In a grim future, Earth is so overdeveloped plants can no longer survive. Giant greenhouses in orbit carry samples of Earth's dying forests. When the government decides they are too expensive to maintain, one committed crew member will stop at nothing to save them. Screenplay by Steven Bochco and Michael Cimino. Music by Peter "PDQ Bach" Schickele.
Plant-loving botanist Freeman Lowell happily carries out his duties on the spaceship Valley Forge, a giant orbiting greenhouse which contains the last remaining samples of flora from a now-barren Earth. When Lowell is ordered to destroy his cargo and return home, he mutinies, kills his more obedient shipmates, and sets out for the far reaches of space with his robot companions Huey and Dewey in tow.
Theatrical Release: March 10, 1972.
"Silent Running" marked the directorial debut of special-effects expert Douglas Trumbull, who worked with Stanley Kubrick on "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968).
Mark Persons, Steven Brown, Cheryl Sparks, and Larry Whisenhunt played Huey and Dewey, Freeman Lowell's robot companions. All four are bilateral amputees making their acting debuts.
DVD Features:
Region 1
Snap Case
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Letterbox - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 2.0 - English
Dolby Digital 2.0 - French
Dolby Digital 2.0 - Spanish
Additional Release Material:
Documentary: "Douglas Trumbell: Then and Now"
Audio Commentary: Douglas Trumbell - Director, Bruce Dern - Star
Making Of:
1. "The Original Making-of Featurette"
2. "The Making of Silent Running"
Interactive Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Text/Photo Galleries:
Stills/Photos: "The Making of the Film illustrated with Behind-the-Scenes Photographs"
Director of Photography
Charles F. Wheeler: American Diretor of Photography
Review 1:
4 stars out of 5 -- "It's a strange mix of naive and sophisticated and breaks all sorts of storytelling rules, but should be seen for its big heart, innovative effects and outstanding central performance."
Source: Empire
p.207 12/01/2008
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