.
Batty is expiring, and talks
about how everything
he’s seen will die with him --
ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion,
sea-beams glittering before
the Tannhauser Gates.
Memory is like molten gold
burning its way through the skin.
It stops there. There is no transfer.
Nothing I have seen
will be remembered
beyond me.
That merciful cleaning
of the windows of creation
will be an excellent thing
my interests notwithstanding.
But then again I’ve never been
near Orion, or the Tannhauser Gates,
I’ve only been here.
Hong Kong Skyline, panoramic view from Victoria Peak: photo by David Iliff, 2007
Ginza neon night rain: photo by Move Lachine, 2008
Tom, Hi. I have been trying to find you. It's Stevie. (from Michigan). I have been thinking of you for some reason... I have been living in Chicago for 4 years. Please email me mudmom@gmail.com or 312-356-0722. How are you???
ReplyDeleteTC,
ReplyDeleteI worked with Rutger Hauer (adapted a play for film for him that never got made) and he claimed to have come up with those lines himself.
Lally
Michael,
ReplyDeleteAs I understand it, Ridley Scott originated the legend that Rutger Hauer ad-libbed the Roy Batty death speech, and Rutger Hauer has added to it by going around ever since telling everybody from Whoopi Goldberg to you that he made up those famous lines on the spot:
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. … Time to die.
The truth appears to be that Hauer had difficulty with David Peoples' screenplay and dropped out some bits, while also inserting his own crucial contribution--the last twelve words.
This is confirmed in Peoples' 2007 autobiography, and also by the independent evidence of early drafts of the Fancher/Peoples screenplay, which includes this:
Quote:Roy Batty
I've seen things you little people wouldn't believe... Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion bright as magnesium... I rode on the back decks of a blinker and watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate. All those moments... they'll be gone.
So it seems that what Hauer added was the brilliant finishing touch to what may be the most discussed movie death speech of all time.
All Those Moments Will Be Lost In Time "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die."
Thanks for clarifying that man. It makes a lot of sense. The art of collaboration once again.
ReplyDelete