Rating: 
Summary: A Bold Attempt with Fatal Touches
Review: I must say I actually applauded Douglas Trumball for making this film, and upon it's release, it made an impact with audiences, but I never cared for it as entertainment or as serious science fiction. Today, the short-lived "ecology movement", green flags and all, is long gone, and this film is now is a seriously dated curio of it's time. There are some terrific things to be said about this film... and there are some intelligent reviews of it that I agree with... however there are some fatal touches that make this a dated piece, and that make it difficult to watch today. First of all, Bruce Dern's unappealing character is a stereotypical "hippie". He is a classic "passive-agressive" person... at one moment "loving and peaceful" and the next minute he is angry, pissed off, not in control of his emotions. He is certainly difficult for me to empathize with, since he reminds me of many "do-gooders" I have known who are unpredictable and untrustworthy and have a "hidden agenda" besides "peace and love". Dern plays this part to perfection, but its not something comfortable to watch for 2 hours. I have seen this film 2 or 3 times and each time I just wanted a chance to stuff something in his mouth to shut him up. Secondly, the soundtrack of Joan Baez singing her folk tunes in space is just too limited for the scope of the visuals and destroys the impact of the powerful message the film tries to convey about "saving the planet". Her passive, slightly off-key and limited-ranged vocals do not marry well to the scenes of space, stars, planets and infinity. It does not work on any level... either then or now. Finally, the most fatal flaw of this film is that as the plants begin to die... our hero panics and says he has no clue why. Forgetting about the space ship leaving the solar system and the gigantic glass domes leaving solar rays, he suddenly "realizes" that plants need SUN. What kind of ecological genius is this guy? Well, the robots are clever and cute, the sets are impressive, the early scenes with the "friendly" plants are nice and the special effects are first rate for their day.... and we get to see Saturn's rings in the movies for the first time looking relatively authentic. It's certainly not as bad as a few reviewers have said, and sci-fi fans should see it, but there are far better sci-fi films out there.... and better ones that deal with the rape of our ecosystem.
Rating: 
Summary: Douglas Trumbull's Underappreciated SF Classic
Review: On an overtechnologized and defoliated Earth of the future, the ecosystem has been carelessly destroyed by humans and the only remaining wilderness environs are grudgingly looked after by astronauts on massive domed spaceships. The vitamins, minerals, and such required to sustain human life can be easily synthesized in laboratories, so the folks on Earth are becoming increasingly apathetic about the need to sustain the circumgyrating greenhouses. When the inevitable order to scrap the project and destroy the orbiting flora and fauna finally comes through, Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern), the only astronaut in the project who truly cares about the plants and animals, violently rebels and places upon himself the responsibility of protecting the last vestiges of Earth's non-human life. But just how far will he go to ensure that he's successful in his self-imposed calling? 1972's SILENT RUNNING marks the directorial debut of FX wizard Douglas Trumbull, probably best known for his FX work on Stanley Kubrick's 1968 sci-fi epic 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. Though the skeleton was given flesh by writers Deric Washburn , Michael Cimino, and Steven Bochco, the underlying structure of the plot is Trumbull's. In light of his work with Kubrick, it is interesting that Trumbull would come up with an idea such as that for SILENT RUNNING, as it makes it seem as if he felt that the only way he could demonstrate that he is more than just an FX man was to create a film that is the thematic opposite of the one featuring his best known FX work. Kubrik's opus tells a story that celebrates mankind's intellectual evolution and subsequent technological advancements, whereas Trumbull's brainchild embraces the ideals of 1960's counter-culture ecology movement and implies that technological advancement is conducted irresponsibly and consequently pollutes the environment and wrecks the Earth. The plot of SILENT RUNNING is a bit slow at times, but the film is never dull or boring. And in the role of the good-intentioned but increasingly psychotic Lowell, Dern turns in one of his most intense and most memorable performances. Due to its anti-technology and pro-environmentalist theme, however, many critics have panned SILENT RUNNING as a '60s throwback in which Trumbull tries to milk emotions from the last vestiges of the pro-ecology hippies, often citing the fact that '60s folk singer Joan Baez performs some of the film's music as proof of their theory. But this is really an unfair evaluation. Environmentalist themes have been a long tradition in science fiction, with a future dystopia used to illustrate what might happen if present society continues being ecologically apathetic. And SILENT RUNNING isn't the only classic SF film from the '70s built around such a theme. Other SF films of the era also express concern about man's effect on nature--NO BLADE OF GRASS (1970), Z.P.G. (1972), SOYLENT GREEN (1973), and PROPHECY (1979) to name just a few. So it's more likely that Trumbull, a science-fiction fan himself, simply chose a traditional SF theme that appealed to his own ideals and tastes. The DVD from Universal offers a good digital transfer of the film in anamorphic widescreen. Also included are some pretty cool bonus features, not the least of which are the original made-for-tv featurette on the making of the film and an interesting feature commentary with Trumbull and Dern. No true fans of SF will want to miss the opportunity to include this film in their DVD collections.
