Comparison Of 'Androids And Blade Runner'

In the 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick and the 1982 film Blade Runner, the portrayal of the android Luba Luft in the book and Zhora in the film depict two very different lifestyles, central motives and personalities. Both the novel and the film explore Rick Deckard’s internal struggles as a bounty hunter/blade runner.

In the book, the character of Luba Luft is portrayed as a talented opera singer with a voice that “rated with that of the best.” She is first spotted by Rick Deckard wearing her elaborate opera costume complete with “heavy, convoluted robes” and a “veil about her shoulders and face.” Luba Luft’s modest sophistication also shown by her choice of attire at the museum where she is seen “wearing

shiny tapered pants and an illuminated gold vestlike top.” Luba Luft’s character is portrayed as an intellectual cultural attaché that is a true patron of the arts. She is gentle and passive as illustrated through her lack of resisting her capture and extermination. Instead of fleeing, she makes one last request of having Rick purchase her a reproduction of the painting entitled “Puberty.” Her interest in a painting of a young girl alone in her bedroom exemplifies Luba’s vulnerability. Luba Luft expresses her appreciation and admiration for humans as she states “there’s something very strange and touching about humans.” She expresses her distaste for androids and states she has spent her time on Earth imitating humans whom she considers to be “a superior life form.”
In the film, Luba’s character is renamed Zhora.

Zhora is an exotic dancer. The film’s portrayal of Zhora objectifies her and focuses on her physical attributes. The film fixates on her body as she is either scantily clad, topless or naked in the shower. The clothing Zhora flees in consists of above the knee spiked boots, a harness bikini, and a clear plastic raincoat. Her neck is adorned with a snake tattoo. She is portrayed as a gruff, crass woman struggling to make ends. Zhora states that she would not be working “at a place like this” if she could afford a real snake. Zhora is aggressive and incredibly strong as shown by her ability to take down Rick Deckard. Additionally, Zhora’s decision to attempt to fight and then flee rather than accepting her fate displays her willful and forceful nature. The film’s final shot of Zhora after her demise, shows her plastic raincoat encasing her body, containing the blood spilling out of her body. The plastic exemplifies her artificial existence as well as the general viewpoint that androids are disposable. Additionally, Zhora’s death amongst the artificial snow and mannequins further emphasizes her manmade existence.

Rick’s first view of Luba Luft is within the opera house during a rehearsal of Mozart’s the “Magic Flute.” The initial setting creates an image of heightened sophistication and culture. This imagery is extended to the art museum where Luba is spotted gazing at an oil painting. Luba is left down a corridor where she spots

a gift shop. The gift shop serves as a symbol for her last breath of freedom. After receiving the reproduction of the painting, a tangible token of appreciation for human life, she is escorted into a small cramped elevator where she is killed without spectators.
In the film, the conversation between Zhora and Rick Deckard takes place in Zhora’s dressing room in the exotic nightclub. The dressing room is cluttered with clothing and props on the floor, hanging from the ceiling, and draped across all noticeable surfaces. The room is dark with a few areas of bright artificial lighting. The uneven lighting, disorganization and temporary solitude builds anxiety throughout the shot. The film leads into a chase and then death scene out on the city streets. The outdoor setting is set at night during a light rain. The setting is lit by neon lights, shop lights, and car headlights. The lights illuminate steam billowing out of the manhole covers. The streets are intensely crowded with people. Zhora’s flees for her life by crashing through the glass of several storefronts. The breaking of the glass storefronts illustrates her extreme physical strength and determination. She finally takes her last breath amongst mannequins in a snow covered display before toppling out onto the crowded sidewalk.
The depiction of Rick Deckard greatly differs in the book from the film. In the book, Rick Deckard is a new bounty hunter. He states to himself after seeing Luba Luft for the first time, “I’ve now seen my third Nexus-6 android.” Rick is excited by the job and is intrigued by the looks and capabilities of androids. He attempts to humanize Luba Luft by showing appreciation for her voice and by treating her with dignity and offering to buy her a reproduction of the oil painting she likes. Additionally, Rick argues that Luba should be given the Boneli test, but it is never administered. Finally, Rick does not shoot Luba, instead his partner Phil Resch kills her in the elevator. Rick appears to struggle with the rationale behind retiring the replicants. He begins to empathize with her and ultimately becomes reluctant to complete his assigned task.
In the film, Rick Deckard is a veteran blade runner and is driven to complete his assigned jobs, but lacks enthusiasm for his work.

He is portrayed as a talented assassin, reluctantly pulled back into the role of a blade runner. Rick sets out to retire Zhora, but his reluctance to kill again is highlighted throughout the scene. The use of sound illustrates the mood of the chase scene. The use of the diegetic sounds of voices, car engines, sirens, and crosswalk notifications while Rick scans the streets for Zhora, emphasizes his struggle to seek her out in a crowded area. As the chase begins, the diegetic sound narrows itself down to crosswalk notifications, a few cars, and then a motorcycle. The illumination of some of the street noises, illustrates Rick’s focus. Once the shots are fired, the diegetic sounds are gradually muffled, the sound of the shot echoes and the non-diegetic jazz music swells. Rick’s focus intensifies as he attempts to retire Zhora. The sounds used during the killing of Zhora, consist of the glass breaking and the intensifying of the jazz music. The choice of jazz music alters the mood, creating a sense of sadness as Rick watches Zhora collapse to the floor. Zhora is pictured screaming, but her scream is not audible as if Rick purposely blocks out her suffering in order to stay in the mentality of a blade runner. In a voiceover Rick dismisses the official report statement that killing Zhora would be considered a “routine retirement of a replicant” since

that “didn’t make [him] feel any better about shooting a woman in the back.” Rick displays an internal struggle of having to kill the replicants due to his infatuation with the android, Rachel.
The two very different depictions of the android Luba Luft and Zhora provide framework for the narrative, but also help to build Rick Deckard’s character. The novel depicts a sophisticated, intellectual woman whose kindness and vulnerability cause Rick to empathize with her. The film depicts a hardened and aggressive woman. Both portrayals help to reveal Rick’s internal struggles with his role as a “formdestroyer.”