They were very prescient. I think they are still just as relevant as they were when they were made. We are still moving in the wrong direction on many of the fronts brought up by these movies!
The artwork on that little watering can is what triggers my tears. All I have to do is think about the little robot and his watering can and my eyes begin to well-up. Just like you, I like to think he is still drifting through space, carefully and faithfully completing his routine to maintain the garden. Or, better still, his ship found a planet to land on and the biosphere caused glorious new life to spring up in some distant world, far from the poisonous reach of humans.
Bruce Dern was a contemporary of Jonathon Harris (Doctor Smith). I always wanted to see a scene between the two of them to see if they could improv off the cuff.. or simply couldn't stand one another.
This movie was highly influential in my life and Nurtured my Ecological awareness and care for the Environment . I grow a Vegetable Garden Every Year, ORGANIC.
Wow, that brings me back. Seen it once when it came out. Gonna grab this one. What struck me was the shot of Bruce at the telescope. It appears to be a Celestron nexstar 8se which I have. To own one now at 64 gave me goose bumps. Thanks Dan.
I saw this movie for the first time in the mid 1979s, on TV. Today, I wonder what the hell we are going to tell our grand kids about the lions and elephants.
I just call it "Star Wars", too, but there's a logical reason why it got that name. When George Lucas made the first one he didn't know how well it would do and/or if there would ever be any sequels so it was just "Star Wars" with no "Episode IV" or "A New Hope", but once it was a colossal hit it got rereleased in November of that year with those subtitles added to let people know that this is part of a larger story. (Of course we didn't realize that it would take him over 20 years to get to those episodes 1, 2 and 3!)
Thanks Dan, “Silent Running” is one of my favourite moves ever. Even today it is hard to imagine this movie being made for only $1 million. A few things though - there WERE only three ships. And a lot of people get this wrong due to some of the dialogue. But what sound like other ships, are actually the names of the individual domes - as seen on Valley Forge that displays what forest types are on her. And I can prove this. When Anderson makes the announcement to recall the ships for commercial service and destroy the domes, he calls out only THREE ships - Berkshire, Sequoia, Valley Forge. Berkshire Sequoia, Valley Forge. If there were other ships, I am certain this important announcement would have called all of the ships. You mentioned lawsuits, and there was one other. When Universal used the footage of the Valley Forge in “Battlestar Galactica”, Douglas Trumball tried to sue Universal, as he didn’t want his work being used without permission in another film (TV Show). However, he was informed that, as they paid the money for the movie, they owned the footage. Just one in a long series of kicks that Hollywood gave to Douglas Trumball (see “Brainstorm”). Oh and the excellent Special Effects were ground-breaking, and for those of us in the know, there were NO travelling and/or bluescreen matts in the movie. They were all done in-camera. And, you mentioned Peter Schickele, but what you didn’t mention is PDQ Bach.
They really knew how to stretch a buck back then. Adjusted for inflation it'd be 7.5 million today. Still you're not making much of a movie for just that now.
Yup, who wasn’t in dismay when the robots only found the claw to one of the robots which flew away during the space storm or when Bruce Dern crashes into the robot with that go kart vehicle or when the last robot was in the dome yo drift away forever. Tear jerker moments for sure.
Yes. Yes. Yes. My all time favorite. I am 63 yr thank you for this wonderful narrative I am one of those little robots caring for the plant life. I am still up there caring for life. 😭
You too heh? One of the saddest endings of any film. Even though it tries to be upbeat about the last drone left all alone to tend the the last remaining bio dome... Its ok😢 , Im fine😢😢 ... Ive just got something in my eye. 😢😢😢
I saw the the Groundstar conspiracy and SILENT RUNNING together at the Drive In when they came out in 1972. I was just 9 years old but these films stuck with me. Not really about SILENT RUNNING but when i hear Tuesday Afternoon by The Moody Blues, it all comes back to me. Funny how that is with some things.
Joel Hodgson has said many times that his most direct inspiration for creating MST3K was "Silent Running." He has three robots, is trapped in space, has a riff on Dern's jumpsuit.
As a kid, back in the 70s, I used to earnestly await the arrival of the NY Times Sunday papers "Arts & Leisure" section. It always had big splashy ad's of all the new movies coming out that week. I was so impressionable. Vividly remember seeing the first print ads for Star Wars. Nobody knew anything about it. I vaguely though, "Hmm, that looks kind of cool". Saw it, a few months later, at summer camp.
@@RaptorFromWeegee Star Wars was a huge phenomenon. The world went crazy for it. There's before Star Wars and after Star Wars. It altered the world permanently. To this very day the effects echo through time. Everyone certainly knows about Star Wars now. I read somewhere that Jedi is the biggest religion in Australia. Although with recent lore revelations I suspect that has changed.
@@1pcfred I get that it got huge. But no one foresaw that when it first came out. The first movie review I saw of it on TV news pegged it as a Space Western. Nothing phenomenal, just a really fun harmless movie. At summer camp the older kids talked about it like crazy. Later in the fall, all the toys and merch came out.
I was a kid around 9 years old in 1972 when watching this at the outdoor theater. I could not imagine people being so cold, selfish and uncaring to just "blow-up" animals and plants. And the fact that the Earth no longer required nature!? NO! This movie made me cry and be angry. I never became a tree hugger. I do my best, however, to protect nature at every stage of my day to day life. All because of this movie!
then the film was successful. Because basically it's just propaganda. Hilariously ridiculous propaganda. Even at 10 I had to question pretty much everything about it.
@@gnericgnome4214 That's such a sad-sack bonehead take, it's just a frigging simple family film with a heavy-handed moral of the story, and you're getting all goofy about 'wull propaganda bad, me so mad at propaganda'. You boneheads just freak out on every rare occasion that you notice a hint of subtext of any kind, and then you screech a bunch of laughable bullshit because you think you're brilliant for noticing something obvious.
In hindsight the premise that an expert in botany and ecology couldn't figure out the reason the trees were dying was lack of sunlight is kinda ridiculous
@@gnericgnome4214 Yes, but in my opinion this film is promoting Conservation which is good not the Climate Change nonsensical propaganda. I like forests, trees, lakes, animals etc and most people do. For instance, if you have a passion for hunting, you'll need forests, for fishing you need clean bodies of water. Unfortunately, these concerns have been taken over by a corrupt environmental lobby, which pushes an agenda to control every aspect of our lives. However, I do relate to your concerns regarding propaganda. This comment is intended as friendly and conversational and not an attack on your viewpoint. I suppose I quite liked the movie and am therefore warm towards it.
Kelly, you don't have to be a tree hugger to be conscientious, as you are. We're around the same age. When I was in seventh grade, I first heard the term "Stewardship of the Earth" from one of my teachers, a Nun. It was during religion class. A simple lesson I have always kept in mind.
As I mentioned in your promo for this, I know a LOT about this film, more than all but a few, so you had a high bar to impress me. Happy to say, you did a great job and covered most of the important stuff. You could definitely dived deeper into the Odyssey carts and his father making those. Several good details on that could have been added here, like the transmission issues and how they solved them. The best part which you left out though was the giant FREEZING COLD tank of water where Dern had to shoot his bathing scene. That was pretty interesting and hilarious. As I recall that was brought up in the commentary track along with many other fascinating details. Overall, you did a super job with this and even covered a couple of minor things I didn't know about, like what happened with the some of the props. Thanks, Dan.
Coincidentally, Donald Sutherland died today ,I know he wasn't in silent running, but he and Bruce dern have been close to my heart for being in sci Fi movies since I was a kid.❤😂 Great job 👍
Awah, man. I'm shocked to read this. I remember Donald from the movie "Virus" released in 1999. He was such a good actor and I'm sad to read he is gone. R.I.P.
Whenever I hear the first notes of "Rejoice in the Sun" sung by Joan Baez, I break down in tears. It's not so much for the robots but the entire story line, that humanity could be so stupid as to put the earth in that dire situation. Sad to see that we are moving right along that same path. A movie that I wish everyone could see.
That's one of the saddest things about this move. It was prophetic in so many ways. Profit was King even then but the real shitty stuff hadn't happened yet... This was a warning shot across the bow that again fell into the silence and Greed...
