A characteristic of a classic movie is that it gets better each time you view it. Blade Runner is one of those movies. It stands the test of time remarkably well, with special effects that just don't seem to get dated. Rutger Hauer became immortal as the brilliant young god he was in Blade Runner. The movie's atmosphere is unequalled, also thanks to the epic score by synthesizer legend Vangelis.

Ridley Scott was a true visionary, redefining the aesthetics of science fiction movies around the dawn of the 1980s with Blade Runner and Alien. It's a pity the impact diminished with Scott's subsequent creations, in my humble opinion, but the legacy of Blade Runner and Alien is timeless.

— Addendum, 25 July 2019:

Yesterday the sad news arrived that Rutger Hauer is not amongst us anymore.

I'm from the Netherlands, and Rutger Hauer was a fellow countryman. He became famous with a series produced by that other great Dutch talent from the same era, Paul Verhoeven. The series was called Floris. It was shot in black and white, and had a medieval setting, comparable to the old Ivanhoe series with Roger Moore. Floris was quite daring for that time, with dynamic action scenes.

A number of Dutch films followed — such as Soldier of Orange, again directed by Paul Verhoeven — before Rutger (and Paul) headed to the United States to become world famous.

It's a pity Rutger is gone. The guy with the mesmerizing blue eyes was one of my man crushes. 🙂 He always remained a modest guy who felt a bit uncomfortable about his stardom, and he was faithfully married to the same person for 50 years, until the end, which made him even more admirable.

Rest in peace, Rutger. The memory of you will not be lost in time like tears in rain.