Blade Runner is a very interesting film because it doesn't follow the classic characteristics of the film noir genre, such as a traditional femme fatale, or a plot based around money, lust and deceit. In fact there are no strict elements which make up a film noir, except for the portrayal of the darker side of human nature, a key theme of Blade Runner.
The first shot of the Rachael scene is of the owl - natural, beautiful, almost mystical - there is an illusion that it is and free and beyond human control, when in fact it is limited to the room and has been manufactured. This raises two of many noir concepts addressed within the film: "What is reality?" and "How does our environment affect us?" As it flies across the room we see a central view of the room, showing big stone pillars, a posh, wooden table, and in the background the sun is setting behind some ancient-Egyptian style buildings. The room looks very expensive and upper class but the audience gets an impression for how jumbled up the world is - modern, expensive objects surrounded by ancient ruins, and an ordered, peaceful room isolated from the chaos of the city below. This suggests a corrupt World, where the rich get richer and more comfortable, and the poor know nothing about it. There are constantly patches of shadows moving around the floor and walls which have a very futuristic effect and are representative of all the problems/chaos in the World and unsettling goings on that are always changing about but never getting any better. Blade Runner uses a very realistic portrayal of dark alleys and sinister rooms using lighting, which is an important aspect of noir and detective films, as it shows how dark and gloomy the World can be, and the use of backlighting and hard lighting adds to the grim, dark, futuristic mood of the film.
Rachael enters the room with very neat combed hair, and a black, well-defined dress with shoulder pads, and almost all you can see behind her is shadow.
