Everything
I woke this morning to a social media feed dedicated to the 1982 film, Blade Runner and more specifically its ‘Tears In The Rain’ scene. It was truly an iconic ’80s cinematic moment and for that we thank and bid farewell to co-star Rutger Hauer. Overnight, it was announced that the Dutch actor and writer passed away on July 19, following an unspecified illness and following his private funeral on Wednesday, the industry and public has come together to pay homage to his work.
Appearing in Dutch film and television throughout the ’70s, Hauer’s big break came the decade following when he became a regular amongst American productions. Considered as prolific as the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, younger generations would remember the actor in films such as Batman Begins and Sin City while some of his most famous roles include Buffy the Vampire Slayer as well as Lady Hawke and Blind Fury.
But perhaps his most iconic role was murderous replicant Roy Batty in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. A 1982 neo-noir science-fiction film, the initial release was considered a major miss despite its trailblazing storyline and in-depth characters but soon enough garnered a cult fanbase amongst film enthusiasts. Co-writing the lines for his famous and captivating soliloquy, the rain, the blood and his masterful acting reportedly had crew members applauding and crying during production.
“For the end line I was hoping to come up with one line where Roy, because he understands he has very little time, expresses one bit of the DNA of life that he’s felt,” Hauer told Radio Times.
The scene was poetic and perhaps serves as the apt memory of the accomplished actor. “All those moments will be lost in time,” he said. “Like tears in rain. Time to die.”