This film has always been on my top ten, and Im 60yrs old, seen the best and the worest, and it is still at the top. Its perfect for awhole lot of reasons, and not a lot of reasons. If I ever wrote and directed a film.... it would look like this. AND YES IT STILL MAKES ME CRY.
@@KRAFTWERK2K6 It's not just the drones, though. In Silent Running the world is barren and the people live in enclosed cities. The only life is up in the domes out in space and a drone is left to take care of the last of it as the dome drifts off into space. With Wall-E they flipped some of this around. The Earth is barren and basically a trash heap. The people live out in space and a robot is sent to search for life on Earth. A robot then becomes the caretaker of the plant in the boot.
And WALL-E was a fan of Beta too. (Fun fact: The animators made a mistake in WALL-E, what was clearly meant to be a domestic Betamax tape was actually a professional BetacamSP tape, which was probably what the animators had to hand and they didn't know the difference.)
Wow, it's hard to believe that Bruce Dern was so far down the list of actors chosen to play Freeman. He captures so perfectly the sort of over-earnest 20-something eco-hippie Sierra Club dude that I remember as YMCA camp counselors from that time period (one of them actually was a card-carrying Sierra Club member). Seemed like every Summer camp had one, you could tell that even the other counselors thought they were a bit odd. They were kinda lukewarm on stuff like tug-of-war, but when we'd do hiking or nature study they were in their element. The wide-eyed look, the mannerisms, the woo-woo voice, he just nails it. I'm sure he had examples among his friend group; His daughter Laura would have been 5 years old at the time, so maybe she had a Montessori School teacher or two to provide the model. Watched it for the first time at a drive-in theater with my parents in Dana Pt. CA. One thing that always struck me as odd was that Lowell seemed to be the only astronaut on the mission who wasn't overcome with joy that they were going to blow the domes and go home. Was he the only granola person who managed to make it through the training program? Maybe it was a political thing, the mission was always going to end that way and the food-producing corporations that no doubt were responsible for getting rid of all natural plant life rigged it. Couldn't have too many loose cannons like Lowell out there.
I haven’t seen this movie since I was a kid. From what I remember, it had a sad ending where Bruce Dern’s character dies and one of the robots is left by itself watering the plants.
Was 12yrs old and Silent Running was and still is one of my favorite movies..thanks so much for going over this movie and what happened to the props etc..
Silent Running is one of my all-time FAVORITE films. I saw it when it was first released. Two gorgeous Joan Baez songs in the middle of a science fiction film. Who knew?
I was never a big fan of Joan Baez, just not my kind of music. (I like Jethro Tull Aqualung or locomotive breath) But I got to see her when she opened for Bob Dylan in Orlando, back in the '70s. And I can tell you after 70+ concerts she stand's above everyone with her presence. She had an instant astonishing effect on the entire crowd like I have never seen. I can still remember that it happened with her first sentence.
@@OhAncientOne WTF???!!!!! JETHRO TULL ARE GREAT!!!!! Have you even listened to the albums 'Stormwatch', 'Crest of a Knave' or 'Broadsword and The Beast'????!!
@@TheGrumpyGuide You took what I said completely wrong. Jethro Tull IS what I listen to rather than Baez. I drove 1,400mi to see them for the 5th time at Tampa Stadium, July 1976. Best concert I've ever seen, and I have verified over 70 concerts on my spreadsheet list. Just search Jethro Tull Tampa '76. There's a 1hr 23min video from the concert I was at.
@@OhAncientOne No need for me to google anything. I love Jethro Tull. You should edit your original comment as it reads like you're alikening Tull to Baez.
I first saw this movie on the road in a La Quinta hotel in the middle of nowhere. It deeply affected me. It sounds like it has deeply affected a lot of people over the years!
I think it is important to recognize that composer Peter Schickele, Professor of Music Pathology at the University of Southern North Dakota at Hoople, was the brilliant comedic (and musical) mastermind behind the P.D.Q. Bach mythos. Through the 70s, we attended many of his Christmas concerts at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln center. He would make his entrance by swinging on a rope from the balcony or zip lining to his conductor's stand. Silent Running was one of a small handful of films he wrote music for, and certainly the most well known. For those who have never experienced P.D.Q. Bach... it is definitely worth a listen. Dan... you should do a "Music" episode on this guy. He was a genius.
I must admit, there was a time I listened to NPR, mostly for Garrison Keillor. I do remeber hearing Schickele Mix. Very informative and entertaining. I remeber his sign offs: He quoted someone, Duke Ellington I think, "If it sounds good, it is goo." He also said, " It just don't mean a think if it ain't got certain je ne sais quoi."
When I went Universal Studios Tour, In about 1979 they had the Valley Forge in a warehouse we drove through and the tour guide said we don't know where this model came from. Of course I knew it was from one of my favorite movies the Valley Forge I yelled out. And he said " you don't know anything you stupid idiot." But several other people got pissed off and wanted to kick his ass. A couple of guys in the warehouse over heard this and came over asking questions about. So I told them about the movie and the T.V. show BSG. they said it was going up for auction. I don't know what happened after that. I think I saw a picture of it at some museum over in England. Best robot movie ever. Thanks for the video. You Rock. :) P.S. I made a paper drone model. Real cool. The planes are on the NET for free.
The score of Silent Running was composed by Peter Schickele (pronounced SHIK-uh-lee) who was also famous for his legendary creation, P.D.Q. Bach. He won four consecutive Grammy awards for best comedy album. Professor Schickele died in January of 2024. The man was a legend!
Damn, I didn't know. I especially liked his WOOF, Hoople album and his song"Herr Kentuckian Oberst" sung in Germanic opera style. This man was a true genius. He had more albums than Martin Mull though Martin 's "I'm Flexible" song was hilarious. "I used to be plastic, but now I'm elastic, be flexible. " 😂😂
I love this film. I haven't seen it for many years though. I remember seeing it as a kid in the 70s and just bawling my eyes out at the end. The loneliness of that little drone at the end watering the plants. I wanted to hug it so bad.
Seriously, Han Solo's blaster he fried Greedo with, John Wayne's big loop lever action from Stagecoach, Schwarzenegger's sword from Conan, Rick Deckard's Voit Kampff machine to test for Replicant's in Blade Runner, Jim Rockford's gold Firebird and countless other iconic props and you'd pick a watering can from Silent Running? Wow, and people say I'm screwed up.
My uncle ( Robert Shepherd) worked on Silent Running and many other films with Dykstra with their company called Apogee. Apogee's last movie was Dune, they didn't get any credit for the film since they left the production because the Mob was getting involved. I remember going to the shop and seeing countless boxes of models that they were taking apart to make space ships Valley Forge, Starwars, Battle Star, Space Balls and more. Many of the special effects crew in Apogee formed Industrial Light and Magic. Thanks for taking a look at this, it brings back many childhood memories.
A favourite as a kid. Loved Huey, Dewie and Louie... And as I got older, the message behind the movie did make sense... Bruce Dern always made a great quirky character.
Love your work, Dan. I remember reading somewhere that the special effects for Saturn used in Silent Running were originally made for 2001: A Space Odyssey. Saturn was the original destination of Discovery 1 as per the book. However at some stage in it's production, the destination was changed from Saturn to Jupiter, hence the Saturn effects were now surplus to requirements and ultimately were able to be used in Silent Running.
I believe it was because the saturn effects were too complex for 2001 which raises the question of how they could be ok for a budget film...maybe trumbull figured it out between jupiter and Saturn, so to speak!
Dan - Recently discovered your site here. I gotta tell you - I am Really LOVING IT ! In the several episodes I have watched so far you have really been doing a fine job in all aspects of the show. And Kudos on your research. Watched the Starlog episode & Loved it. I am much older than you - I have several boxes of all the early issues & one of these days I will get down there to my back room & go through everything. I will let you know what I find. Keep up the fine work. You are really getting better & better all the time.
Thank you so much for your kind words and support! I'm thrilled to hear that you're enjoying the channel. It's fantastic that you have those early issues - I'd love to hear about what you find when you go through them. Cheers, Dan
I did get to see one of the surviving domes that was touring the country in the 1970s at a sci-fi convention. You don't really appreciate how much thought, work, and detailing went into them, even though you can only get glimpses of their insides in the movie. Also in the same con exhibition was the Drone 2 Huey prop/outfit, complete with the articulate arm set up so that it was deployed out and holding a winning hand of cards, just like in the movie!