Rating:
Summary: AN IMPORTANT LITTLE BIG MOVIE
Review: I first saw this film with my Dad in its initial release, and, I admit, I was too young to fully understand what it was trying to say. Now that I have reached some small degree of age and experience, I can view SILENT RUNNING with a fresh eye. It still sends out its very strong message about treasuring what is good and beautiful in this world, as it too easily slips away. The little drones do indeed steal the show, and are still my Dad's favorite characters. But I now can appreciate the performance of Bruce Dern, who up until that time had spent his career playing heavies and psychopaths. Granted, there is more than a bit of the fanatic about the Freeman character; otherwise, he would not have been so motivated to save at any cost what remained of the Earth's forests. What I now appreciate more is the gentle touch of the character: I believe it is no accident that when we first encounter him, he is wearing a white, Christ-like robe. He establishes his rapport with all the beasts in his care in a very fatherly way. The way the film opens is very important to the viewer's understanding of what this movie wants to say, and it's underscored by one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever designed for film. It's notable that this is the only score ever written by Peter Schickele, nee P.D.Q. Bach. His opening theme, vocalised later in the first reel by Joan Baez, is heartbreaking.
I still believe that SILENT RUNNING is an important little movie, hiding inside a big Hollywood science fiction epic. Don't view this expecting space battles and alien invaders: this film is about what may happen if we ignore all that is most important around us in favor of everyday trivia.
Bruce, it's one of your very best. Be proud.
Rating: 
Summary: Silent Running
Review: I viewed the movie during it's initial release. It was about 4 years since 2001 and Douglas Trumbull handled FX for both. I believe Silent Running was Trumbull's first directorial job. Great visual detail, muscial score and a fine performance by Bruce Dern. I gave it only 3 stars because of the relative weakness of the script.
Rating: 
Summary: Probably one of the worst movie ever made
Review: I'm truly amazed by the positive reviews this sorry excuse of a movie seems to get from some people. Guys, have we seen the same movie ?
The storyline jumps from one implausible turn to another. Some details beat world records of utter stupidity. The acting is lame (though you really can't blame actors when they are provided with such substandard material to work with). The whole thing is incredibly corny and ludicrous.
And incredibly boring.. unless you decide to "make fun" of it in which case I admit this movie offers almost endless possibilities
But seriously, don't waste your money on that movie, you'll only regret it.
Trust me on this one.
Frenchval
P.S. : one detail I cannot resist to tell :
when ordering to jettison the greenhouses, the higher authority insists that once this is done, the greenhouses must be destroyed with..atomic bombs !
(which, of course, are provided in vast quantities in the standard ordnance of "greenhouse spaceship"..)
Just in case plants, trees, flowers and cute little rabbits might survive on their own in deep space, I suppose..
