Today, Silent Running. One of the most influential and innovative visual effects artists in film history, Douglas Trumbull – who left us last year – rose to prominence with Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). At the start of the 1970’s, he worked on the visual effects for Robert Wise’s adaptation of Michael Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain (1971). That same year, he was given the opportunity to expand his resume by assuming the reins of an ambitious science fiction project with only a fraction of 2001‘s budget, Silent Running. Previously released on DVD and Blu-ray by Universal and on a special edition Blu-ray by Arrow a couple of years ago, Arrow has revisited the film and given it a brand new UHD Blu-ray release for the movie’s 50th anniversary.
The Production: 4/5
In the future, plant life on Earth is non-existent; the surviving specimens are cared for in greenhouse like domes on spaceship carriers. When the crew of one of these carriers, the Valley Forge, is ordered to destroy the domes and return home, the ship’s botanist, Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern), rebels and hijacks the ship with the last remaining dome. Piloting the ship beyond the rings of Saturn, Lowell, along with the ship’s three service robots, desperately tries to preserve the last remaining piece of Earth’s floral beauty.
Now considered one of the best science fiction movies of the 1970’s, Silent Running transcends its low budget roots. As one of the handful of movies Universal commissioned to be made for one million dollars and to highlight up and coming talent behind the camera, the movie leans in on the trend of ecologically conscious sci-fi movies cropping up in theaters during the era. Douglas Trumbull – making his directorial debut here – calls upon his special effects work and has created one of the most stunning visual effects of the genre in the decade here; a feat all the more impressive considering the limited budget he had to work with. The one soft spot here is that the script – penned by Deric Washburn, Michael Cimino and Steven Bochco – doesn’t fully capitalize on all the possibilities it yearns to reach for; however, that can be forgiven due to the strong central performance of Bruce Dern – given one of his few opportunities to shine in a leading part – and solid support from co-stars Ron Rifkin, Jesse Vint and Cliff Potts (special mention should go to the actors Mark Persons, Cheryl Sparks, Steven Brown and Larry Whisenhunt – all bilateral amputees – for playing the Valley Forge drones Huey, Dewey and Louie) and uncredited vocal contributions from Joseph Campanella (as the captain of the Berkshire) and Roy Engel (as Anderson). Having touched those who first saw it during its initial release, Silent Running has become a cult favorite, and its message has only become more relevant in the 50 years since its release.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
The movie is presented in its original 1:85:1 aspect ratio, taken from a brand new 4K restoration of the original camera negative and presented in Dolby Vision (compatible in HDR10). Film grain, color palette, skin tones and fine details appear to be faithfully represented with only minor cases of scratches, tears, dirt or nicks present. This release is likely the best the movie will ever look on home video, easily surpassing Universal’s previous DVD and Blu-ray releases while building upon Arrow’s own solid work on the 2020 Blu-ray release.
Audio: 5/5
The film’s original mono soundtrack is presented on a PCM track for this release. Dialogue, sound mix and Peter Schickele’s music score (with two accompanying songs sung by Joan Baez) are all presented with faithfulness and clarity with only minor cases of distortion, flutter, hissing, popping or crackling present. Again, this release is likely the best the movie will ever sound on home video and surpassing all previous home video releases save for the 2020 Arrow Blu-ray, which had solid audio to begin with.
Special Features: 4.5/5
Commentary by critics Kim Newman & Barry Forshaw –Â Recorded for Arrow’s 2020 Blu-ray release, Newman and Forshaw go over the thematic elements of the movie and where it fits in the greater scheme of ecologically driven science fiction movies.
Commentary by director Douglas Trumbull & actor Bruce Dern –Â Originally recorded in 2000 and carried over from previous DVD and Blu-ray releases, Trumbull and Dern reflect on the making of the movie.
Isolated Music & Effects Track –Â Peter Schickele’s music score – with accompanying songs sung by Joan Baez – and sound effects are presented on a 2.0 PCM track.
No Turning Back: Scoring Silent Running (13:53) –Â Film music historian Jeff Bond looks at the music that Peter Schickele (AKA P.D.Q. Bach) composed for the film in this featurette carried over from the 2020 Arrow Blu-ray.
First Run (14:02) –Â Also carried over from the previous Arrow Blu-ray, writer/filmmaker Jon Spira compares the first draft of the movie’s screenplay to the finished product in this visual essay.
The Making of Silent Running (49:17) –Â The archival behind the scenes documentary from 1972, featuring interviews with Trumbull, Dern, producer Michael Gruskoff and actress Cheryl Sparks, who plays one of the Valley Forge’s robots.
Silent Running by Douglas Trumbull (30:09) –Â This archival interview from 2000 – carried over from Universal’s previous DVD and Blu-ray releases – has Trumbull personally recalling his memories of making the movie.
Douglas Trumbull: Then and Now (4:51) –Â Trumbull talks about his work on some pioneering special effects advancements following the film’s release in this archival interview from the Universal DVD.
A Conversation with Bruce Dern (10:57) –Â The actor reflects on playing Freeman Lowell in this archival interview from the 2001 Universal DVD.
Behind-the-Scenes Image Gallery (632)
Theatrical Trailer (2:57)
Booklet feat. essays by critics Peter Tonguette & Forshaw
Overall: 4.5/5
Despite not making much of an impact at the box office upon first release (despite some solid critical notices), Silent Running has become one of the best sci-fi films of the 1970’s, garnering a cult following and whose central message has become more relevant with the passage of time. Arrow Video has revisited their previously solid Blu-ray release and went a step further by delivering likely the best home video edition of the film with a terrific HD transfer while carrying over all the legacy bonus features. Very highly recommended and absolutely worth upgrading.
Silent Running [4K Ultra HD] (Special Edition)
30% Off $49.95 $34.88
Mychal has been on the Home Theater Forum’s reviewing staff since 2018, with reviews numbering close to 300. During this time, he has also been working as an assistant manager at The Cotton Patch – his family’s fabric and quilting supplies business in Keizer, Oregon. When not working at reviewing movies or working at the family business, he enjoys exploring the Oregon Coast, playing video games and watching baseball in addition to his expansive collection of movies on DVD, Blu-ray and UHD, totalling over 3,000 movies.
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