Dan, one problem with your vlogs, they always leave me not wanting more but needing more. Your vlogs are so thorough and complete your answering questions I didn't even think of asking. Thank you for all your research and effort and of course the time that must go into each and every one. YOU ROCK IT BROTHER!!
15:39 There was this series titled The Starlost starring Keir Dullea and I do believe those Dome designs were also used for the ship in that series. There were about two dozen domes and each dome had evolved its own human culture. The series aired about a year after this movie. Edit: Oh yeah forgot that show was also Trumbull''s.
I first watched this on TV when a was a too young to properly understand it. I do remember crying at the end when the droid was left alone at the end 😔
I saw it network tv a year after I saw Starlost. After he named the little robots Huey, Luey, and Duey I was emotionally invested. As the movie ended, I cried. I was 7 yrs old.
Many moons ago our first server farm was run by three iMac G3's rescued from a dumpster. They were instantly dubbed Hewy, Dewy and Lewy for obvious reasons. This however lead to some awkward conversations with authorities on account of us calling them "the kids". When a nosy neighbor heard me say the kids will be fine locked in the garage for a week while we go on holiday all hell broke loose.
Absolutely one of my favorite SCI FI movies from my childhood. The way they made the robots seem to have human characteristics was spot on. Wow I never noticed the big corporate names unless it was subconscious but I was a kid. Wow how cool to know how the robots were set up that never occurred to me as a kid.
Loved it since I saw it at 15 in '81. Message was ignored then and many STILL want to ignore it. No streaming platform is playing it. I got the DVD so I would never be without it.✌️
An absolute favourite of mine, even if it’s nearly as old as me. Watch it again Dan, it opens up with every rewatch. Thanks for the deep dive, looking forward to the next one.
Bruce Dern said this was his most favourite movie he worked on. He also said he was a big science fiction fan and would have loved to have appeared in Star Wars, which was another movie he liked.
Check him out in the "Outer Limits" tv show episode the "Zanti Misfits", 1963. He must have been about 24 in that episode, great one it is indeed, and may have launched his career! ;D
Bruce Dern would be in anything. I doubt the guy ever said no. Want to be in the movie Bruce, Sure! But we haven't even told you what it's about yet. Don't care.
Thank you so much for doing a video on Silent Running. I had seen it on TV as a kid once, but no one I ever talked to about movies had ever seen it. This had lots of good information about the movie, and now I will have to get the 4K Blu-ray to see it again.
What was really interesting with the drone costumes is that if you pay attention, you will see that the costumes were made to the actors, and each drone costume is different not only in color, but also size. How cool is that 😊
saw this when it first came out. Very unique. Loved Joan's music. Misted up at the end with the loving care of the forest and her solo. Gonna buy the DVD
Footage of the Valley Forge was also used in the Battlestar Galactica remake mini-series where the president is talking to a little girl just prior the cylons showing up.
I only discovered this channel recently and I have to say, I _love_ your whole production. It really, *really* reminds me of old school Sci-Fi Channel, particularly the old "Sci-Fi Buzz" show. I've already gone through pretty much all your videos including stuff that I thought I wouldn't care about just because the way you talk about it is so comfy and nostalgic. Of course, when it IS something I'm familiar with like Silent Running, I can't click fast enough! Keep it up; your channel is awesome!
This has always been on of my very favorite movies. A few years earlier my dad, who worked in the film department at the university, took me to see 2001: A Space Odyssey. This greatly increased my interest in science fiction but also in special effects. I got to see Silent Running after a couple of years researching everything II could about 2001. That's where I recognized Douglas Trumbull from and I got to know John Dykstra from this movie. I think the first copy of Cinefex I got gave me a ton of detail about the production of Silent Running. I also became a huge Bruce Dern fan after this. OF COURSE we all knew about Laura Dern. She's pretty great too. I think the process of cannibalizing bits of styrene model kits started with the models used in 2001. It's a great way to give more detail to supposedly large surfaces in close-up. I was also familiar with the brand names showing up everywhere from 2001. This just gave Silent Running street cred. I saw this as at least the emotional followup to 2001. This time with a '70s environmental angle. It's clear in the movie that they were having trouble with the hydraulic arms of the droids, I mean drones. They were an entirely new charming kind of screen robot. For the very first time, not threatening at all. The props I was most interested in at the time were the polyhedral shipping containers with all the different logos on them. But a lot of them didn't even survive those go-carts during shooting. I guess it would be like looking for specific set rock props on Star Trek. Star Wars made such an impression by giving a a science fiction world that looked "lived in," but compared to 2001, Silent Running did it first. I really appreciated the aircraft carrier setting for this movie since these ships were supposed to be the far future version of much the same thing. I really had no idea it was a low budget production. They clearly put every penny right out there on the screen where we could see it. The drones working outside the ship looked just great. Those forest domes looked just great, even their personal quarters, the hangar bay/freight warehouse, and the control room all looked really great. This is my holy trinity of EXCELLENT special effects: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Silent Running, and Star Wars. Few other movies from the time even compare, though the original Battelstar Galactica really tried. The look of the models is relatively consistent and their use is superb each time. Of course, George Lucas was doing something completely new that kept me going back to watch that movie twenty two times that summer the way we all were then.
First video of yours I have seen. Awesome job! I LOVED Silent Running. Big impact on me. Huge Bruce Dern fan ever since. Huey Duey and Louie were great, somehow an emotional bond formed with these robot characters. I don't recall any specific music from the movie, but I suspect it played a big role in the emotional connection.
As a kid I saw 'Silent Running' on TV, about mid-to-late '70's. A buddy of mine was the only other one in our group of friends that saw it and knows about the movie at all. I found a copy on DVD in a bargain bin for 2 or 3 dollars and grabbed it. Movies like this, 'Blade Runner', 'THX-1138', and others stand on their own, and are not movies that ever need to be remade. And if they do, I simply won't watch it.
Jeff, do you have any opinion on the political whitewashing of the movie "The Day The Earth Stood Still"? Michael Rennie's 1951 version was superb for its day, with an interesting mix of adventure, suspense and politics. But the later remake (with Keanu Reeves as one of its 'victims') had most of the political stuff completely rewritten to reflect American corporate and military culture. I still haven't added the 1951 version to my movie collection, I keep meaning to try to find it but I never seem to get around to it.
I need to sit down and watch this again. IIRC this was going to be redone sometime soon but not sure the project got off the ground. Saw it when I was maybe nine, still recall watching it and being mesmerized as a child. Left a big impact on me always as it showed that science fiction could also have “heart”.
Great retrospective on a movie I've loved since I saw it in 1973 (on an airplane, so crying over the robots was weird, but then soon every kid on the plane was crying).
Thankyou for doing this video, and managing not to spoil the movie...and because I don't think I can manage a similar feat here, I'll be brief! Brucie has a knack for playing characters of such strong idealism that they frequently end up as...er...the goodie with, say, a gun, and he's getting chased around inside a field of maize plants giving visual cover if no appreciable physical protection from the many, many bullets of the ostensible baddies who are hunting him..... *cough* ...but guess what...?! He manages to pull off a miraculous escape and then...oh, just watch any 1980s Bruce Dern movie and you'll find out soon enough. Douglas Trumbull does a fantastic job with "Silent Running"; his experience on "2001" stood him in good stead to do the VFX and they're really superb, especially since this was still before we had the exquisite pictures from the Pioneer and Voyager probes to inform us properly about how Saturn appears up close and personal in real life, so Douglas does a superb and fairly prescient job of bringing the planet to the screen. For what it's worth, "2001" originally involved Saturn instead of Jupiter, but the change was made because it was thought that the audience would have been confused by the gravity-assist slingshot manoeuvre at Jupiter, and thus it not being the destination. God, the condescending, patronising, insulting of the intelligence of the audience back then (As well as now, frequently, too...) is really rather disgusting...but I guess it came down to "Bums on seats love!" yet again...grrr! 🚀🪐❗❤🪐❤🛸❤🎇✨👾👾👾❗❓😆👍
Thanks Dan, is certainly one of my favourite classic sci-fi films. The Jone Baez rejoice in the sun was a haunting song in the film still gives me goose bumps today when I hear if. Given the mess we are making of our environment today the film has even more significance.
