Silent Running (1972)

In a future where all flora is extinct on Earth, an astronaut is given orders to destroy the last of Earth's botany, kept in a greenhouse aboard a spacecraft.

Director:

Douglas Trumbull

Writers:

Deric Washburn, Michael Cimino (as Mike Cimino)

Stars:

Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, Ron Rifkin

1 nomination.

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

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.

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Plot Keywords:

main character dies | male protagonist | tragedy | dying words | death | 

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Taglines:

Amazing companions on an incredible adventure... that journeys beyond imagination!

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 March 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Running Silent

Filming Locations:

Aircraft Hanger, Van Nuys Airport - 6590 Hayvenhurst Avenue, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures,Trumbull/Gruskoff Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Mono (35 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to SciFiMovieZone, scenes in the forest environments were supposed to be shot in the Mitchell Park Domes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The movie's production budget forced these scenes to be filmed in an aircraft hangar in Van Nuys, California.

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Goofs

In the finale, the detonator held by Lowell has a misspelled label "Nuclear Detornator."

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Quotes

Freeman Lowell: You are NOT using those things in my forest.

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Connections

Featured in Mama (2013)

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Soundtracks

Rejoice in the Sun
Lyrics by Diane Lampert
Music by Peter Schickele
Performed by Joan Baez

User Reviews

SILENT RUNNING (Douglas Trumbull, 1971) ***

Made in the wake of both 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968; the ultimate space opera) and EASY RIDER (1969; the era's biggest 'sleeper' hit), SILENT RUNNING was given the go-ahead by the executives at Universal – in an attempt to recapture the momentum of those two films – who even allowed special-effects wizard Douglas Trumbull to make his directorial debut, and this with unprecedented artistic freedom.

The film is a visual treat, featuring marvelous if unassuming special effects, though Trumbull manages to keep the technology firmly under control – it is all so simple but still very impressive (even more so in view of the budget). Bruce Dern is appropriately cast as the film's eco-friendly hero. Joan Baez's two songs are very much of the time, and yet add quite a lot of humanity to the 'outer space' events. The film's sets (an unused aircraft carrier conveniently converted into a spaceship!) are also notable. However, the film's most endearing elements are the two almost-human 'drones', Huey and Dewey, which contribute to some amusing and even touching interplay with Dern; they were an obvious influence on C-3P0 and R2-D2 from from the STAR WARS films.

Still, I found the film to be somewhat plodding - especially since Dern is, for most of the time, the only human being on screen. In the end, SILENT RUNNING is a pretty good film, and a deserved cult item, but not a classic in the strict sense of the word. That said, it is a whole lot better than the only other feature film Trumbull directed, the dull and overblown BRAINSTORM (1983).

Universal's SE DVD is so packed with extras, it's almost too much: even so, there's actually little repetition throughout the lengthy documentary, numerous interviews and Trumbull's and Dern's joint commentary - and, all in all, it serves as irrefutable proof of the importance and worth (as in experience-enhancing capabilities) of DVD bonus material. While I was not overwhelmed when watching the film proper, after going through the mass of supplements on offer here I had a new-found admiration for what Trumbull intended - and actually makes me look forward to a more open-minded second viewing!