“Time To Die”

~ beetleypete

Ever since I saw the original ‘Blade Runner’ in a cinema in London, I have been obsessed with the soliloquy of one of the characters. Rutger Hauer plays Roy Batty, an android with a designated life span who realises that it is his time to die. The scene is forever memorable, and the film is still number one in my top ten of all the films I have ever seen.

How cool is that?

After watching the film in 1982, ( I was 30 years old) I really wanted to know when it was my ‘Time to die’.

Now I am older, I think that would be a very bad idea.

Would anyone else actually want to know the exact date of their death? Let me know in the comments.

52 thoughts on ““Time To Die””

  5. Here in Canada, we have something called “Medical Assistance in Dying,” for those who have an incurable illness. One has to apply for it, and if it’s approved, the person does know the exact day and can invite friends and family to be there.
    Otherwise, like everyone else, I think it’s best not to know.

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  6. No thanks. However, a shot of Vangelis is always good. I have a picture somewhere of a much younger me and my wife programming “Chariots of Fire” for the NAMM show summer ’82. I love the official Polydor video of Vangelis smoking and playing piano watching the actors run. Classic.

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        1. An overdose of delayed and inappropriate patriotism, as far as I could tell. Even the title comes from the patriotic hymn by William Blake.

          Jerusalem [“And did those feet in ancient time”]
          BY WILLIAM BLAKE

          And did those feet in ancient time
          Walk upon Englands mountains green:
          And was the holy Lamb of God,
          On Englands pleasant pastures seen!

          And did the Countenance Divine,
          Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
          And was Jerusalem builded here,
          Among these dark Satanic Mills?

          Bring me my Bow of burning gold:
          Bring me my arrows of desire:
          Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
          Bring me my Chariot of fire!

          I will not cease from Mental Fight,
          Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand:
          Till we have built Jerusalem,
          In Englands green & pleasant Land.

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          1. I know brother Blake. To the point of the argument – was he an altruistic emancipator or creator of his own indentured servant by teaching his wife to read and write, draw, and colorize his etchings and designs. At the time I think his wife would have said it beat laundry and cooking. Regardless, he was steadfast in his art and beliefs and the hell with the royal academy and critics. “Always be ready to speak your mind, and a base man will avoid you.”

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            1. You know more about him than I do. Thanks for that, Phil.
              (I don’t have a single patriotic bone in my body. I never describe myself as British, rarely as English, and if pushed, ‘A Londoner’. 🙂 )
              Best wishes, Pete.

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  9. There are several versions of the film. I have the one with no narration, and a unicorn origami, on DVD. (But I’ve seen the narrated version with no unicorn.) I also have Blade Runner 2049 on DVD. I’ve always been a fan of Rutger Hauer (ever since I discovered him in the Paul Verhoeven films). It might be advantageous for me to know when I kick the bucket, as that would allow me to prioritize and pace my writing.

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  11. No need to know that Pete – it would impact what we do and how we do it unnaturally – that said, I LOVE this film so much for so many reasons…and now, whenever it’s time for a great meal, I say to my wife: “Wake Up. Time to dine.”

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  12. Often I ask myself if this was my time, would I have taken care of everything I intended? It’s part of being a “neat freak”. I don’t think knowing the date would be very helpful, though. It might become an obsession. I don’t worry about it these days but I will be very pissed off if I don’t get to finish the books I am reading!

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  13. Pingback: “Time To Die” | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

  16. I often say Meoww & they say I purr cos I had my 9. In fact the subtitle for my autobiography ‘Get A Life’ was “A Cat With 9 Lives’.
    Yes & No Pete, but I don’t think its too many years. I have done most of my planning.

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  19. I wouldn’t want to know a date with any certainty, but at some stage, some planning for disposal of assets [if any!] to family or elsewhere will be necessary, always assuming I last that long! 😉 Cheers, Jon.

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