I have been looking forward to this episode. Thanks! I remember seeing Silent Running on TV in the early 1970’s when I was around 10 years old. This movie has always been a favorite. It is simultaneously breathtaking and tragic. I cried at the end also. This is one of those science fiction movies like Forbidden Planet and 2001 that was foundational for so much of what came afterwards. Yes, Huey, Dewey and Louie were the original astromech droids.
Great review, and brought back a lot of great memories. I saw this when I was in high school when it was released and it made a huge impact on me. I had no idea that Peter Schickele (a.k.a. P.D.Q. Bach) wrote the soundtrack -- that only makes me love it more as I was (and am) a huge fan. A friend of mine at the time and I wrote and recorded a respectful, almost full length audio parody called "Silenced Punning": now Screwy, Chewy and Phooey are all lost to antiquity.
The Star Lost, a Canadian TV Show, produced by Douglas Trumbull, also released in early 70's had a starship very similar to the ones used in this film.
And Laura Dern's mother is Academy-nominated and Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning actress Diane Ladd. Known for multiple films and TV shows including Chinatown, Rambling Rose, and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.
Wow, great episode! Lots of info I hadn't heard or read about. I know I saw it in '72, or maybe '73. And when you said it was published by Scholastic, it definitely sparked a memory, I'm sure I had that book.
I have always loved this movie since 1972. It resonates with me. It was groundbreaking in the years before Star Wars. Bruce Dern carries that whole movie by himself. And least we not forget the Joan Baez song. Pure Heaven.
There were only what 4 actors in the whole movie. Besides the robots. They were on a ship in deep space. So kinda isolated. The other crew members were basically cast as the heels.
Great Soundtrack! Loved Huey, Dewey, and ill fated Louie! Saw it in the theater in 1972. The theater manager gave me the movie poster when the films run ended. I still have it (framed of course)!
When I saw you covered this film I clicked on it without hesitation. This flick affected me deeply, and the music sung by Jian Baez was haunting. I felt Bruce Dern was perfect for the part (and for The Zante Misfits haha). Thanks for this deep dive! Much appreciated.
Really enjoy your presentation of the great SiFi films I'm 73 and still enjoy rewatching the great ones. The very first movie I ever saw was Forbidden Planet I was 5 years old and saw the poster of Robby as I was with my mother shopping as we past a theater. She allowed me to see it When I got home I told my sister who was 13 all about it. My mouth wouldn't stop running at the dinner table. My sister turned to my Fad and asked if he would give us a ride back to the theater so she could see it. So I got to see it a second time on thevsame day Been hooked on SciFi ever since. Bright Blessings and be well.
Went on a school outing in 1972 to see a showing of 1968's "Romeo and Juliet". They were having an issue with the projector so to keep us for becoming unruly, they fired up "Silent Running" (which was showing at theater). We made it about 15 minutes into the film before they ripped it away to start "Romeo and Juliet" (though an excellent movie). I still bear the scars. Of course I went back to see it.
Dan, of all the vids you've created that i've watched so far this held my interest the most. I remember hearing of it upon its release but i wasn't much of a movie-goer. But this was a watershed flick as you enlightened me, and poignant as well. Reading what other viewers commented confirms this.
In regards to kit bashing to make the large models there is a couple of examples from 8:52 - 8:55. In the tower like structure under the large antenna array in upper-right hand are 4 doors/hatches that one would find on the turret of a German Panzer III or IV tank from WWII. In the lower left-hand corner are 6 circular units that one could find on the engine grill plates where exhaust cooling fan were used on the engines of Tiger and Panther tanks. In SW one can also find the whole engine grill plates being used on models of the Star Destroyers and a couple spots on the Millenium Falcon. 🐯
Silent Running, Soilent Green and Logan's Run were the Masterpieces of Sciences Fiction Movies back in these days.....and still are today.
Soylent. Watch the film Blade Runner for an eerily accurate picture of our future.
'2001 : A Space Odyssey' also needs to be on that list.
They were very prescient. I think they are still just as relevant as they were when they were made. We are still moving in the wrong direction on many of the fronts brought up by these movies!
Soylent Running, Logan's Green, Silent Run.
Silent Green, Logan's Running, Soylent Run
52 years have passed, I hope that one drone is still looking after the gardens pottering about with its watering can and trowel.
Robot tending to plants and a forest that no person may ever enjoy.
The artwork on that little watering can is what triggers my tears. All I have to do is think about the little robot and his watering can and my eyes begin to well-up. Just like you, I like to think he is still drifting through space, carefully and faithfully completing his routine to maintain the garden. Or, better still, his ship found a planet to land on and the biosphere caused glorious new life to spring up in some distant world, far from the poisonous reach of humans.
@@TheGrumpyGuide I like that 👍
Curse you! I had to rewatch that scene and now ghosts are cutting invisible onions right under my eyes.
In the Sun by Joan Diaz.. theme😢😢😢😢
Bruce Dern had a great sense of humor and timing in this movie.
This is one of my all-time favorites.
Long live Huey, Dewey and Lewey.
Bruce Dern was a contemporary of Jonathon Harris (Doctor Smith). I always wanted to see a scene between the two of them to see if they could improv off the cuff.. or simply couldn't stand one another.
@@joey_after_midnight "Oh, the pain, the pain!"
Huey, Dewey, and Louie
@@charlesstein2880What? nononono! lol
@@michman2 💔💔💔
Saw it as a kid in 1972, it changed my life, worked in agriculture and enclosed production systems for almost 40 years.
Thank you for being someone who gave a damn.
Honestly,thank you.
Same! I just graduated with an HVAC degree at 58, and I'm using it to do enclosed plant production systems!
This movie was highly influential in my life and Nurtured my Ecological awareness and care for the Environment . I grow a Vegetable Garden Every Year, ORGANIC.
Same here. I went into forestry.
@@ttystikkrocks1042 that is great to hear. So much potential for new HVAC design in CEA.
Highly underrated movie. Remember crying my eyes out when the robots died 😢
@proto-geek248 Yes, they did. The surviving'bots held a funeral.
Wow, that brings me back. Seen it once when it came out. Gonna grab this one.
What struck me was the shot of Bruce at the telescope. It appears to be a Celestron nexstar 8se which I have. To own one now at 64 gave me goose bumps. Thanks Dan.
That is because you have a soul.
@@shanechandler3261 These little guys did. 😢
Same
All these years, I thought I was the only one that this film brought to tears as a man. Glad to know I have plenty of company.
Nope!
When Bruce says “Take good care of the forest, Huey” I am crying like a pussy!
More than you know.
Yeah. Anyone with a heart, it's impossible not to cry.
They're good tears. Manly, sincere tears. To be embraced, celebrated, not hidden.
Emergent emotion
I saw this movie for the first time in the mid 1979s, on TV. Today, I wonder what the hell we are going to tell our grand kids about the lions and elephants.
"It's not A New Hope, it's just Star Wars". You're a man after my own heart.
I tell them about the first time I went to see Star Wars, the movie the kids now call A New Hope.
@@lorensims4846
What do they know? Seriously.
I appreciated that comment by Dan as well because it's true.
I just call it "Star Wars", too, but there's a logical reason why it got that name. When George Lucas made the first one he didn't know how well it would do and/or if there would ever be any sequels so it was just "Star Wars" with no "Episode IV" or "A New Hope", but once it was a colossal hit it got rereleased in November of that year with those subtitles added to let people know that this is part of a larger story. (Of course we didn't realize that it would take him over 20 years to get to those episodes 1, 2 and 3!)
Star Wars was the first three movies for me. After that is was Star Crap.
Thanks Dan, “Silent Running” is one of my favourite moves ever. Even today it is hard to imagine this movie being made for only $1 million.
A few things though - there WERE only three ships. And a lot of people get this wrong due to some of the dialogue. But what sound like other ships, are actually the names of the individual domes - as seen on Valley Forge that displays what forest types are on her. And I can prove this. When Anderson makes the announcement to recall the ships for commercial service and destroy the domes, he calls out only THREE ships - Berkshire, Sequoia, Valley Forge. Berkshire Sequoia, Valley Forge. If there were other ships, I am certain this important announcement would have called all of the ships.
