did it pan out, commercially and critically? I mean, I got nothing against the principle, just that...nothing happens.

Wow. This is the Netflix summary of An American In Paris...

Opportunistic American artist Jerry Mulligan (Gene Kelly) -- once a struggling painter -- lives in the City of Light enjoying the patronage of a well-heeled, amorous American gallery owner. Until, that is, he meets and falls desperately in love with a willowy French street urchin (Leslie Caron, in her big-screen debut) who happens to be engaged to Mulligan's best friend. Seven Academy Awards went to this tour-de-force movie musical.

Am I wrong in thinking:

• she's not a gallery owner
• she's not an urchin
• she's not engaged to his best friend?

For varying values of "she."

Every song in the movie is a Gershwin song. The ending ballet is set to Gershwin's 'An American in Paris' instrumental piece. They wrote the movie to fit the songs.

I think the movie was very successful at the time and won the Best Picture Oscar.

I just read that 6'2 Christian Bale dropped down to 120 pounds for The Machinist. That's going to make it extra hard to watch.

Saw that small photo in EW. I'm not sure I can watch, and what's more I feel it's my moral duty to smack that guy really hard (also, his director). It's just gross and unnecessary. I don't care if it's a movie about starving people; we got enough real starving people in this world already.

Sort of like, you can never cast Daniel Day-Lewis as Luke Skywalker, because at a key moment he would actually cut off his own hand, in order to 'feel the truth' of Luke's handlessness. Friends don't let friends immerse themselves that far in the Method.

Well, if there was surgery to replace the hand once filming was done, I'd see your analogy. Even if he didn't get full motor skills back.

I have no idea if CB needed to drop the weight to do justice to the role, nor what health problems he's going to take on as a result. He'll still probably average out healthier than your general eternally starving intermittently yo-yoing starlet.

I suppose they could have cast one of the actual starving people, but chances are the starving is the easy part, and the acting the challenge.

I saw the picture in EW too - -ick.

Also, why are the posts here suddenly too wide for my screen? Is it my computer? Or something else?

It was a long link in jimi's post -- I edited it.