Silent Running (DVD)

"On this first day of a new century we humbly beg forgiveness and dedicate these last forests of our once beautiful nation to the hope that they will one day return and grace our foul earth. Until that day may God bless these gardens and the brave men who care for them." Silent Running is a 1972 ecological science fiction film directed by Douglas Trumbull and starring Bruce Dern. The film is set in space in a nightmarish future where all plant life and forests on an overpopulated and ravaged Earth are extinct. Dern plays Freeman Lowell, a botanist aboard the 'Valley Forge', a huge spaceship which contains the last specimens of Earth's plant life in ...  Read the complete review

'Silent Running' is a science fiction film, originally released in 1972. It tells the story of Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern - Last Man Standing, The Astronaut Farmer), a botanist aboard the space ship Valley Forge. The Valley Forge is part of a fleet with an awesome responsibility - in a collection of bio-domes they carry and protect the last plant and tree life from Earth. Each dome houses a unique and irreplaceable ecosystem, tended diligently by a botanist, while the ships themselves are tended by a small group of engineers and robotic drones. The decision is radioed to the fleet that all bio-domes are to be destroyed and the ships returned to Earth. ...  Read the complete review

Bruce Dern spent the 1960s playing bad guys against Kirk Douglas; here he gets the lead role, and just about the only speaking part. In the far future the only terran vegitation still in existence is aboard a fleet of orbital space-ships. Dern and his 3 crewmates run one such ship. The government decides that keeping plants alive is a waste of resources, and orders the crew to jetison their cargo. Dern mutinies, murders his comrades and sets course for ... well, away. That is about everythin interesting that happens - this is a very lacklustre film. Most of it is the psychologically unhinged Dern ordering around a trio of cute robots [which may have ...  Read the complete review

This film has to be one of my all time favourite SF films. Yes there are many other films which have bigger budgets, better effects and definitely better acting, but this is a classic. Based on the idea that the earth is destroying itself and all its plant and animal life, a spaceship is sent – guess where, into space with huge greenhouse spheres containing different aspects of Earths flora and forna. A group of scientists and robot helpers are there to ensure all the animals are cared for and all the trees and plants watered etc. After a while they get a message from Earth telling them to abort the mission. All the crew except one, played by ...  Read the complete review

Silent running was one of the first truly excellent space movies ever made. Starring the great Bruce Dern, the story tells us of a time in the future where the last remnants of a natural earth are housed in great "warehouse pods" attached to a huge spacecraft. Derns job is to nurture and grow all sorts of plant life and animals in these pods,he is ably assisted by three service robots, huey, duey and louie and a crew of like minded scientists,(or so he thought). A message reaches them from earth telling them to abort the mission and jettison the pods, before returning to earth. The rest of the crew are jubilant at the news,unfortunately for them ...  Read the complete review