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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
@@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.)
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 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.
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."
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.
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 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.
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 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.
Even as a kid, I never understood the point of loading flora and fauna into domes and launching them into space to wait and see if Earth's environment could be "fixed."
Whisper quietly past the Graveyard.. this is a Perfect Vehicle for Agenda driven movies these days.. even though I don't think it was all about Environmentalism.. I think that was just the excuse he clinged to after the first murder. He was something of an Activist and an Anti-Hero.. its something Hollywood would very much like to use as a platform today. It fits more in the category of MASH or One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest during that time period.. that it was disguised as SciFi attracted a small audience.. but not enough that I think they seriously try to re-make it.
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!
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.
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!
Good script, good acting, good directing. You don't need a huge budget when you have those three. Modern films seem to have lost sight of this simple truth.
So true. I think it's about time some studio took the shotgun approach of many small budget films instead of a few big budget movies again. Then we might get something worth watching and some new talent and ideas put into circulation.
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.
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 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.
I remember watching this in the theater when I was a kid and thinking, why would anyone want to get rid of trees? We need them to breathe. No I’m not a tree hugger.
Lol, I've seen a couple comments here saying this film made them love nature/trees, denied being "tree huggers". The term "tree hugger" has a negative connotation for some reason...
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.
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.
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.
Silent Running is an absolute classic. Saw it on tv as a child (must have been 1975 or so), and just fell in love with it. An interesting connection with 2001 A Space Odyssey, is that in the book, the Discovery went to Saturn, but the film makers couldn’t figure out a realistic way to make Saturns rings, so they went to Jupiter instead. For Silent Running, they had worked it out, and the results were spectacular.
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.
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.
An amazingly forward thinking story line. Just turned 50 myself, and this movie at a young age was added to my long list of films that were etched into my life.
Thank you. 😢 I loved that movie! I was in Junior High School when "Silent Running" was released in theaters, and it inspired my imagination to soar to heights that I'd never believed possible. I spent 30 years of my life in the Aerospace field, and I know that "Silent Running" played a part in my decision to choose Aerospace as my vocational destiny. ❤
As a young kid, I was into all kinds of Science Fiction, notably Star Trek. I remember this movie on TV, and I remember crying my eyes out. Professionally I am a Biologist and life-long naturalist and nature photographer so i have a deep affinity for the themes in this movie. I am also a conservationist and I suspect the genesis of that feeling in my heart comes out of this movie.
I was lucky enough to see it in the theater. I was 11. When I got home that night, I looked up at the stars and thought of Dewey; watering his plants, drifting through space forever
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!!
Underrated in my opinion and holds a special place in my heart. I was 11 in 72, my mom was in the hospital for a minor surgery and my dad took me to see this film. Thanks Dad.
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.
This movie was very impactful to my 12 year old mind. It truly helped me to be a more caring person and mindful of the environment. And yes I cry every time I have seen it.
Very Astute.. at the time the British Planetary Society was considering the requirements for a Fusion Powered Starship, a Space Probe fueled near Jupiter with Helium3.. and that it would require onboard drones to service it throughout its mission to the nearest stars. One of the thoughts was the intellect of the drones would have been low, or kept low so it could not learn and become sentient and vulnerable to going insane on the long voyage. I think back then some thought it morally reprehensible to create a mechanical slave that was deliberately limited to serve man. That they showed up in this movie and served as center piece when Lowell upgraded their memory capacities and skillsets and broke some of their safe guards to enable them to learn and become something else was interesting. In the end saving the forest, but condemning Duey to an endless journey was somewhat cruel, but the movie was supposed to end with Duey meeting an alien starship.. and end with a cliff hanger..
This movie had a different mood. It brought tears to my eye's that felt like a broken heart. It did have a "simple life" feel to it. The music hit home, and the special effects at the end were some of the best I've seen. 4K? You bet.
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.
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)!
I saw this movie at the drive in when it first came out. My Dad and mom, and brothers and sister piled in the wrangler station wagon. We took some baloney sandwiches and sodas. I'm being the youngest sat in the front seat between my parents while my two brothers and sister sat in the back seat. I was about six or seven years old at the time. I was amazed by this movie and couldn't take my eyes off it. Although my brothers and sister were just fooling around in the backseat, bored I guess but not me. At the ending of the movie when Dewey was left to care for the forest and Joan Baez sang that most touching song the tears started rolling out. Great memories of my family being together.
