Made in 1971, bracketed by the likes of 2001: A Space Odyssey on one side and Star Wars on the other, Silent Running is a very different kind of galactic adventure. And it’s one of those rare treats that’s been remastered by the studio from 35mm film for HDTV. Sky has been showcasing some great movies from the archive in HD, from well-known classics to more cultish fare like this, and the results can be impressive.
Silent Running was directed by Douglas Trumbull, who worked on the pioneering visual effects for 2001, Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Blade Runner, but he also made a small number of films himself, including the offbeat, high-concept Brainstorm.
Despite being set in the distant future, Silent Running’s plot and indeed the theme song are steeped in the flower power era. Yet its ecological message has a strong relevance today (and it was even referenced in the recent Stargate SG-1 finale). Freeman Lowell (played by Bruce Dern) is in charge of the Valley Forge spaceship – a huge array of greenhouse-like bio-domes. It’s a kind of Eden Project in space, preserving the trees and plants after the Earth became a barren planet.
When he and his three colleagues receive a message to jettison the domes and return to Earth, Lowell disobeys orders to preserve his botanic legacy – at any cost. He is assisted by small robotic drones, which foreshadowed Star Wars’ R2-D2 in both shape and ‘character’. Though very much of its time in many ways, it’s an endearing and poignant piece of thoughtful science fiction.
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