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The Movie:
"Silent Running" is a film that, while impressive technically for its time and occasionally entertaining, takes itself too seriously to really be as successful as it could have been. The film is directed by Douglas Trumbull, who started working in visual effects on pictures such as "2001" and also contributed to such efforts as "Close Encounters". The script for this 1972 sci-fi picture was written by the pairing of famed television producer Steven Bochco ("LA Law") and Michael Cimino (director of "Heaven's Gate").
Bruce Dern stars as Freeman Lowell, the head of the biosphere areas aboard one of the American Airlines space stations of the future. Lowell is consistently yelling at his fellow shipmates about nature, when they seem perfectly happy eating what looks like that dehydrated astronaut ice cream that I always like to get whenever I visit the local museum gift shop.
When government figures hand down the order (with little reason) to destroy the remaining forests, it's up to the somewhat insane Lowell to take control of the ship and try to save the trees. This is really Dern's picture: the actor gives a fine performance, but it would've been nice to have some supporting characters that are more than simply one-dimensional.
I certainly agree with the idea that we should protect our environment, but "Silent Running" really spends too much time forcing this message at the audience in a not-too-subtle manner. While there are some things I can appreciate in this film - Dern at least tries in his performance, the film looks better (effects, sets and whatnot) than its budget would indicate - it still seems somewhat dated after all these years.
The DVD
VIDEO: Universal offers "Silent Running" with a new 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation. While a low-budget movie that's now 31-years-old, the picture still has a relatively pleasing appearance throughout this new transfer. Sharpness and detail are just shy of excellence, as the picture can range from looking crisp and well-defined to a little on the soft side.
There are some positives and negatives to the picture quality. On the positive side, there are no instances of artifacts and the picture is free of irritating edge enhancement. On the other hand, while the print is in better-than-expected condition overall, there are some stretches where specks and marks can appear before the picture begins to appear clean again. Grain also is present throughout, but largely remained minimal and not bothersome.
The film's color palette is a little on the subdued side, but colors look accurately rendered and the picture appears in no way faded. Overall, this is a very good effort from Universal. English subtitles are provided.
SOUND: The film is presented in mono here, as it was theatrically. As one would expect, a mono soundtrack is nothing to get particularly thrilled about, but this one exhibits a bit better clarity and detail than I'd think a soundtrack of this age would provide. Dialogue and the Joan Baez soundtrack are clear and crisp; some of the more intense sound effects sound rough, but certainly the sound technology of the time had limitations.
MENUS: Static menus with no animation.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary from director Douglas Trumbull, who also worked on the effects of "2001" and "Close Encounters", as well as actor Bruce Dern. This is really quite a good commentary that provides both entertaining, relaxed chat about the careers of each participant as well as some in-depth details and fun stories about the making of "Silent Running". I really liked this commentary; while my interest waivered when watching the movie itself, I found this commentary track consistently engaging.
The Making Of "Silent Running": Likely presented previously on the laserdisc edition of the film, this is a nearly 50-minute documentary that was produced in 1972. The documentary is not in the greatest condition, but at least the presentation is certainly watchable. What's nice about these older "making of" documentaries is that they're actually focused on providing interesting information about how things were accomplished rather than promoting the story to audiences who haven't seen the film. Director Trumbull as well as the producer and many of the crew members discuss the origins of the movie and how concepts were taken from the page towards final production, which took place on an aircraft carrier. This is a very enjoyable documentary which provides insight about the making of the film itself and also, the roles of some of the members of production and what they have to do on a day-to-day basis on-set.
New Interviews: Douglas Trumbull: Silent Running (30 minutes) and A Conversation with Bruce Dern (10 minutes) are offered. These are newly recorded interviews that really add depth to the information offered on the documentary and commentary. Trumbull talks at length about working on his first major picture as well as some of the obstacles that occured. Nicely edited to provide additional material in-between talking, the Trumbull interview is highly watchable. Dern's interview is less detailed, but still fun to watch. He directs a lot of praise towards Trumbull, but actually provides some analysis of what it was like to work on the film and with the director instead of just simply restating "he's great" over-and-over. In addition, there is Douglas Trumbull: Then and Now, a 5-minute interview where Trumbull offers his perspective on his career and where film is headed.
Also: Trailer, production notes, cast bios, recommendations.
Final Thoughts: "Silent Running" certainly has a fan base who will be very pleased with this impressive special edition from Universal, which offers good audio/video and a lot of supplements for a low price. Those who are interested and haven't seen the film should probably try as a rental first, though.
Film Grade
The Film ** 1/2
DVD Grades
Video 81/B
Audio: 80/B
Extras: 86/B
Menus: 70/C-
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