You mentioned lawsuits, and there was one other. When Universal used the footage of the Valley Forge in “Battlestar Galactica”, Douglas Trumball tried to sue Universal, as he didn’t want his work being used without permission in another film (TV Show). However, he was informed that, as they paid the money for the movie, they owned the footage. Just one in a long series of kicks that Hollywood gave to Douglas Trumball (see “Brainstorm”).
Oh and the excellent Special Effects were ground-breaking, and for those of us in the know, there were NO travelling and/or bluescreen matts in the movie. They were all done in-camera. And, you mentioned Peter Schickele, but what you didn’t mention is PDQ Bach.
They really knew how to stretch a buck back then. Adjusted for inflation it'd be 7.5 million today. Still you're not making much of a movie for just that now.
I don't mind admitting that this is one of the films that has me crying like a baby at the end. That was true in the 1970s, and it's still true today.
Yep, this was the first ever movie that made me cry when I saw it back in the 70s.
Yup, who wasn’t in dismay when the robots only found the claw to one of the robots which flew away during the space storm or when Bruce Dern crashes into the robot with that go kart vehicle or when the last robot was in the dome yo drift away forever. Tear jerker moments for sure.
Like when Old Yeller died.😢😥
Me too. I had to leave the front room to cry elsewhere because I was so upset.
"Take good care of the forest, Huey"
Niagara Falls
Yes. Yes. Yes. My all time favorite. I am 63 yr thank you for this wonderful narrative I am one of those little robots caring for the plant life. I am still up there caring for life. 😭
I'm a 55 year old man and I rarely get through this film without crying
Totally understand.The same thing happens to me.
Same here, 59 years old man, and I just can not stop crying either. I think this is the only film that does that.
Don’t feel bad, 63 here and exactly the same.
You too heh? One of the saddest endings of any film. Even though it tries to be upbeat about the last drone left all alone to tend the the last remaining bio dome... Its ok😢 , Im fine😢😢 ... Ive just got something in my eye. 😢😢😢
You would have thought that Micheal Landon would have wrote it.
I saw the the Groundstar conspiracy and SILENT RUNNING together at the Drive In when they came out in 1972. I was just 9 years old but these films stuck with me. Not really about SILENT RUNNING but when i hear Tuesday Afternoon by The Moody Blues, it all comes back to me. Funny how that is with some things.
Joel Hodgson has said many times that his most direct inspiration for creating MST3K was "Silent Running."
He has three robots, is trapped in space, has a riff on Dern's jumpsuit.
That's awesome! I love the Bots!
Joel Hodgson must have extremely poor taste if SILENT RUNNING only inspired MST3K for him.
Some of the interior of the Satellite of Love looks like it was inspired by Silent Running.
You beat me to this!
Crow’s arm! Just like the drones. 😂
The early 70s were such an inventive time for innovative filmmakers. It's a shame those conditions don't exist anymore.
Corporations and "property rights."
These people are killing us.
Investors are risk adverse today. Movies cost more. A million dollars wouldn't cover the catering bill.
As a kid, back in the 70s, I used to earnestly await the arrival of the NY Times Sunday papers "Arts & Leisure" section. It always had big splashy ad's of all the new movies coming out that week. I was so impressionable.
Vividly remember seeing the first print ads for Star Wars. Nobody knew anything about it. I vaguely though, "Hmm, that looks kind of cool". Saw it, a few months later, at summer camp.
@@RaptorFromWeegee Star Wars was a huge phenomenon. The world went crazy for it. There's before Star Wars and after Star Wars. It altered the world permanently. To this very day the effects echo through time. Everyone certainly knows about Star Wars now. I read somewhere that Jedi is the biggest religion in Australia. Although with recent lore revelations I suspect that has changed.
@@1pcfred I get that it got huge. But no one foresaw that when it first came out. The first movie review I saw of it on TV news pegged it as a Space Western. Nothing phenomenal, just a really fun harmless movie.
At summer camp the older kids talked about it like crazy. Later in the fall, all the toys and merch came out.
I was a kid around 9 years old in 1972 when watching this at the outdoor theater. I could not imagine people being so cold, selfish and uncaring to just "blow-up" animals and plants. And the fact that the Earth no longer required nature!? NO! This movie made me cry and be angry. I never became a tree hugger. I do my best, however, to protect nature at every stage of my day to day life. All because of this movie!
then the film was successful. Because basically it's just propaganda. Hilariously ridiculous propaganda. Even at 10 I had to question pretty much everything about it.
@@gnericgnome4214 That's such a sad-sack bonehead take, it's just a frigging simple family film with a heavy-handed moral of the story, and you're getting all goofy about 'wull propaganda bad, me so mad at propaganda'. You boneheads just freak out on every rare occasion that you notice a hint of subtext of any kind, and then you screech a bunch of laughable bullshit because you think you're brilliant for noticing something obvious.
In hindsight the premise that an expert in botany and ecology couldn't figure out the reason the trees were dying was lack of sunlight is kinda ridiculous
@@gnericgnome4214 Yes, but in my opinion this film is promoting Conservation which is good not the Climate Change nonsensical propaganda. I like forests, trees, lakes, animals etc and most people do. For instance, if you have a passion for hunting, you'll need forests, for fishing you need clean bodies of water. Unfortunately, these concerns have been taken over by a corrupt environmental lobby, which pushes an agenda to control every aspect of our lives. However, I do relate to your concerns regarding propaganda. This comment is intended as friendly and conversational and not an attack on your viewpoint. I suppose I quite liked the movie and am therefore warm towards it.
Kelly, you don't have to be a tree hugger to be conscientious, as you are. We're around the same age. When I was in seventh grade, I first heard the term "Stewardship of the Earth" from one of my teachers, a Nun. It was during religion class. A simple lesson I have always kept in mind.
As I mentioned in your promo for this, I know a LOT about this film, more than all but a few, so you had a high bar to impress me. Happy to say, you did a great job and covered most of the important stuff. You could definitely dived deeper into the Odyssey carts and his father making those. Several good details on that could have been added here, like the transmission issues and how they solved them. The best part which you left out though was the giant FREEZING COLD tank of water where Dern had to shoot his bathing scene. That was pretty interesting and hilarious. As I recall that was brought up in the commentary track along with many other fascinating details.
Overall, you did a super job with this and even covered a couple of minor things I didn't know about, like what happened with the some of the props.
Thanks, Dan.
Coincidentally, Donald Sutherland died today ,I know he wasn't in silent running, but he and Bruce dern have been close to my heart for being in sci Fi movies since I was a kid.❤😂 Great job 👍
Awah, man. I'm shocked to read this. I remember Donald from the movie "Virus" released in 1999. He was such a good actor and I'm sad to read he is gone. R.I.P.
omg, another one,5 days ago! damn, I know its life but just now they seem to be dropping like flies!
Donald was I think a giant in the craft.
Whenever I hear the first notes of "Rejoice in the Sun" sung by Joan Baez, I break down in tears. It's not so much for the robots but the entire story line, that humanity could be so stupid as to put the earth in that dire situation. Sad to see that we are moving right along that same path. A movie that I wish everyone could see.
That's one of the saddest things about this move. It was prophetic in so many ways. Profit was King even then but the real shitty stuff hadn't happened yet... This was a warning shot across the bow that again fell into the silence and Greed...
Saw it for the first time in 1983 when it aired on TBS and fell in love. The first science-fiction movie that broke my heart.
Drones conspire to fleece him at cards: those cheeky messages from tapping feet. Wonderful. John K, UK.
This film has always been on my top ten, and Im 60yrs old, seen the best and the worest, and it is still at the top.
Its perfect for awhole lot of reasons, and not a lot of reasons.
If I ever wrote and directed a film.... it would look like this.
AND YES IT STILL MAKES ME CRY.
It may not be by name, but WALL-E was definitely a reimagining of Silent Running.
I never thought about that but yes you're probably right :-)
Oh yeah Wall-E had several inspirations. Including Johnny Five of "Short Circuit" but the drones of this movie were also part of the inspiration :)
@@KRAFTWERK2K6 It's not just the drones, though. In Silent Running the world is barren and the people live in enclosed cities. The only life is up in the domes out in space and a drone is left to take care of the last of it as the dome drifts off into space. With Wall-E they flipped some of this around. The Earth is barren and basically a trash heap. The people live out in space and a robot is sent to search for life on Earth. A robot then becomes the caretaker of the plant in the boot.
