Silent Running
Earth's Last Battle Will Be Fought In Space.
As this science fiction classic opens botanist Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern) has spent eight years aboard the space freighter "Valley Forge" preserving the only botanical specimens left from Earth under huge geodesic domes. When he receives orders to destroy the project and return home, Lowell rebels and hijacks the freighter, while plunging the craft into the gaseous Rings of Saturn. From that moment on, he has only the trees, the gardens and two "Drone" robots, Huey and Dewey, to keep him company on his greatest adventure of all.
Member Reviews
a supposed classic that is not for everyone - Jason70
i had seen this title on more than one list of "top sci fi movies you've never seen but should" and so i took it upon myself to become familiar with this "classic."
it started slow but had an interesting premise: a spaceship maintaining forests and natural habitats long after they were eradicated from Earth.
Bruce Dern, the central character, is deeply committed to preserving the forest; his spacemates are not and just want to return home.
after the crew is mandated to blow up the forest (why? is a forest on a ship in deep space a threat?) Dern's character "Freeman" (yes, subtlety is not a strong point of this film) is shocked and fights, literally, to preserve the forest.
the bulk of the movie follows his aimless movement through space with some somewhat charming space-bots.
the pacing is excruciatingly slow.
the acting is often over-the-top and even unintentionally comic.
Freeman never really develops as a character.
the science is unscientific and defies logic.
Joan Baez's vibrato-laden warble must have seen good in pre-pro meetings ("she's a folk icon! we have a deep-space conservation message to tell -- perfect fit!") but she's god-awfully annoying.
the film and lighting often looks like something from a 70s TV series.
i had to watch this film in several small chunks as it simply did not engage me at all. and i'm a left-leaning eco-friendly vegetarian who is totally supportive of a conservation message.
in short, this film is a nice pamphlet -- preserve the future of our forests -- put to film and wrapped in sci fi trappings.
however, good messages don't always make good films. support Greenpeace. plant a tree. vote for environmentally conscious leaders.
but watch this painfully slow and amateurish film at your own risk.Maybe not the most exciting sci-fi movie... - Coconut_Willy
...you'll ever see, but still a classic. Directed by Doug Trumbull who was better known until then as a special effects man, this film has a very good story based on emerging concerns of the era regarding the uncontrolled destruction of nature. It also has the merit of depicting astronauts as 'regular' guys instead of scientists and not showing robots as evil machines aspiring to dominate mankind. To me, it still does lack a bit on the action side but the special effects are superb and not just for the early '70s. The cast, although very limited, is quite good doing a good acting job with minimal dialogue but great characters. The sets and locations are very good considering the very low budget, the soundtrack is good enough and the camera work is excellent. If you are in the mood for a futuristic psychological drama, you should enjoy this movie despite the rather slow pace and the lack of action.Low budget sci-fi stands the test of time - BillMurray
In the 1970s, "ecology" was the big buzz word. Perhaps for the first time, people began to realize the profound affect we were having on our planet. That influence on popular culture was well represented in this little gem of a movie.
A directorial debut for Douglass Trumbell (he became famous for creating the special effects on "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"), the film was produced on a shoestring budget — many of the spaceships were created by students from spare model tank parts.
However, a lack of funds does not always equal a lack of imagination. The story and pacing of the film allow the viewer to be caught up in the plight of our hero (Bruce Dern) without being distracted by the lack of today's over-the-top special effects extravaganzas. That's right, there's actually a good story here. Granted, at times the film can be marred by slightly over-sentimental dialouge, as well as a soundtrack by Joan Baez that just doesn't seem to stand the test of time.
Otherwise, the clever inclusion of the very empathetic little robots (operated by a team of talented amputees) is what captivates the viewer and allows this story to be so compelling.
Considering the current state of affairs with planet Earth, this may be worth watching again, nearly thirty-five years after it originally debuted!
Member Reviews
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a supposed classic that is not for everyone - Jason70
i had seen this title on more than one list of "top sci fi movies you've never seen but should" and so i took it upon myself to become familiar with this "classic."
it started slow but had an interesting premise: a spaceship maintaining forests and ...Maybe not the most exciting sci-fi movie... - Coconut_Willy
...you'll ever see, but still a classic. Directed by Doug Trumbull who was better known until then as a special effects man, this film has a very good story based on emerging concerns of the era regarding the uncontrolled destruction of nature. It also has ...Low budget sci-fi stands the test of time - BillMurray
In the 1970s, "ecology" was the big buzz word. Perhaps for the first time, people began to realize the profound affect we were having on our planet. That influence on popular culture was well represented in this little gem of a movie.
A directorial ...