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Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, Ron Rifkin, Jesse Vint, Mark Persons ... see more see more... , Steve Brown

Bruce Dern stars as the caretaker of a greenhouse located on a group of space stations that are sent into orbit. The Earth has been stripped clean of foliage, and the greenhouse contains the last rema... read more read more...ining greenery from the planet. Dern's staff includes three human beings and a trio of endearing robots named Huey, Dewey, and Louie. When word arrives, from the powers that be, that the greenhouse is to be destroyed (the space station is more valuable to man when hauling cargo and not "preserving the ecology of the universe"), Dern decides to ignore the order. He also decides to go it alone, "circle the wagons" with his robots, and fend off all outside attempts to eliminate his ecological paradise. Special-effects maven Douglas Trumbull directs, Michael Cimino was one of the screenwriters, and Peter "PDQ Bach" Schickele wrote the musical score. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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67% liked it

8,009 ratings

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65% liked it

26 critics

G, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Douglas Trumbull

Release Date: January 1, 1972

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DVD Release Date: October 10, 2000

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Flixster Reviews (750)

  • mumby1988
    December 25, 2011
    mumby1988
    It's long been fashionable for film reviewers to slag off films for being sentimental. The problem is not so much the notion of sentimentality in and of itself, as the context and manner in which it is applied. Criticising Steven Spielberg for being sentimental is simultaneously ... read moreapt and foolish - apt when it meddles with or cheapens a dark subject matter, as with Schindler's List, but foolish when it is complimentary and integral, as with E.T. or Close Encounters.

    Silent Running's reputation has suffered from a similar stigma, namely that a grown-up science fiction film with serious thematic intentions cannot bow to something as feeble as human emotion. The clichéd view of 1970s science fiction, created by 2001 and cemented by Solaris, is one of a cold, clinical, existential world where any concession to audience emotion is strictly verboten. But while such an approach worked wonders for Stanley Kubrick and Andrei Tarkovsky, Silent Running is still a damn fine film which proves that substance and sentimentality can go together.

    Doug Trumball made Silent Running in direct response to the perceived coldness and clinical precision of 2001. Having created many of the special effects on Kubrick's film, including the iconic star-gate sequence, he sought to make a film about the future of humanity in which computers and apes were not the most human characters. Where Kubrick's films focussed on Mankind, Trumball wishes to look at people as individuals. And where Kubrick balanced Humanity's physical insignificance with its God-like potential, Trumball praises Man's capacity for compassion even in the face of insignificance, disinterest or despair.

    If one was feel as cold and calculating as HAL, one could easily dismiss Silent Running as nothing more than 'hippies in space'. Being a product of the early-1970s, when America was experiencing the death throes of hippie culture, such connotations are to some extent inevitable. It is undoubtedly true that Bruce Dern's character conforms to popular, if cynical, stereotypes of hippies, from his loose-fitting clothing and drawling delivery to his obsession with nature which many (the crew included) would consider unhealthy.

    One of the problems with Silent Running from this point of view is its questionable attitude towards mankind in the pursuit of pro-nature or 'hippie' ideals. The position towards technology is ambivalent; Dern yearns for a monastic existence where Man eats the fruits of His own labours, but it is ultimately the machines which sustain the forest. More problematic is the implication that preserving nature is more important than human life, to the point where murdering his crewmates appears to be justified. The film could be making the point that one has to go the hard yards in the name of one's principles, but it remains questionable whether in its content or its presentation.

    But if we put this immediate concern to the back of our minds, Silent Running's ecological theme emerges as more than a simple choice between Nature and Man, or Man and Machine. It is more prominently a film about harmony, about how the march of progress has made humans overly dependent on technology. Technological progress, including the development of space travel, has increased the standard of living of the astronauts to such an extent that they take their resources for granted.

    Dern's colleagues no longer care about the forest or the food they eat because they have been living in a world where their every want is met. They behave almost like spoilt children, spending their time racing around the cargo bay and joking around. Dern's position is similar to that of the 19th-century Arcadians like John Ruskin and Henry David Thoreau, writers who warned against the increasing luxury and apathy brought on by mechanical progress. Dern is the Arcadian among the lackadaisical industrialists, still able to enjoy himself but ever watchful of the consequences of progress, and mindful of the alternative which could soon cease to exist.

