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Silent Running

  • 1972
  • G
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
33K
YOUR RATING
Bruce Dern in Silent Running (1972)
Watch Trailer
Play trailer2:53
2 Videos
91 Photos
Dark ComedyDystopian Sci-FiSpace Sci-FiDramaSci-Fi

In a future where all flora are extinct on Earth, an astronaut is given orders to destroy the last of Earth's plant samples, kept in a greenhouse aboard a spacecraft.In a future where all flora are extinct on Earth, an astronaut is given orders to destroy the last of Earth's plant samples, kept in a greenhouse aboard a spacecraft.In a future where all flora are extinct on Earth, an astronaut is given orders to destroy the last of Earth's plant samples, 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 info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    33K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Douglas Trumbull
    • Writers
      • Deric Washburn
      • Michael Cimino
      • Steven Bochco
    • Stars
      • Bruce Dern
      • Cliff Potts
      • Ron Rifkin
    • 280User reviews
    • 124Critic reviews
    • 67Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations total

    Videos2

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

    Photos91

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    + 85
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    Top cast10

    Edit
    Bruce Dern
    Bruce Dern
    • Freeman Lowell
    Cliff Potts
    Cliff Potts
    • John Keenan
    Ron Rifkin
    Ron Rifkin
    • Marty Barker
    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
      To keep costs down, Trumbull hired college students for modelmaking and other such special effects work. One of them, John Dykstra, went on to a distinguished special effects career of his own.
    • 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 reviews280

    Featured review
    7/10

    When humanity(and scifi) forgets its roots

    Imagine a future where Earths forests are gone, and the only greenery left floats around in giant domes in space. Thats the world Silent Running drops you into.

    Bruce Dern plays Freeman Lowell a guy tasked with taking care of these last living forests and when the order comes to destroy them, he loses it and i mean really loses it. Sure its a bit slow at times, and you might laugh at some of the dated visuals but theres something heartfelt about it. Those little robots Huey Louie and Dewey are great. Long before the likes of the Star Wars movies and WALL-E they gave mechanical sidekicks humanlike mischief and puppy-dog eyes.

    Whats wild is that legendary filmmakers like Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu once called this "the best American film ever made." It might not hit the same for everyone, but there's something about it that leaves a mark. If youre into oldschool scifi give it a shot.

    Edit: I had to add that i love the general aesthetics of the retro 60/70s scifi style.
    • GreenmanReviews
    • Nov 29, 2024
    • Permalink

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    FAQ18

    • How long is Silent Running?Powered by Alexa
    • 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
      • $1,104
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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

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