Silent Running

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After creating many of the innovative special effects for 2001: A Space Odyssey, Douglas Trumbull tried his hand at directing, and 1971's Silent Running marked an impressive debut. (In addition to creating the visual effects for Close Encounters of the Third Kind and directing 1983's Brainstorm, Trumbull later turned to the creation of high-tech cinematic amusement park rides.) One of the best science fiction films of the 1970s, Silent Running stars Bruce Dern as Freeman Lowell, a nature-loving crewmember aboard the Valley Forge, a gigantic spaceship in a small fleet that carries the last surviving forests of the Earth, which has fallen victim to overpopulation and ecological neglect.

Freeman's name reflects his nonconformist philosophy, which runs counter to the prevailing recklessness of his three ill-fated crewmates, who are eager to jettison their precious payload and return to the bleakness of Earth. Before they can sabotage the forests, Freeman does what he must, and spends the remainder of his mission with three robotic "drones" as his only companions, struggling to maintain his sanity in the vastness of space. Dern is superb in this memorable role, representing the lost soul of humankind as well as the back-to-nature youth movement of the 1960s and the pre-Watergate era. (Appropriately, Joan Baez sings the film's theme song.) A rare science fiction film that combines bold adventure with passionate social conscience, Silent Running will remain relevant as long as the Earth is threatened by the ravages of human carelessness. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

A minor classic, but still a classic.......2007-08-25

Silent Running is one of those quirky films (The Wicker Man, Cul de Sac, Johnny Guitar, Oh Lucky Man for example) that once seen are never quite forgotton. Whatever flaws they may have in script or performance that stops them being true masterpieces of cinema thay nevertheless are like nothing else in the canon. Seeing Silent Running again for the first time in ages I was definitely not disappointed by it. The effects stand up well for 1971 (there's definitely an echo of SR in Gerry Anderson's Space 1999, and to my eye the model work seems to anticipate George Lucas too). The Valley Forge has a real feeling of vastness and industrial grit; even now a rarity in SF sets where the use of low lighting and general gloom is a way around tight budgets (see Danny Boyle's recent Sunshine, a film which I think quite consciously references SR). I'm afraid I'd forgotton just what an intense performance Bruce Dern gives. I like it but he's a strange presence on screen. Is it unfair to say that at no time and in no country could Bruce Dern have become a major star other than the United States in the early 1970s. Athletic and rangy like a period tennis ace but also kinda goofy with a sort of whiny Woody Allen voice that seems to belong to a quite different sort of body. I know, I know I'm being terribly unfair to him and again I repeat I like his performance here (it's his movie, really) but he does add to the slight oddness of the whole. As does the presence of Joan Baez...but the score is fantastic and really makes a contribution to the mood; jangling and hippy dippy but also ecstatic and trippy ("in the sun"). It's a real product of The Age of Aquarius; that brief and vaguely optimistic moment that stretched sometime from around the first moon landings in '69 to the oil shock. Tiny, magical details: one of the drones touches the other with its foot to attract its attention when Lovell approaches when it appears to be having a doze, or the way they sneakily show their card hands to each other during the poker scene. Finally, above all, is its precience. Not all that many years after Silent Spring when it was made. Ecological Disaster...I wonder what happened to that?

Recommend for the true hard core sci fi fans.......2007-08-13

It was of those movies I remember from my childhood. I bought it for what I remembered and to share it with my kids. I recommend it for the true hard core sci fi fans. Those who like films with ecology messages. It is not a ray gun, ships blowing up film. No strange worlds or aliens. Just humans and three robots. Many would find it boring today. The effects are great.

The acting is B rated. Story could have used a little more development. The characters were a bit one dimensional. I would have like to seen more development between the characters. As it was you understood the main characters reasons, but it was hard to feel for him.

The robots were very unique in design. The forest domes appear too small, to limited by what should have been there. By today's standards, the technology and ship look dated. But then when it was made it was quite forward thinking.

I would say a great rental movie. Unless you like to collect old sci fi movies.

A very good movie plus great music by Joan Baez.......2007-08-05

This is one of the best Science Fiction movies of its time. The plot line is pretty good although a bit unlikely but the message is right on point. Bruce Dern portrays a tragic sort of character caught between an uncaring humanity and a fragile and endangered nature. He chooses the latter. The movie benefits greatly from the music of Joan Baez which is just perfect. If you are a tree hugger, then this movie is for you.

You need to keep in mind that this movie was made in the 1970s so its special effects are dated although they were very good for the time.

Not for everyone.......2007-06-16

If you are one of those who are only looking for special effects, that think that oldies are outdated, this picture is not for you. Instead, go and watch Terminator and other void and empty films. If you are searching for a good script, you know what does "Waiting for Godott" mean, and you also feel good giving some water to a flower or a tree, you must see this picture.

Disappointing.......2007-06-12

I was intrigued by the title of this movie because one of my favorite songs has the same name and a science fiction based lyric. Unfortunately, that is all they have in common, and the song has a better storyline. I really had high expections for this film, it had so much potential, even for its time. Instead, Bruce Dern is given almost the entire length of the movie (with the help of some poignant Judy Collins songs) to monologue his way through his loneliness, his creative attempts to create companionship with the little robot drones at his disposal, and to keep the forest alive. It never occurs to anyone that Earth itself could not survive without the forests??? It's not as if a forest is an expendable luxury item! Sure, the bunny rabbits and squirrels were cute, but there is a lot more to the value of a forest than the beauty of the flowers and the sweetness of the fruit! Anyway, I was disappointed, and I did have a hard time maintaining interest in the long, drawn out story that really went no where. I wish I had felt differently.

The Emerald Forest

Average customer rating:

A minor classic, but still a classic
Recommend for the true hard core sci fi fans
A very good movie plus great music by Joan Baez
Not for everyone
Disappointing

Silent Running
Starring: Bruce Dern , Cliff Potts , Ron Rifkin , Jesse Vint , and Roy Engel
Director: Douglas Trumbull
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00000FZQ8
Release Date: 1998-03-18

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Description

As this science fiction classic opens, botanist Freeman Lowell has spent eight years aboard the space freighter "Valley Forge," preserving the only botanical spceimens left from Earth under huge geodesic domes. When he receives orders to destroy the project and return home, Lowell rebels and hijacks the freighter, killing his fellow crewmen, injuring himself and plunging the craft into the gaseous rings of Saturn.

Customer Reviews:

A minor classic, but still a classic.......2007-08-25

Recommend for the true hard core sci fi fans.......2007-08-13

A very good movie plus great music by Joan Baez.......2007-08-05

Not for everyone.......2007-06-16

Disappointing.......2007-06-12

Average customer rating:

A minor classic, but still a classic
Recommend for the true hard core sci fi fans
A very good movie plus great music by Joan Baez
Not for everyone
Disappointing

Silent Running [Region 2]
Starring: Bruce Dern , Cliff Potts , Ron Rifkin , Jesse Vint , and Roy Engel
Director: Douglas Trumbull
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B00005UWQT

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

A minor classic, but still a classic.......2007-08-25

Recommend for the true hard core sci fi fans.......2007-08-13

A very good movie plus great music by Joan Baez.......2007-08-05

Not for everyone.......2007-06-16

Disappointing.......2007-06-12

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