    When WALL-E was released three years ago, numerous critics compared the opening section to Silent Running. There is an obvious parallel in the role of robots tending to the Earth (or what is left of it), and in the loneliness of this occupation both practically and philosophically. Like WALL-E, Dern and his droids are going against the grain to do what they believe is right, and both have developed eccentricities through isolation which has caused them to deviate from their original 'programming'. With WALL-E, it is his bizarre passion for Hello Dolly!; with Dern, it is his desire to teach droids how to play poker.

    Although WALL-E could not have existed without Silent Running, it remains the superior of the two films. Although one of the longer PIXAR efforts, it feels tightly structured and well-paced, while there are long sections of Silent Running which feel superfluous or needlessly slow. This may be down to the involvement of Michael Cimino at a script level; his first writing credit in Hollywood contains the same flaws in pace and emphasis which would scupper him as a director. The poker scene, for instance, feels like it shouldn't be there, or at least like it should be a lot shorter.

    Parts of Silent Running have also dated quite badly. Peter Schickele's soundtrack has stood the test of time rather well, but Joan Baez' warblings are a distinctly Marmite experience. Some of the dialogue is preachy, with Dern going over many of the same arguments to the point of exhaustion. But to be fair, it is very difficult to sustain a story with a limited number of locations and characters without the luxury of extended dream sequences (Solaris) or multiple versions of the characters (Moon). Trumball may be no Kubrick, but all in all he has done a reasonable job.

    One aspect which hasn't dated, however, is the special effects. When Trumball was interviewed recently for the Blu-Ray release, he commented that organic, miniature or optical effects date better than CG visuals because they are more "photo-realistically impressive", i.e. have weight and tactility. The external shots of the Valley Forge are shot from the correct perspective so that we aren't conscious of them being model shots, and the explosions look and feel both realistic and custom-built.

    The most illuminating special effect, however, is the three drones which Dern uses to tend to the forests after commandeering the Valley Forge. The drones, inspired by characters in Tod Browning's Freaks, were created by double amputees walking on their hands. This and the facial structures of the drones create a human-like movement which we can recognise and use as a starting point for empathy.

    What makes Silent Running remarkable, and ultimately successful, is the strength of its emotional pull. The tactility of the special effects, the honesty of the script and the tender nature of the final act has the same effect that the ending of E. T. does; you feel as though you have earned the right to blub your eyes out because of how well the characters have been formed and how much you have enjoyed their company. Much like The Man Who Fell To Earth, the emotional weight of the characters allows us to overlook or forgive any narrative shortcomings and enjoy having our hearts broken.

