Silent Running (DVD 2001)

Maybe one of the most moving things about this film is the fact that the drones (small droids) give such powerful performances without ever being able to utter a word. Maybe a "nod" in some ways to the days of the silent movie. The environmental message is as powerful today as it was in 1972.

An extremely good yet brief film that I felt I had to comment upon it. Enjoyed the hippy theme tune as well just because it fitted right in. These types of film are rare but precious. I remember watching this as a child and it had an impact on me then so I thought I should revisit the piece 20 years later. Absolutely not disappointed.

its a great all round family film. The story line is easy to follow and unlike some films no bad languge. It also shows how one person can have a relationship with a computor which is able to show its feeling to a human as well as its other computor robots. I have seen this film so many times and still enjoy watching it today as i did then back in the 70's

I bought this 'cos my sister loved the film when we were kids. I purchased it for one of her birthday presents....Apparently the robots were cute. Though, to me it looked like John McEnroe with a vacuum cleaner!!

This is one of my favorite movies of all-time, and I could not wait to own a copy.
SILENT RUNNING was made in the wake of both 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) and EASY RIDER (1969), but never really got the attention it deserved, being overshadowed by these movies!

However, this film is a visual treat, featuring marvelous if unpretentious special effects, though Trumbull manages to keep the technology very believable and well constructed – it is all so simple but still very impressive (even more so in view of the budget – see ‘noteworthy facts’ below).
Bruce Dern is suitably cast as the film's eco-friendly hero. And the movie has some of the best music ever sang by the legendary Folk singer Joan Baez's.

The story is about astronauts onboard the craft ‘Valley Forge’ which is craft designed to carry some of the last remaining fastest of Earth. Earth itself has become a plant-less, tree-less concrete jungle, which we never see.
The four astronauts about the craft get the order to terminate the project and to return to Earth, and which point Bruce Dern’s character losses the plot, and in a rage kills his colleagues and flees with the ship across the universe!
His only companions are the robotic maintenance ‘drones’ who he reprograms and gives almost human qualities. They contribute some of the most amusing part of the move and some of the most touching interplay with Dern’s character. It is obvious to anyone who has seen the movie that Huey and Dewey were BIG influence on later movie makers, such as George Lucas, who took the idea and came-up with C-3P0 and R2-D2 ( STAR WARS).

The ending of the movie is just genius! And without wanting to give it away – I can tell you that it has to be one of the most original (and fitting) visions of humanities future, if we continue on the path we have started.

I really can not recommend this movie enough – it is probably one of the best science fictions ever made. It may not have the budget or effects of some of the more commercially successful movies to date, but like the original Wicker Man or the original Halloween – it goes to prove that you do not need a BIG budget to tell a good story!

*******Noteworthy Facts*******
Some interesting and noteworthy facts about the movie - Director Douglas Trumbull claims that he learned how to be a director while working on this film, as he had no training or experience in the job… It was Filmed in February and March of 1971 on a 32-day-schedule… To keep costs down, Trumbull hired college students for modelmaking and other such special effects work. One of them, John Dykstra, went on to a distinguished special effects career of his own… And the model of the "Valley Forge" space freighter was 26 feet in length and was constructed of steel, wood, plastic, and over 650 army tank model kits. This model no longer exists, as it was disassembled and destroyed several years after filming. At least one original "dome" from the model has survived in good condition, and was offered on an Internet auction site in 2003 - it sold for $11,000, and currently rests in a science fiction museum in Seattle, Washington, USA.

This is now showing its age by the special effects.
But it was way ahead of its time when it came out with its "green" message.
As stated by others, the best bits are the robots.
Probably a bit slow for little ones to keep their attention.

THIS IS THE SWEETEST FILM EVER!!!! THE LITTLE MAINTENANCE ROBOTS HEWEY AND DEWEY ARE WONDERFUL, I WANT ONE!!!!!!!!
GREAT FILM, I JUST LOVE IT. IT TOOK ME 17 YEARS TO FIND THIS, I HAD FORGOTTON THE TITLE OF THE FILM, EVENTUALLY FOUND IT, YIPEE.