This, I hope, will give you an idea of how grotesque this movie can be, and I guarantee you, there are loads of things just as incredibly ridiculous all along the storyline.
Rating:
Summary: Silent Running- almost a cult classic
Review: No, it probably won't be remembered as well as 2001: A Space Odessey or Planet of the Apes, but Silent Running deserves a closer look. Silent Running was one of the first movies to present space as a commercial venture. Indeed, if you pause some of the ATV sequences in the cargo bay of Valley Forge, you will see names like Coca Cola, Dow, and Celestron Pacific. When he observes Earth you will notice he is using a Celestron 8 telescope, a popular scope when this movie was made.
The movie did not accurately predict what we would have at the turn of the century (we're still struggling with unmanned probes in the outer Solar System) although computers are actually more advanced than those in the movie. One prediction, though, may well be true: Successful ventures into the outer Solar System probably will require at least some backing from business.
Despite the fact that we now live in a time past the original setting for the movie, it is an enjoyable film well worth owning.
Rating:
Summary: Silent Running
Review: After reading many of the review's that people have given, I come to one conclusion! Sometimes a 5 cent cigar is just a 5 cent cigar. I have seen this movie several times, it was never meant to be a 'classic' or anything other then what it is (was), a movie to entertain for that time. I had more than a passing interest in seeing the movie. The set used to make it was a old U.S. Navy ship by the name of the USS Valley Forge. In 1969, while traveling in convoy to Hawaii with many other ships, mine included, it ran into another ship, mine. So, I do remember it well.
Being a Sci-Fi fan (nut), I really enjoyed this film, as I do many others, but please, when you watch this movie, DO NOT compare it by today's standards. It was a good movie for it's time, yes, flawed and dated, but still fun to watch and remember.
Rating:
Summary: 70's Sci-Fi Somewhat Dated
Review: I first saw this film at a repertory movie house in the early eighties and enjoyed it immensely. Seeing it again for the first time in over twenty years my enthusiasm for "Silent Running" has waned some. On the positive side, Bruce Dern, one of my favorite actors from the seventies, gives a compelling performance as Freeman Lowell, a botanist aboard a commercial space mission to preserve what remains of Earth's forest life. The special effects, even some thirty years later, are still impressive. My problem is the basic message of the film. Are we to take the actions of Lowell to preserve the forest as the act of a sociopath or are they perfectly acceptable given the circumstances? The movie is not clear to me which position it takes. This film was made in 1971 and the conservation movement, radical or otherwise, may not have been averse to prescribing murder as a means of preserving the ecology. One of the characters in the movie, which I'm assuming takes place at the turn of our current century, states that everybody on Earth is content and the ecology is the least of anybody's concerns. Did this film predict the current attitudes about the ecology(though we are far from content)? On a final note look for a young Ron Rifkin (a.k.a Arvin Sloane from T.V.'s "Alias) as one of the doomed crew members.
Rating: 
Summary: A nightmare and a dream
Review: Bruce Dern is an intense, often under-rated actor and, in SILENT RUNNING, we see his best performance, I believe. SILENT RUNNING tells the story of the Valley Forge, a huge spaceship holding the last precious vestiges of Earth's forest. Earth has succumbed to over-population and ecological disinterest, to become one large city. The Valley Forge was given the mission of saving and preserving what little remains of Earth's forest, but most of her crew does not believe in their mission, but simply wants to return to Earth. Dern's character, however, believes in their mission passionately. He makes some hard choices, and then must live with the consequences.
This film is visually stunning, eerie, and deeply passionate and melancholy. It is memorable and beautiful, almost on a par with 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, but with more heart.
Rating:
Summary: silent running
Review: this movie was a big let down. first off is the bad acting by the lead character that kills the crew and is left alone on a star ship. the poor attempt at conveying the lonlyness and cabin fever by interaction with the drone droids leaves you without the real grip of this state of mind. a movie that could have had alot more potential really flops with a boaring plot and mind numbing acting.
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