Was going to say same thing that WALL E was very much a re imaging of this brilliant film. Therefore WALL E was also a great film. Both made me cry.
And WALL-E was a fan of Beta too. (Fun fact: The animators made a mistake in WALL-E, what was clearly meant to be a domestic Betamax tape was actually a professional BetacamSP tape, which was probably what the animators had to hand and they didn't know the difference.)
Us old hippies still weep at the mention of the title. An amazing performance from Dern. Rejoice In The Sun is iconic Joan.
Joan Baez's voice is beautiful and fits that beautiful lady so well
Wow, it's hard to believe that Bruce Dern was so far down the list of actors chosen to play Freeman. He captures so perfectly the sort of over-earnest 20-something eco-hippie Sierra Club dude that I remember as YMCA camp counselors from that time period (one of them actually was a card-carrying Sierra Club member). Seemed like every Summer camp had one, you could tell that even the other counselors thought they were a bit odd. They were kinda lukewarm on stuff like tug-of-war, but when we'd do hiking or nature study they were in their element. The wide-eyed look, the mannerisms, the woo-woo voice, he just nails it. I'm sure he had examples among his friend group; His daughter Laura would have been 5 years old at the time, so maybe she had a Montessori School teacher or two to provide the model.
Watched it for the first time at a drive-in theater with my parents in Dana Pt. CA. One thing that always struck me as odd was that Lowell seemed to be the only astronaut on the mission who wasn't overcome with joy that they were going to blow the domes and go home. Was he the only granola person who managed to make it through the training program? Maybe it was a political thing, the mission was always going to end that way and the food-producing corporations that no doubt were responsible for getting rid of all natural plant life rigged it. Couldn't have too many loose cannons like Lowell out there.
I loved that movie, Bruce Dern was excellent
I haven’t seen this movie since I was a kid. From what I remember, it had a sad ending where Bruce Dern’s character dies and one of the robots is left by itself watering the plants.
Tearjerker of a film. Sci-fi movies usually don't do that.
It was a great drama as well as a Sci-Fi flick. Realistically, you probably would have appreciated the story no matter where it was set.
Was 12yrs old and Silent Running was and still is one of my favorite movies..thanks so much for going over this movie and what happened to the props etc..
Silent Running is one of my all-time FAVORITE films. I saw it when it was first released. Two gorgeous Joan Baez songs in the middle of a science fiction film. Who knew?
I was never a big fan of Joan Baez, just not my kind of music. (I like Jethro Tull Aqualung or locomotive breath)
But I got to see her when she opened for Bob Dylan in Orlando, back in the '70s.
And I can tell you after 70+ concerts she stand's above everyone with her presence.
She had an instant astonishing effect on the entire crowd like I have never seen.
I can still remember that it happened with her first sentence.
@@OhAncientOne
It's great that you got to experience that. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. I love that song.
@@OhAncientOne WTF???!!!!! JETHRO TULL ARE GREAT!!!!! Have you even listened to the albums 'Stormwatch', 'Crest of a Knave' or 'Broadsword and The Beast'????!!
@@TheGrumpyGuide You took what I said completely wrong. Jethro Tull IS what I listen to rather than Baez.
I drove 1,400mi to see them for the 5th time at Tampa Stadium, July 1976.
Best concert I've ever seen, and I have verified over 70 concerts on my spreadsheet list.
Just search Jethro Tull Tampa '76.
There's a 1hr 23min video from the concert I was at.
@@OhAncientOne No need for me to google anything. I love Jethro Tull. You should edit your original comment as it reads like you're alikening Tull to Baez.
I first saw this movie on the road in a La Quinta hotel in the middle of nowhere. It deeply affected me. It sounds like it has deeply affected a lot of people over the years!
I think it is important to recognize that composer Peter Schickele, Professor of Music Pathology at the University of Southern North Dakota at Hoople, was the brilliant comedic (and musical) mastermind behind the P.D.Q. Bach mythos. Through the 70s, we attended many of his Christmas concerts at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln center. He would make his entrance by swinging on a rope from the balcony or zip lining to his conductor's stand.
Silent Running was one of a small handful of films he wrote music for, and certainly the most well known.
For those who have never experienced P.D.Q. Bach... it is definitely worth a listen.
Dan... you should do a "Music" episode on this guy. He was a genius.
I saw P.D.Q. Bach in Toledo, OH at the Masonic Auditorium around 1980. What a hoot.
I must admit, there was a time I listened to NPR, mostly for Garrison Keillor. I do remeber hearing Schickele Mix. Very informative and entertaining. I remeber his sign offs: He quoted someone, Duke Ellington I think, "If it sounds good, it is goo." He also said, " It just don't mean a think if it ain't got certain je ne sais quoi."
When I went Universal Studios Tour, In about 1979 they had the Valley Forge in a warehouse we drove through and the tour guide said we don't know where this model came from. Of course I knew it was from one of my favorite movies the Valley Forge I yelled out. And he said " you don't know anything you stupid idiot." But several other people got pissed off and wanted to kick his ass. A couple of guys in the warehouse over heard this and came over asking questions about. So I told them about the movie and the T.V. show BSG. they said it was going up for auction. I don't know what happened after that. I think I saw a picture of it at some museum over in England. Best robot movie ever. Thanks for the video. You Rock. :) P.S. I made a paper drone model. Real cool. The planes are on the NET for free.
The score of Silent Running was composed by Peter Schickele (pronounced SHIK-uh-lee) who was also famous for his legendary creation, P.D.Q. Bach. He won four consecutive Grammy awards for best comedy album. Professor Schickele died in January of 2024. The man was a legend!
One of the few Joan Baez songs I can stomach!
Damn, I didn't know. I especially liked his WOOF, Hoople album and his song"Herr Kentuckian Oberst" sung in Germanic opera style. This man was a true genius. He had more albums than Martin Mull though Martin 's "I'm Flexible" song was hilarious. "I used to be plastic, but now I'm elastic, be flexible. " 😂😂
Saw it on network TV in the 70s. It blew my teenage mind. I became aware of the actor Bruce Dern through that movie.
I love this film. I haven't seen it for many years though.
I remember seeing it as a kid in the 70s and just bawling my eyes out at the end. The loneliness of that little drone at the end watering the plants. I wanted to hug it so bad.
Yeah, just thinking about it... Oh...got...something in...my eye...
I just bought this movie online… I had it on VHS but that was a long time ago. As a movie collector this is one of my favorites to own! Shine on!
If I could have one prop from any movie I have ever seen, it would be the watering can from this movie. It holds a special place in my heart.
Seriously, Han Solo's blaster he fried Greedo with, John Wayne's big loop lever action from Stagecoach, Schwarzenegger's sword from Conan, Rick Deckard's Voit Kampff machine to test for Replicant's in Blade Runner, Jim Rockford's gold Firebird and countless other iconic props and you'd pick a watering can from Silent Running?
Wow, and people say I'm screwed up.
@@dukecraig2402 With the little flowers on it. I'll take one too!
YES.... I would too. anybody who says otherwise must not know this film.
@@dukecraig2402...WE'LL HAVE TO TAKE YOUR WORD FOR IT...(!)
That moment sets me off every time 🥹🥺
My uncle ( Robert Shepherd) worked on Silent Running and many other films with Dykstra with their company called Apogee. Apogee's last movie was Dune, they didn't get any credit for the film since they left the production because the Mob was getting involved. I remember going to the shop and seeing countless boxes of models that they were taking apart to make space ships Valley Forge, Starwars, Battle Star, Space Balls and more. Many of the special effects crew in Apogee formed Industrial Light and Magic. Thanks for taking a look at this, it brings back many childhood memories.
A favourite as a kid. Loved Huey, Dewie and Louie... And as I got older, the message behind the movie did make sense... Bruce Dern always made a great quirky character.
Love your work, Dan. I remember reading somewhere that the special effects for Saturn used in Silent Running were originally made for 2001: A Space Odyssey. Saturn was the original destination of Discovery 1 as per the book. However at some stage in it's production, the destination was changed from Saturn to Jupiter, hence the Saturn effects were now surplus to requirements and ultimately were able to be used in Silent Running.
