Silent Running

Bruce Dern plays Freeman Lowell, a botanist and astronaut assigned to a spaceship that has the last of Earth's forests in enclosed domes attached to its exteriors. When the order comes from Earth to destroy the domes, and return to Earth, Freeman's fellow crewmen are ecstatic, but he is enraged at the order, thinking it wrongheaded and stupid, so he sets out to ignore the order, and save the domes, even if that means he has to take extreme measures with his crew mates...

Sobering, thoughtful, well acted and directed(by Douglas Trumbull) ecological science fiction tale is really an allegory about humanity's treatment of nature, and what would happen if it was taken to its logical outcome. Though the extreme situation presented here is unlikely(I sincerely hope!) this film works because of its absolute sincerity, with three robots named Huey, Dewey, and Louie, who will play a key role by the film's deeply moving ending, which may bring a tear(s) to the eye.

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.

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.

Originally having seen this film years back, all I could remember were a few squatty little robots, some kind of personal crusade, and alot of tears from Bruce Dern. Now, after a few years of having the film in my collection, I'm relieved to say that I recall (know) alot more about the underlying storyline therein. Silent Running is by no means a great science fiction film; it is instead a simplistic story about one man's refusal to destroy that which is dear to his heart, against all odds. What makes this film stand out from others, however, is a combination of great special effects (Trumbull was, of course, mentored by Stanley Kubrick on the set of 2001), a good message and... All of that emotion from Bruce Dern. I must admit that, even after all these years, those tearful moments when Dern breaks down stick in my imagination. Looking for a fabulous, laser blastin', grostesque alien, hyperspace shoot 'em up? Then don't rent Silent Running. However, if you are in the mood for a light, (not too preachy) thoughtful, sci-fi tale of a lonely, one-way journey, check this one out.

"Silent Running" is an appealing, unusual sci-fi tale set in deep space. Bruce Dern plays astronaut Freeman Lowell, who's been working on a project for the past eight years: maintain the last of the flora and fauna scavenged from a devastated Planet Earth, inside huge geodesic domes. One day he gets the orders from his bosses to terminate the project and head home. Unfortunately, this idea doesn't appeal to Freeman, and he mutinies.

The film is not subtle about its love-and-respect-for-Mother-Nature, "save the planet" mentality, but it's quite an affecting story no matter what. Lowell does some things one can't exactly condone, but you do understand the man. Thanks to a powerhouse performance by Mr. Dern, you can still sympathize with the man and be moved by his loneliness and social awkwardness. True enough that a story like this would seem like a pretty hard sell to studios, even 43 years ago, since there are no female characters and the main person isn't all that noble.

Special effects veteran Douglas Trumbull, renowned for his work on "2001: A Space Odyssey", obviously has a real affinity for creating interesting environments and striking visuals. He uses these visuals just as much as any dialogue in telling the story, which is a pretty entertaining one; it was scripted by Deric Washburn, Michael Cimino, and Steven Bochko. The effects are nicely done, and those robot characters - referred to here as drones - do have some personality, and are highly endearing, if not as memorable as, say, R2-D2 from "Star Wars".

The songs, by Joan Baez, and score, composed and conducted by Peter Schickele, are lovely.

Cliff Potts, Ron Rifkin, and Jesse Vint are all fun as Lowells' younger, more carefree associates, but after a while only Dern remains as the sole human presence on screen. His performance has to rank as one of his all time best.

Overall, watching this one is a fairly potent experience, and it does stick with you once it's over.

Eight out of 10.