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Silent Running

  • 1972
  • G
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
30K
YOUR RATING
Silent Running (1972)
Watch Trailer
Play trailer2:53
2 Videos
90 Photos
DramaSci-Fi

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.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.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
    • Steven Bochco
  • Stars
    • Bruce Dern
    • Cliff Potts
    • Ron Rifkin
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    30K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Douglas Trumbull
    • Writers
      • Deric Washburn
      • Michael Cimino
      • Steven Bochco
    • Stars
      • Bruce Dern
      • Cliff Potts
      • Ron Rifkin
    • 263User reviews
    • 126Critic reviews
    • 67Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations

    Videos2

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:53
    Watch Trailer
    Trailers From Hell - Silent Running w/Edgar Wright
    Featurette 3:04
    Watch Trailers From Hell - Silent Running w/Edgar Wright

    Photos90

    Bruce Dern in Silent Running (1972)
    Silent Running (1972)
    Silent Running (1972)
    Silent Running (1972)
    Silent Running (1972)
    Silent Running (1972)
    Silent Running (1972)
    Silent Running (1972)
    Bruce Dern in Silent Running (1972)
    Bruce Dern in Silent Running (1972)
    Silent Running (1972)
    Bruce Dern in Silent Running (1972)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Bruce Dern
    Bruce Dern
    • Freeman Lowell
    Cliff Potts
    Cliff Potts
    • John Keenan
    Ron Rifkin
    Ron Rifkin
    • Marty Barker
    Jesse Vint
    Jesse Vint
    • Andy Wolf
    Mark Persons
    • the grey Drone # 1 'Dewey'
    Steven Brown
    • the orange Drone # 2 'Huey'
    Cheryl Sparks
    • the orange Drone # 2 'Huey'
    Larry Whisenhunt
    • the green Drone # 3 'Louie'
    Joseph Campanella
    Joseph Campanella
    • Neal - Berkshire' Captain
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    Roy Engel
    Roy Engel
    • Anderson
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Douglas Trumbull
    • Writers
      • Deric Washburn
      • Michael Cimino
      • Steven Bochco
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The three drone robots Huey, Dewey, and Louie (named after Donald Duck's nephews) were operated by four multiple-amputee actors: Mark Persons, Steve Brown, Cheryl Sparks, and Larry Whisenhunt.
    • Goofs
      In the finale, the detonator held by Lowell has a misspelled label "Nuclear Detornator."
    • Quotes

      Freeman Lowell: It calls back a time when there were flowers all over the Earth... and there were valleys. And there were plains of tall green grass that you could lie down in - you could go to sleep in. And there were blue skies, and there was fresh air... and there were things growing all over the place, not just in some domed enclosures blasted some millions of miles out in to space.

    • Alternate versions
      In the Italian version, the three drones are named after "Paperino", "Paperone" and "Paperina" ("Donald Duck", "Uncle Scrooge" and "Daisy Duck") because calling them "Qui", "Quo" and "Qua" ("Huey", "Dewey", "Louie") would have been cacophonous: "Vieni qui, Qui!" ("Come here, Huey!").
    • Connections
      Edited into The Making of 'Silent Running' (1974)
    • Soundtracks
      Silent Running
      Lyrics by Diane Lampert

      Music by Peter Schickele

      Performed by Joan Baez

    User reviews263

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Unique and memorable science-fiction classic
    Sometime in the future all the forests on Earth have been destroyed. The last forests are transported in giant greenhouses aboard space ships near the planet Saturn. Freeman Lowell, crew member of the space vessel Valley Forge, is an outsider and the only one who cares about what is left of our planet's nature. When orders reach their vessel to destroy the forests, he goes mad. He kills off the other crew members and starts a lonely odyssey...

    There's something to be learnt in this movie. More than 30 years old now, it stands the test of time with its message, as mankind is still working on what possibly could end in a scenario like this. Bruce Dern may be overacting in some scenes, but his character is still much more likeable than his crew comrades. Scenery and music are beautiful, fitting well to the dark, moving and unique story. And this is the movie that made "Star Wars" possible. Director Douglas Trumbull and other SFX masters like John Dykstra and Richard Yuricich were chosen to work on "Star Wars" because of the state-of-the-arts special effects they did for "Silent Running". In 1971, they were ahead of their time. In fact, they are easily as good as today's CGI effects, but much more memorable for their time. Even the droids that help Lowell are predecessors of the ones in "Star Wars"... A must-see movie for SF fans and everybody interested in Hollywood classics.
    helpful•82
    28
    • Splatterdome-AMH
    • Feb 8, 2002

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    FAQ1

    • Are there people inside the "Drones?"

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 10, 1972 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Running Silent
    • Filming locations
      • Van Nuys Airport - 16461 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, USA(Dome Number 1, Interiors)
    • Production companies
      • Universal Pictures
      • Trumbull/Gruskoff Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $336
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 29 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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