Retrofitting is when a new film uses aesthetics and tropes that are associated with an earlier era – it is often used to pay homage to films of a certain era. A prime example of retrofitting is the neo – noir movement of the 1970’s and 1980’s because these films were often set during the 70’s and 80’s but they often had an unmistakable 1940’s aesthetic despite being set in later time periods.

Blade Runner was released at the height of the popularity of film noir – it is a prime example of how filmmakers have appropriated the style of the 40’s and used them in other contexts – the film is set in 2019 but the style of the mise en scene is directly inspired by the classic noir films of the 40’s and it can be argued that even the basic plot outline of the film was taken directly from films like The Maltese Falcon , which involved hardboiled detectives solving various crimes , all while their fundamental moral values are thrown into disarray due to the presence of beautiful women who are often duplicitous and they have an underlying reason for the pursuit of the male lead. In Blade Runner , all of the retrofitting is a deliberate homage to the classic noir films of the 1940’s.