1972’s Silent Running delivered an important sci fi film with a poignant environmental statement, though it has since seemed to fade into obscurity.
What Is It?
The Earth has suffered from ecological disasters, which has resulted in the only surviving plant life being sent into space on large domed freighters to be preserved for future reforestation. Botanist Freeman Lowell is one of the crew members aboard the freighter Valley Forge, and he is responsible for maintaining the forests in the domes attached to the ship. However, word comes that the domes are to be jettisoned and the freighters returned to service. Lowell will not tolerate this, and he stands in the way of the other three crew members carrying out their orders—eventually killing them to protect the forests. He then changes course to escape from the other freighters, which have complied with their orders, and heads to the dark side of Saturn. Once there, he programs the ship’s worker “drones” (early R2-D2 prototypes) to provide companionship and help maintain the forests.
Cast: Bruce Dern, Cliff Pott, Ron Rifkin, Jesse Vint
Crew: Douglas Trumbull (Director/Executive Producer), Deric Washburn (Writer), Michael Cimino (Writer), Steven Bochco (Writer)
Original Release: 1972
Legacy:
Though somewhat preachy, Silent Running delivers a good science fiction tale for the big screen with excellent (for the time) special effects that’s engaging, moving, and at times even poetic.
A Closer Look:
This film came to us from Douglas Trumbull, who worked on the SFX for 2001: A Space Odyssey, and it has a similar look and feel to that movie. It presents a rather introspective story that unfolds slowly, demands the viewer’s attention and patience, and rewards that with a rather poignant narrative. In fact, the script even includes an assist from a young Steven Bochco, who would later become a television mogul, creating such shows as Hill Street Blues and L.A. Law. It hit theaters at a time when studios were starting to take science fiction more seriously, with 2001 and Planet of the Apes becoming major contenders in 1968, followed by other notable genre entries such as Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) and The Andromeda Strain (1971). These were intelligent sci-fi films that took their subject matter to heart and often had a budget that matched their ambition.
But for Silent Running, the movie lives and dies on the performance of Bruce Dern, as few other actors could have brought the flawed Lowell to life as well as he did. He is not truly psychotic, but he has a passionate love for the forests that outweighs his respect for human life—especially the poor examples of the species represented by his crewmates. He has a single-minded drive to ensure that the forests survive, which perhaps represents the only way ecological matters can ever triumph in the face of more short-sighted, selfish pursuits. What’s more, Dern’s portrayal has viewers rooting for the forests over the other humans.
Like 2001, Silent Running offers a realistic and more serious (though much less optimistic) take on the future of humanity as well as space travel. However, the movie stumbles with two serious flaws that are hard to overlook. First: why would they have put the forests in orbit near Saturn instead of closer to the Sun where they could get plenty of light? Now, perhaps you can chalk this up to the dismissive attitudes of the human race that caused the extinction of plant life in the first place, but that seems like a stretch. The second major flaw is the fact that it took Lowell—a devoted, almost fanatical botanist—so long to figure out why the forest was dying while it was on the far side of Saturn. No sunlight, Lowell! I believe you learn that in Botany 101?!? This latter flaw, though, may have arisen from Trumbull’s original premise, where Lowell was not a botanist, just another crew member. Still, it would have been nice if they had addressed these two inconsistencies better.
In any case, Silent Running is a rare attempt at intelligent science fiction at a time when examples of the genre were in short supply on the big screen (and television too, for that matter), and it still holds up pretty well when viewed today (the musical interludes by Joan Baez not so much, though). Despite its flaws—and its occasionally overly sanctimonious tone—it still presents an engaging tale with a lyrical quality that exemplifies a type of storytelling that has long since been lost among the CGI-bloatbusters that more often represent the genre today.
Why Was There No Sequel?
Silent Running was not a hit at the box office. It cost $1,350,000 to produce according to the “Making of” documentary on the DVD release, and while that did not count it as a big-budget film, it was a decent chunk of change to spend on a genre entry at that time. The film did not make back its budget on its initial release, though it did at least receive some accolades. And it was not really designed for a sequel, as continuing a film (even one that proved successful) was not just assumed at that time. So even if Silent Running had done well at the box office, it seems unlikely that a second movie would have followed.
Should It Be Rebooted?
Some could argue that Silent Running is a good sci-fi film trapped in the aesthetic and sensibilities of its era, and that a reboot could unlock some of its unrealized potential. But I believe it is best to leave this one alone. It delivers a poignant ecological message from a time when we were just starting to assume responsibility for the planet we live on. And while it can be idyllic and naive at times, that is part of its charm. Despite the film’s flaws, its lyrical quality remains apparent and would be hard to reproduce in the current Hollywood environment. Plus, the SFX from Douglas Trumbull are an excellent example of practical effects and make the film that much more endearing in its original form.
Interesting Facts:
The three drones were played by four bilateral amputees and the suits were custom-tailored for the actors. Douglas Trumbull gave his blessing to George Lucas when he expressed his interest in creating his “Droids” which would be similar to the drones. 20th Century Fox later sued Universal claiming Battlestar Galactica (1978) was a ripoff of the first Star Wars film, Universal countersued and claimed that parts of Star Wars were a ripoff of Silent Running.
The Valley Forge and other ships were built with a combination of custom castings and the contents of approximately 800 prefabricated model-aircraft or tank kits. John Dykstra was in college at the time and was hired to work on the ships, and he later became a big name in special effects, working on Star Wars, Battlestar: Galactica, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and more. The Valley Forge showed up in the original BSG series as the agricultural ship in the “ragtag” fleet.
Where Can You Watch It?
The movie is available on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD. You rent or purchase it VOD, but it is not streaming on any of the major services at the moment.
Stream or Purchase VOD