    Silent Running remains an underrated and underappreciated science fiction film. It's not without its flaws, whether narrative or otherwise, and it has to take a back seat to 2001 both in ambition and in execution. But what it lacks in awe and spectacle it makes up for in heartache, coupled with a good-natured and welcome intelligence. WALL-E may have since surpassed it, but it remains compelling viewing.
  • garyX
    November 20, 2011
    garyX
    An overpopulated and industrialised Earth has decided to shoot what's left of the planet's greenery into space (for reasons unexplained) but when the powers that be decide to terminate the program and nuke the ships (for reasons unexplained) one lone space-hippy decides to interv... read moreene. Silent Running is a very well meaning but ultimately very naive piece of film making. It's directed by one of the greats of special effects and as a director, he makes a great special effects guy, leaving the story completely unfocussed beyond the initial concept and the characterisation simplistic to the point of being cartoony. The visuals have a quaint nostalgia about them and the most likeable characters are essentially plastic boxes on legs but it really doesn't go anywhere beyond the "destroying nature is bad" message with musical montages that are laughably dated. It works as a kid's film that tries to ram home an eco message but adults will find it all a little too try hard and cheesy, which is odd considering how stylistically influential it has been (see Alien and Moon). Not bad, but not good either.
  • blacksheepboy
    October 14, 2011
    blacksheepboy
    A thought-provoking science fiction that may feel dated today even with its good visuals, but it raises some interesting philosophical questions about solitude, the value of life and what it is to risk everything for a conviction - which outweigh the ecological message that is in... read moretended.
  • kenstachnik
    March 4, 2011
    kenstachnik
    Silent Running reaches for greatness and ends up being kind of silly. Dern is great, but what kind of botanist can't figure out that plants need SUNLIGHT to grow?
  • ajv2688
    December 29, 2010
    ajv2688
    This movie finally answers the question: why aren't there gardens in outer space? Okay, no one was asking that anyway, but this movie is cool, I really liked it and I highly recommend it.
  • ythelastman89
    August 25, 2010
    ythelastman89
    Probably one of the best environmental movies around, it's too bad it's overshadowed by Soylent Green and others like it. Even though Bruce Dern's character is a complete crazy person, he still has his heart in the right place in wanting to preserve nature. Killing your friends i... read moren order to do so is wrong, but I like the overall moral of the story. The visuals are still pretty solid and the acting is good, even from Huey and Duey.
  • FilmFanatik
    December 20, 2009
    FilmFanatik
    Another sci-fi classic. I love this movie a lot!
  • flixsterman
    November 21, 2009
    flixsterman
    70's environmentalism set to science fiction underscored with Joan Baez tunes. Similar to John Carpenter's hippies in space epic, Dark Star, but much more serious. Bruce Dern is fantastic as the psychotic botanist who commandeers an orbital greenhouse in order to save ea... read morerth's last remaining trees, bunnies and cantaloupes. Though dated, Silent Running is still engrossing and germane. Very green, with a small carbon footprint. :)
  • SirPant
    September 24, 2009
    SirPant
    Sure it has its mistakes in it and some real Doh! moments but its such a sweet film, in fact this film is a classic! Highly original, its been ripped off left right and centre. Douglas Trumbull does a great job directing, coming from the Special effects side of film making. I lov... read moree this film and I like the thought that there is a garden in space being watered by a little blue robot!
  • TomBowler
    August 3, 2009
    TomBowler
    this is one of the original sci-fi's, a classic in all respects

View All Silent Running Reviews

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff
June 4, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

The production lacks much dramatic credibility and often teeters on the edge of the ludicrous. Full Review

Dave Kehr
June 4, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

The film is enjoyable for its intimacy, seriousness, and intelligent character work, virtues not perpetuated by the subsequent new wave. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 9, 2005
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Silent Running is no jerry-built science fiction film, but it's a little too simple-minded to be consistently entertaining. Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

... a movie out of the ordinary -- especially if you like science fiction. Full Review

March 2, 2012
Film4

Among the most intelligent and entertaining sci-fi films of the 1970. Full Review

Steve Crum
March 14, 2009
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com

Suffers from age, but Trumbull's vision still glows, as does terrific Bruce Dern in practically solo turn.

Andrew L. Urban
September 18, 2008
Andrew L. Urban, Urban Cinefile

Visual effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull (notable for his work on 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner and Close Encounters of the Third Kind), made his directorial debut with this eco-themed sci-fi cla... Full Review

Luke Y. Thompson
June 16, 2008
Luke Y. Thompson, LYTRules.com

The movie has a great premise, but the execution doesn't live up to the potential. Full Review

June 4, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Silent Running concentrates heavily on special effects, resulting in some stunning imagery. Dern gives an engaging, against-type performance, though the script is stretched out very thin to support a ... Full Review

Pablo Villaca
November 15, 2006
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

Embora obviamente datado e piegas em alguns momentos (as seqüências musicais são constrangedoras), desperta algumas boas indagações filosóficas que se tornam bem mais interessantes que as discussões e...

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Silent Running Trivia

  • what were the three robots names in the movie Silent running  Answer »
  • Which actor is the only cast member alive at the end of "Silent Running" (1972)?  Answer »
  • Which prominent folk singer(s) sang the two Peter Schickele songs used in "Silent Running" (1972)?  Answer »
  • Because the drone robots in "Silent Running" (1972) were so small, the producers hired actors with missing limbs to operate the robots from inside.  Answer »
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