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Title: Silent Running (1972)
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1 nomination.
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Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Bruce Dern | ... | Freeman Lowell | |
 |
Cliff Potts | ... | John Keenan |
| Ron Rifkin | ... | Marty Barker | |
| Jesse Vint | ... | Andy Wolf | |
|
|
Mark Persons | ... | the Drone |
|
|
Steven Brown | ... | the Drone |
|
|
Cheryl Sparks | ... | the Drone |
|
|
Larry Whisenhunt | ... | the Drone |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
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Storyline
In a future Earth barren of all flora and fauna, the planet's ecosystems exist only in large pods attached to spacecraft. When word comes in that the pods are to be jettisoned into space and destroyed, most of the crew of the Valley Forge rejoice at the prospect of going home. Not so for botanist Freeman Lowell, who loves the forest and its creatures. He kills his colleagues taking the ship deep into space. Alone on the craft with his only companions being three small robots, Lowell revels in joys of nature. When colleagues appear to "rescue" him, he realizes he has only one option available to him. Written by garykmcd
Plot Keywords:
main character dies | male protagonist | tragedy | dying words | death |Taglines:
Amazing companions on an incredible adventure... that journeys beyond imagination! See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
10 March 1972 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Running Silent See more »Filming Locations:
Aircraft Hanger, Van Nuys Airport - 6590 Hayvenhurst Avenue, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$1,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
[presses button on nuclear charge, destroying his ship]
See more »
Lyrics by Diane Lampert
Music by Peter Schickele
Performed by Joan Baez
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Bruce Dern has said in interviews he was cast after 17 other actors turned down the role. See more »Goofs
When Lowell is driving the vehicle into the storage with the camera on the car, a cargo container on the left hand side is seen with the top lid open, but when the camera position changes, that same container is now closed. See more »Quotes
Freeman Lowell: [after jettisoning the last dome with Dewey] You know when I was a kid, I put a note into a bottle and it had my name and address on it. And then I threw the bottle into the ocean. And I never knew if anybody ever found it.[presses button on nuclear charge, destroying his ship]
See more »
Soundtracks
Silent RunningLyrics by Diane Lampert
Music by Peter Schickele
Performed by Joan Baez
See more »
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Recently someone asked me what was the best sci-fi movie I'd ever seen. "Best"? On what basis -- story, acting, special effects? Generally one would usually choose one of the high-tech, high-priced, superstar biggies.
But I had to say "Silent Running." Oh, it has special effects all right, and I think they're good enough for the purpose; I certainly felt the cramped dimness of the station against the vast implacability of space. Maybe you'd say it doesn't have enough action, surprises, or gore. But maybe this story doesn't need them.
Then why is it my nomination? Because when it was over, I had to turn off the TV -- couldn't let its mood and memory be violated by a late-nite commercial -- and just quietly weep for its poignancy. Anything less (or more) would have denied it the respect it deserved.
If you must, watch it as just more fodder for your entertainment urge. But if your soul is deeper than that... if you can, as Bruce Dern does, put yourself in the place of a character who so cares about the earth and its place in the cosmos ... you'll appreciate the eloquent statement of this film and the way it's presented.
A man, not a god. But if it were you, if you were there... would you, COULD YOU do what he did?