I believe it was because the saturn effects were too complex for 2001 which raises the question of how they could be ok for a budget film...maybe trumbull figured it out between jupiter and Saturn, so to speak!
I will always see these 3 robots watering plant on their long journey to somewhere. It’s a wonderful film. Thank you for this episode.
But only one survived.😢
The robot tapping his foot while waiting is classic.
I own a DVD copy of this film. Special features are great. Especially an entire documentary made about the filming. Fascinating.
A later Blu-Ray was also released, and a couple of years ago a new 2K restoration was done, which is really superb.
I saw this movie on tv as a kid. It fascinated, terrified, and broke my heart at the end. Love it.
I couldn't agree more, it was "Star Wars", not "A New Hope". I guess that means I'm old. I was 17 when Star Wars came out.
Nick The Lounge Singer never mentioned, "A New Hope" in his rendition of The Star Wars theme. That's good enough for me.
I was 7 when Star Wars came out. My daughter and I argue about "A New Hope" all the time. LOL.
There are only three Star Wars movies. And they should not be numbered as IV, V, VI; in fact no numbering at all.
Me too!! I was 17 when my friends and I watched it in the theater! Best times!!
the movie only became A New Hope during the 1997 re release here in the UK
Dan - Recently discovered your site here. I gotta tell you - I am Really LOVING IT ! In the several episodes I have watched so far you have really been doing a fine job in all aspects of the show. And Kudos on your research.
Watched the Starlog episode & Loved it. I am much older than you - I have several boxes of all the early issues & one of these days I will get down there to my back room & go through everything. I will let you know what I find.
Keep up the fine work. You are really getting better & better all the time.
Thank you so much for your kind words and support! I'm thrilled to hear that you're enjoying the channel. It's fantastic that you have those early issues - I'd love to hear about what you find when you go through them. Cheers, Dan
So glad you covered this movie. I watched it as a pre-teen on TV, always stuck with me. And yes, always just "Star Wars."
I did get to see one of the surviving domes that was touring the country in the 1970s at a sci-fi convention. You don't really appreciate how much thought, work, and detailing went into them, even though you can only get glimpses of their insides in the movie. Also in the same con exhibition was the Drone 2 Huey prop/outfit, complete with the articulate arm set up so that it was deployed out and holding a winning hand of cards, just like in the movie!
Dan, one problem with your vlogs, they always leave me not wanting more but needing more. Your vlogs are so thorough and complete your answering questions I didn't even think of asking. Thank you for all your research and effort and of course the time that must go into each and every one. YOU ROCK IT BROTHER!!
Yaayyyy!! Thanks so much, Dan! I'm putting on my Blu-Ray of Silent Running as soon as I'm done watching this! :D
This film actually made me cry as a child....I am pretty sure it still would.
15:39 There was this series titled The Starlost starring Keir Dullea and I do believe those Dome designs were also used for the ship in that series. There were about two dozen domes and each dome had evolved its own human culture. The series aired about a year after this movie. Edit: Oh yeah forgot that show was also Trumbull''s.
I first watched this on TV when a was a too young to properly understand it. I do remember crying at the end when the droid was left alone at the end 😔
I saw it network tv a year after I saw Starlost. After he named the little robots Huey, Luey, and Duey I was emotionally invested. As the movie ended, I cried. I was 7 yrs old.
Such a sad story...always made me tear up.
Many moons ago our first server farm was run by three iMac G3's rescued from a dumpster. They were instantly dubbed Hewy, Dewy and Lewy for obvious reasons. This however lead to some awkward conversations with authorities on account of us calling them "the kids". When a nosy neighbor heard me say the kids will be fine locked in the garage for a week while we go on holiday all hell broke loose.
Absolutely one of my favorite SCI FI movies from my childhood.
The way they made the robots seem to have human characteristics was spot on.
Wow I never noticed the big corporate names unless it was subconscious but I was a kid.
Wow how cool to know how the robots were set up that never occurred to me as a kid.
Loved it since I saw it at 15 in '81.
Message was ignored then and many STILL want to ignore it.
No streaming platform is playing it.
I got the DVD so I would never be without it.✌️
Remember watching in a small theater in my hometown when it came out. Thanks again for going to memory lane 😅
An absolute favourite of mine, even if it’s nearly as old as me. Watch it again Dan, it opens up with every rewatch. Thanks for the deep dive, looking forward to the next one.
Bruce Dern said this was his most favourite movie he worked on. He also said he was a big science fiction fan and would have loved to have appeared in Star Wars, which was another movie he liked.
Check him out in the "Outer Limits" tv show episode the "Zanti Misfits", 1963. He must have been about 24 in that episode, great one it is indeed, and may have launched his career! ;D
Bruce Dern would be in anything. I doubt the guy ever said no. Want to be in the movie Bruce, Sure! But we haven't even told you what it's about yet. Don't care.
Thank you so much for doing a video on Silent Running. I had seen it on TV as a kid once, but no one I ever talked to about movies had ever seen it. This had lots of good information about the movie, and now I will have to get the 4K Blu-ray to see it again.
What was really interesting with the drone costumes is that if you pay attention, you will see that the costumes were made to the actors, and each drone costume is different not only in color, but also size. How cool is that 😊
This is just how AI wants you to feel....you dopes
Yep, AI attracts _ALL_ ⬆️the dopes interested in the making of these now classic films.
@@michaelparks6120What the hell are you talking about?
@@michaelparks6120what does AI have to do with a film made in the 70's?
@@michaelparks6120This has nothing to do with Ai . What planet are you on😳
saw this when it first came out. Very unique. Loved Joan's music. Misted up at the end with the loving care of the forest and her solo. Gonna buy the DVD
Footage of the Valley Forge was also used in the Battlestar Galactica remake mini-series where the president is talking to a little girl just prior the cylons showing up.
I only discovered this channel recently and I have to say, I _love_ your whole production. It really, *really* reminds me of old school Sci-Fi Channel, particularly the old "Sci-Fi Buzz" show. I've already gone through pretty much all your videos including stuff that I thought I wouldn't care about just because the way you talk about it is so comfy and nostalgic. Of course, when it IS something I'm familiar with like Silent Running, I can't click fast enough! Keep it up; your channel is awesome!
This has always been on of my very favorite movies.
A few years earlier my dad, who worked in the film department at the university, took me to see 2001: A Space Odyssey. This greatly increased my interest in science fiction but also in special effects. I got to see Silent Running after a couple of years researching everything II could about 2001. That's where I recognized Douglas Trumbull from and I got to know John Dykstra from this movie. I think the first copy of Cinefex I got gave me a ton of detail about the production of Silent Running. I also became a huge Bruce Dern fan after this. OF COURSE we all knew about Laura Dern. She's pretty great too.
I think the process of cannibalizing bits of styrene model kits started with the models used in 2001. It's a great way to give more detail to supposedly large surfaces in close-up.
I was also familiar with the brand names showing up everywhere from 2001. This just gave Silent Running street cred. I saw this as at least the emotional followup to 2001. This time with a '70s environmental angle.
It's clear in the movie that they were having trouble with the hydraulic arms of the droids, I mean drones.
They were an entirely new charming kind of screen robot. For the very first time, not threatening at all.
The props I was most interested in at the time were the polyhedral shipping containers with all the different logos on them. But a lot of them didn't even survive those go-carts during shooting.
I guess it would be like looking for specific set rock props on Star Trek.
Star Wars made such an impression by giving a a science fiction world that looked "lived in," but compared to 2001, Silent Running did it first.
I really appreciated the aircraft carrier setting for this movie since these ships were supposed to be the far future version of much the same thing.
I really had no idea it was a low budget production. They clearly put every penny right out there on the screen where we could see it. The drones working outside the ship looked just great. Those forest domes looked just great, even their personal quarters, the hangar bay/freight warehouse, and the control room all looked really great.
This is my holy trinity of EXCELLENT special effects: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Silent Running, and Star Wars. Few other movies from the time even compare, though the original Battelstar Galactica really tried.
The look of the models is relatively consistent and their use is superb each time. Of course, George Lucas was doing something completely new that kept me going back to watch that movie twenty two times that summer the way we all were then.
