Silent Running Reviews

Strangely Moving

This is a great movie. It echoes in a way the ecological dilemma facing us today. The music by Joan Baez is strangely appropriate. It looks a bit 1960's, but still that goes to show that even then this was an important debate. Bruce Derns' gentle character is harrassed by his crass shipmates, their attitude echoing the uncaring attitiude of some of 'big business', quite prepared to sacrefice the environment in search of the big bucks. Also making an appearence are three mechanical helpers who pre-date C3PO and R2D2, yet possess more 'character'! Even if you don't like sci-fi this story doesn't depend on gadgets for its success! Its moving and beautiful and poetic!

5 years before Star Wars

You need to watch this film bearing in mind it came 5 years before Star Wars and 8 years before Close Encounters. Dern is at career best as Freeman Lowell, the space gardener and his little robots Huey, Dewi and Louis are fantastic. The Joan Baez soundtrack dates it but can certainly not be labelled bland. Think how less interesting McCabe and Mrs Miller would have been without the Leonard Cohen tunes.

Influenced a generation of directors.

This film will not be to everyones tastes. The acting isn't bad, but it isn't subtle either and the pace is slow. That said, for one man to command the screen for 90% of a movie is some task. Tom Hanks is one of the few others I can think of that have done it as well as this.

Silent Running's influences can be seen on film and TV even now. Everything from Star Wars through Alien to Red Dwarf. You have to appreciate its originality, even if you can't appreciate the hippy soundtrack.

Another interesting aspect is the conservation argument based on how beautiful the flora and fauna is. This predates our wider understanding of needing to preserve the environment for the long term survival of our species. 'The forests are beautiful' is enough reason for Lowell to protect them. He doesn't mention that we couldn't survive in the long term without them.

Not a film for the short attention span generation. You might enjoy it on a rainy Sunday afternoon if your over 30.

If your a student of cinema, watch it. It's an important film.

Silent Running: Wholly Hoary Homily

I watched Silent Running on Mark Kermode’s recommendation. But I’m afraid the good doctor has got it wrong here. The lead (Bruce Dern) looks, annoyingly, like a cross between Henry ‘Fonz’ Winkler and Ruud Van Nistelrooy. This does not make him a bad actor. Bad acting does that. Overacting, specifically. And the character’s inability to figure out the problem with his plants makes him the universe’s stupidest horticulturist. Joan Baez’s frequent squawking intrusions will have you reaching for the ‘mute’ button, or praying for deafness: the music is just awful. The whole film is too unsubtly didactic: it feels like receiving a very, very long dressing down from several inebriated, lobotomized, finger-wagging flower children. Squawk, squawk, squawk.

Admittedly, this is an influential film, with its ideas reflected in works from Star Wars to Red Dwarf to Danny Boyle’s Sunshine. But if you aren’t much interested in tracing rhizomatous influences through the history of TV and film, then save your time and money, and watch the far superior WALL-E instead. WALL-E packs a more powerful environmentalist punch, and yet retains a greater degree of charm and subtlety. And you won’t have to worry that the set might collapse, or squirm at the thought of Dern going to the toilet in that clingy jumpsuit.

If you can keep in mind the fact that Silent Running was made in 1972, then you may well be able to think more highly of it. But making such allowances for a film usually doesn’t amount to a satisfying aesthetic experience. It feels a bit condescending. As a work of art – even as an environmentalist morality tale – this film has not stood the test of time.

Probably too late already!

This thought provoking and very relevant sci-fi may be showing it's age in terms of special effects and creaky dialogue, but it's bang up to date with the earth's current problems. The squandering of finite resources, the destruction of our remaining natural habitat, and the problems we are storing up for the next generation will all come sharply into focus when you think about the message in this film. It's moving and well crafted, and a scenario I could see us driven to unless we are very careful. Bruce Dern gives a good performance and I would quite like to live in a dome myself.

Recommended for the important message it contains.

A bit dated now

Movie is just too dated. I bit like watching an episode of Space 1999.

Influenced a generation of directors.

This film will not be to everyones tastes. The acting isn't bad, but it isn't subtle either and the pace is slow. That said, for one man to command the screen for 90% of a movie is some task. Tom Hanks is one of the few others I can think of that have done it as well as this.

Silent Running's influence can be seen on film and TV from the seventies right through to today. Everything from Star Wars through Alien to Red Dwarf. You have to appreciate its originality, even if you can't appreciate the hippy soundtrack.

Another interesting aspect is the conservation argument based on how beautiful the flora and fauna is. This predates our wider understanding of needing to preserve the environment for the long term survival of our species. 'The forests are beautiful' is enough reason for Lowell to protect them. He doesn't mention that we couldn't exist in the long term without them.

Not a film for the short attention span generation. You might enjoy it on a rainy Sunday afternoon if your over 30.

If your a student of cinema, watch it. It's an important film.

Good One

I remember watching this film as a child and beleive it or not it made me cry!

This time though it didn't but the heart strings still got tugged, the little droids are so cute!

[Highly rated reviewer]

Admirable message poorly executed

sn't it amazing how some things don't stand the test of time while others you question why it's ever been suggested that they do. I hadn't seen this in a long time (nearly twenty years at a guess) but had fond memories of a wonderfully moving film about a man trying to save the last fauna from earth. My memory is worse than i thought it was. Instead of being treated to another moment of eyes watering over I was cringing with embarrassment about a film that wears its heart on its sleeve and then some. Had the subject matter not been what it was I'm sure that this film would have been deforested from the public's mind a long time ago. The passion and desire of a man trying to save the beauty of trees and the emotional attachment to his only 'true' friends, Huey, Lewey and Dewey became what happens when over emotional hippies are let loose with cinema. An extra point for the idealism and message trying to be put across.

Stands up well for a 30 year old sci-fi film

I haven't seen this film for at least 10 years. It was as good as I remembered and doesn't look too dated for a 30 year old sci-fi film. One of Beruce Dern's best roles. Well worth seeing again if like me you haven't seen it recently.