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Silent Running
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by Universal Studios
Sales Rank: 20871
Price: $9.98
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After creating many of the innovative special effects for <I>2001: A Space Odyssey</I>, Douglas Trumbull tried his hand at directing, and 1971's <I>Silent Running</I> marked an impressive debut. (In addition to creating the visual effects for <I>Close Encounters of the Third Kind</I> and directing 1983's <I>Brainstorm</I>, Trumbull later turned to the creation of high-tech cinematic amusement park rides.) One of the best science fiction films of the 1970s, <I>Silent Running</I> stars Bruce Dern as Freeman Lowell, a nature-loving crewmember aboard the <I>Valley Forge</I>, 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.<p> 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, <I>Silent Running</I> will remain relevant as long as the Earth is threatened by the ravages of human carelessness. <I>--Jeff Shannon</I>
Viewer Reviews
It's many years in the future. Though the earth maintains a constant 75 degrees there are no forests left. The only place to find a forest is in space, in bio-domes attached to spaceships protecting them. After six months into this experimental effort to save the forests, the Valley Forge and her sister ships are ordered to abandon and nuclear-destruct the forests, then return the spaceships to commercial service. Aboard the Valley Forge is botanist Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern - a very young Bruce Dern) who is the only member of the four-man crew who actually cares for the forests. (He's portrayed very "hippie-ish", including wearing long canvas-type robes and longer hair than the other men) Lowell doesn't just care for the forests, he defends them and lives for them.
With orders received, when the men begin to nuclear-destruct the bio-domes, Lowell goes a little off the edge in defending his forests, and winds out killing all his crewmates. He then steers the spaceship towards an outer ring of Saturn, where the other ships can't follow. Now he's alone with his three (adorable) robots, Huey, Dewey, and Louie. (Louie is accidentally lost during the storm of Saturn's ring) With no more human contact, Lowell's glitchy behavior slowly descends into madness.
It's this major part of the film that intrigues me so. Lowell's decay is slow, but with pointedly increasing markers leading his way to full insanity. The ending is surprising but appropriate. It's said to be difficult for an actor to single handedly carry a show, but Dern manages quite impressively. The special effects are of course a bit cheesy, but while the robots are not high-tech they certainly are adorable and fill their roles in the plot nicely. Unfortunately, there are also a couple of very cheesy Joan Baez "nature" songs in the movie, you'll want to plug your ears or hit mute for those, unless you actually like the 70's "hippie-pop".
'Silent Running' is a must-see Classic SciFi film, even if it's somewhat outdated. It's not the best movie you'll ever watch but if you're a lover of SciFi you should treat yourself to some of the breakthroughs made in the SciFi film industry, 'Silent Running' being a part of that phenomenon. It's also a highly interesting study of the human condition, and how we are designed to be a "herd" mammal rather than loners. Rent first. Enjoy!
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