First video of yours I have seen. Awesome job! I LOVED Silent Running. Big impact on me. Huge Bruce Dern fan ever since. Huey Duey and Louie were great, somehow an emotional bond formed with these robot characters. I don't recall any specific music from the movie, but I suspect it played a big role in the emotional connection.
As a kid I saw 'Silent Running' on TV, about mid-to-late '70's. A buddy of mine was the only other one in our group of friends that saw it and knows about the movie at all. I found a copy on DVD in a bargain bin for 2 or 3 dollars and grabbed it. Movies like this, 'Blade Runner', 'THX-1138', and others stand on their own, and are not movies that ever need to be remade. And if they do, I simply won't watch it.
Jeff, do you have any opinion on the political whitewashing of the movie "The Day The Earth Stood Still"? Michael Rennie's 1951 version was superb for its day, with an interesting mix of adventure, suspense and politics. But the later remake (with Keanu Reeves as one of its 'victims') had most of the political stuff completely rewritten to reflect American corporate and military culture. I still haven't added the 1951 version to my movie collection, I keep meaning to try to find it but I never seem to get around to it.
I am pretty sure this is my favorite movie of all time. I don't know why, I just love it. Thanks for this presentation - it was remarkable!
Standing ovation! Wonderful movie. I too hope the robot trio are out there tending gardens.
Just one of them, sadly.
I need to sit down and watch this again. IIRC this was going to be redone sometime soon but not sure the project got off the ground. Saw it when I was maybe nine, still recall watching it and being mesmerized as a child. Left a big impact on me always as it showed that science fiction could also have “heart”.
Great retrospective on a movie I've loved since I saw it in 1973 (on an airplane, so crying over the robots was weird, but then soon every kid on the plane was crying).
The adults just hid their tears well.
Thankyou for doing this video, and managing not to spoil the movie...and because I don't think I can manage a similar feat here, I'll be brief!
Brucie has a knack for playing characters of such strong idealism that they frequently end up as...er...the goodie with, say, a gun, and he's getting chased around inside a field of maize plants giving visual cover if no appreciable physical protection from the many, many bullets of the ostensible baddies who are hunting him..... *cough* ...but guess what...?! He manages to pull off a miraculous escape and then...oh, just watch any 1980s Bruce Dern movie and you'll find out soon enough.
Douglas Trumbull does a fantastic job with "Silent Running"; his experience on "2001" stood him in good stead to do the VFX and they're really superb, especially since this was still before we had the exquisite pictures from the Pioneer and Voyager probes to inform us properly about how Saturn appears up close and personal in real life, so Douglas does a superb and fairly prescient job of bringing the planet to the screen. For what it's worth, "2001" originally involved Saturn instead of Jupiter, but the change was made because it was thought that the audience would have been confused by the gravity-assist slingshot manoeuvre at Jupiter, and thus it not being the destination. God, the condescending, patronising, insulting of the intelligence of the audience back then (As well as now, frequently, too...) is really rather disgusting...but I guess it came down to "Bums on seats love!" yet again...grrr!
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Another of my all-time FAVS!!! Thank you, Sir!
Thanks Dan, is certainly one of my favourite classic sci-fi films. The Jone Baez rejoice in the sun was a haunting song in the film still gives me goose bumps today when I hear if. Given the mess we are making of our environment today the film has even more significance.
I have been looking forward to this episode. Thanks! I remember seeing Silent Running on TV in the early 1970’s when I was around 10 years old. This movie has always been a favorite. It is simultaneously breathtaking and tragic. I cried at the end also. This is one of those science fiction movies like Forbidden Planet and 2001 that was foundational for so much of what came afterwards. Yes, Huey, Dewey and Louie were the original astromech droids.
Great review, and brought back a lot of great memories. I saw this when I was in high school when it was released and it made a huge impact on me. I had no idea that Peter Schickele (a.k.a. P.D.Q. Bach) wrote the soundtrack -- that only makes me love it more as I was (and am) a huge fan. A friend of mine at the time and I wrote and recorded a respectful, almost full length audio parody called "Silenced Punning": now Screwy, Chewy and Phooey are all lost to antiquity.
And YES I did CRY at the ending!
The Star Lost, a Canadian TV Show, produced by Douglas Trumbull, also released in early 70's had a starship very similar to the ones used in this film.
Couldn’t agree more, it’s just Star Wars. Great video.
I loved this one as a kid, but I didn't realize it was made in '72. I thought it was from the 80's.
And Laura Dern's mother is Academy-nominated and Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning actress Diane Ladd. Known for multiple films and TV shows including Chinatown, Rambling Rose, and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.
They are ALL related.
Diane is no relation to Alan Ladd. However, her mother (Laura’s grandmother) was an actress.
Wow, great episode! Lots of info I hadn't heard or read about. I know I saw it in '72, or maybe '73. And when you said it was published by Scholastic, it definitely sparked a memory, I'm sure I had that book.
I have always loved this movie since 1972. It resonates with me. It was groundbreaking in the years before Star Wars. Bruce Dern carries that whole movie by himself. And least we not forget the Joan Baez song. Pure Heaven.
There were only what 4 actors in the whole movie. Besides the robots. They were on a ship in deep space. So kinda isolated. The other crew members were basically cast as the heels.
Great Soundtrack! Loved Huey, Dewey, and ill fated Louie! Saw it in the theater in 1972. The theater manager gave me the movie poster when the films run ended. I still have it (framed of course)!
The films soundtrack was released on a coloured vinyl LP in the 1970s. Green vinyl of course 🙂
YES! I bought it brand new, and it's still in my LP collection. Joan Baez singing "Rejoice In The Sun"is pure beauty.
@@hungadunga523 Still have my copy. Got to interview Joan Baez in the 90's and we talked about her experience with Silent Running.
When I saw you covered this film I clicked on it without hesitation. This flick affected me deeply, and the music sung by Jian Baez was haunting. I felt Bruce Dern was perfect for the part (and for The Zante Misfits haha). Thanks for this deep dive! Much appreciated.
I am so glad that there are SO many fans here AND positive comments. I have tried to give my knowledge of this movies where I can to all of you.
Saw it as a kid
Always worried about one-legged Louie floating around in space all alone
This was a fantastic movie
Really enjoy your presentation of the great SiFi films
I'm 73 and still enjoy rewatching the great ones. The very first movie I ever saw was Forbidden Planet
I was 5 years old and saw the poster of Robby as I was with my mother shopping as we past a theater. She allowed me to see it
When I got home I told my sister who was 13 all about it. My mouth wouldn't stop running at the dinner table. My sister turned to my Fad and asked if he would give us a ride back to the theater so she could see it. So I got to see it a second time on thevsame day
Been hooked on SciFi ever since. Bright Blessings and be well.
Went on a school outing in 1972 to see a showing of 1968's "Romeo and Juliet". They were having an issue with the projector so to keep us for becoming unruly, they fired up "Silent Running" (which was showing at theater). We made it about 15 minutes into the film before they ripped it away to start "Romeo and Juliet" (though an excellent movie). I still bear the scars. Of course I went back to see it.
Dan, of all the vids you've created that i've watched so far this held my interest the most. I remember hearing of it upon its release but i wasn't much of a movie-goer. But this was a watershed flick as you enlightened me, and poignant as well. Reading what other viewers commented confirms this.
A most excellent episode! The first and last time I saw this movie was on the "ABC Sunday Night Movie" in 1973.
I miss those sunday night movies on tv. Television now is nothing but “reality show” garbage.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. One of my favorite scifi films. I cry every time I watch it. Something about a drone dying I guess. Loved this!
Clever movie, not made to be a franchise thankfully. Thank you for another fun deep dive.
Thanks for featuring this. A great movie, and now I know a lot more about it. Sadly, there will never be anything like this again.
This video arrived just in time to occupy me while I wait to be discharged from the hospital!
Thanks, Dan!
In regards to kit bashing to make the large models there is a couple of examples from 8:52 - 8:55. In the tower like structure under the large antenna array in upper-right hand are 4 doors/hatches that one would find on the turret of a German Panzer III or IV tank from WWII. In the lower left-hand corner are 6 circular units that one could find on the engine grill plates where exhaust cooling fan were used on the engines of Tiger and Panther tanks.
In SW one can also find the whole engine grill plates being used on models of the Star Destroyers and a couple spots on the Millenium Falcon. 🐯