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Silent Running (1972)

GP  |   |  Drama, Sci-Fi  |  10 March 1972 (USA)
6.7
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Ratings: 6.7/10 from 19,296 users  
Reviews: 198 user | 85 critic

In a future where all flora is extinct on Earth, an astronaut is given orders to destroy the last of Earth's botany, kept in a greenhouse aboard a spacecraft.

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, (as Mike Cimino) , 1 more credit »
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Title: Silent Running (1972)

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
...
...
John Keenan
...
Marty Barker
...
Andy Wolf
Mark Persons ...
Drone
Steven Brown ...
Drone
Cheryl Sparks ...
Drone
Larry Whisenhunt ...
Drone
Edit

Storyline

In a future Earth barren of all flora and fauna, the planet's ecosystems exist only in large pods attached to spacecraft. When word comes in that the pods are to be jettisoned into space and destroyed, most of the crew of the Valley Forge rejoice at the prospect of going home. Not so for botanist Freeman Lowell who loves the forest and its creatures. He kills his colleagues taking the ship deep into space. Alone on the craft with his only companions being three small robots, Lowell revels in joys of nature. When colleagues appear to "rescue" him, he realizes he has only one option available to him. Written by garykmcd

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Earth's last battle will be fought in space. See more »

Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

Certificate:

GP | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

10 March 1972 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Running Silent  »

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

ESP 21,077,972 (Spain)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(70 mm prints)| (35 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

After the success of Easy Rider (1969), Universal Studios hit upon the idea to let young filmmakers make "semi-independent" films for low budgets in hopes of generating similar profits. The idea was to make five movies for low budgets (one million dollars or less), not interfere in the filmmaking process, and give the directors final cut. The movies were: this movie, The Hired Hand (1971), The Last Movie (1971), Taking Off (1971) and American Graffiti (1973) See more »

Goofs

When Lowell is playing pool, the robot is dropping the balls into the center pocket. There are two small air lines connected to the ball gripper. The camera cuts to a wider shot and you can see the robot has set the ball gripper on the table. The airlines have somehow disconnected themselves. It picks up the nine ball rack with its main gripper and drops it off on the table. It then picks up the ball gripper. There are no air lines connected to the ball gripper at this moment. The movie briefly cuts back to Lowell whilst the robot retrieves the first ball. When it returns, you can clearly see the air lines have been reconnected to the ball gripper. See more »

Quotes

Freeman Lowell: [Lowell and the drones are playing poker; he looks smugly at his cards] All right, Huey. What have you got?
[Huey plays a winning hand. Lowell starts laughing]
Freeman Lowell: He had a full house and he knew it! Now how about that? He had a full house and he knew it!
[Maniacal laughter]
Freeman Lowell: Huey and Dewey...
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (2010) See more »

Soundtracks

Silent Running
Lyrics by Diane Lampert
Music by Peter Schickele
Sung by Joan Baez
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Unique and memorable science-fiction classic
8 February 2002 | by (Switzerland) – See all my reviews

Sometime in the future all the forests on Earth have been destroyed. The last forests are transported in giant greenhouses aboard space ships near the planet Saturn. Freeman Lowell, crew member of the space vessel Valley Forge, is an outsider and the only one who cares about what is left of our planet's nature. When orders reach their vessel to destroy the forests, he goes mad. He kills off the other crew members and starts a lonely odyssey...

There's something to be learnt in this movie. More than 30 years old now, it stands the test of time with its message, as mankind is still working on what possibly could end in a scenario like this. Bruce Dern may be overacting in some scenes, but his character is still much more likeable than his crew comrades. Scenery and music are beautiful, fitting well to the dark, moving and unique story. And this is the movie that made "Star Wars" possible. Director Douglas Trumbull and other SFX masters like John Dykstra and Richard Yuricich were chosen to work on "Star Wars" because of the state-of-the-arts special effects they did for "Silent Running". In 1971, they were ahead of their time. In fact, they are easily as good as today's CGI effects, but much more memorable for their time. Even the droids that help Lowell are predecessors of the ones in "Star Wars"... A must-see movie for SF fans and everybody interested in Hollywood classics.


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This is a bad movie. zee944
I can't believe so many people take this movie so seriously craig-809
Avatar or Silent Running? fortean2
I didn't see our lead as the hero fontroy5
Off the Wall Question JimSpy
Douglas Trumbull and Industrial Light and Magic 2004RedSox
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