I was in high school when this film came out. That era was big on the environment with celebrities like John Denver and Jacques Cousteau highlighting nature, the formation of the EPA, the phasing out of leaded gasoline and anti pollution/litter initiatives (remember the Native American shedding a tear?) I loved that movie, but being 1972, you had to wait for broadcast TV to air it. There were no video recordings, Netflix or on-demand downloads. While I don't have a copy on VHS, DVD or Blu Ray, I do have a copy on Laserdisc. Not-so-much a player to view it, but... a nice display piece with the 12inch square disc sleeve which is the same size as a Vinyl LP. Great nostalgic item to frame.
One of the most impresssive movies ever. It changed my life.. i became a gardener and still love it !Bruce deserved an Oscar award for his perfomance. In my humble opinion.
So many people saying about how this film made them cry (Yes, me as well.) I think that is a true testament to the acting in this movie not only of Bruce Dern, but Mark Persons, Steven Brown, Cheryl Sparks and Larry Whisenhunt who brought the drones to life and made us cry about robots! How many other films have made us cry over robots?
Yes, highly underrated. It had a powerful effect on me as a 1970s kid. I was inspired to become an Environmentalist in 80s as a college student and remain so to this day.
Sorry, Dan. But I think if there is one movie who’s message needs to be retold to this world and where we are headed, it’s Silent Running. You could even get get Laura Dern to play her father’s character - how cool is that !
Great idea! Someone should write a screenplay where Washington basically implodes with all the extreme Right and extreme Left bullshit coming to a head with a nuclear attack by both North Korea and Russia on the US (it may very well happen at this point!), post-apocolyptic launching of a couple of secret space stations that have been set up for this purpose, and an evil character in place of Joseph Campanella's Berkshire Captain character who's actually a Tea Party Reugnant who killed the real Berkshire Captain and took his place so he could sabotage the mission. Something like that could work if done right, and Laura Dern as Lowell would be totally CLASSIC!
It had the feel that it fitted in the same cinematic universe as ALIEN and Outland, just something about the flight uniforms, instrumentation, commercial space ships etc... the movie is highly underrated and carried a relevant message that hasn't really changed to this very day.
One of my favorite Pre Star Wars Sci-Fi movies. I loved it because I had to use my imagination to fill in a lot of the plot gaps which was fine. Fast forward to the 1990s I was on Active Duty in the Navy serving aboard USS Valley Forge CG-50, sadly there were never any references to the film anywhere aboard the ship and she was a target in a live fire Missile Exercise and is now a man made reef laying on the bottom of the ocean floor. The curse of ships bearing the name Valley Forge!
I LOVED this! And I loved the movie when it came out. I think I saw it in 1973 or 1974, when I was 8-9 years old, and then a few times in the 80's and 90's. First time was the Saturday matinee at the Little Rock Air Force Base (Arkansas) base theater. Started at noon. Kids got in for 25 cents. I still remember crying so hard! Heartbreaking and poignant. Bruce Dern was great, and my heart was with him. I love the poker scene!! The little robots hissing, haha. Thanks Dan -- for the awesome research (I know it's gotta take a lot of time!), and for continuing to bring back simpler times in life.
I was lucky enough to meet and work with Doug Trumbull when he executive produced a film written and directed by my good friend in 2017. I was a life-long fan, and totally star struck when I got to tour his home studio in CT. Such a nice guy, kept working towards developing innovations in photography and film presentation, really sad he passed away before his time. As I was told by my friend the director, he got to read Doug's treatment for a potential sequel to Silent Running, but in his oppinion it was pretty problematic. They unfortunately never got any further on developing it before Doug's passing. So greatful I got to meet one of my cinematic heroes while he was still alive, and one of my greatest treasures I own now is my copy of Blade Runner autographed by Doug, Richard Yuricich and Rocco Gioffri, who all worked on our film.
I watched this movie at the grand Yallourn Picture Theater Victoria Australia in mid 1973. With me was my first ever girlfriend and a best mate with his girlfriend. "Silent Running" was the 2nd matinee and the main matinee movie was "The Way We were". Strangely both movies seemed to tell the same story. One in the past of a young activist fighting for a political agenda to bring about a new and better world. The second about a future world where human kind pillages the planet and relocates the last remaining habitats in domes to orbit in space - and the activist who fights to save them but eventually sends them into deep space to seed a future new and better world. Both remarkable movies encapsulated the beauty and the futility of our species, and their message is probably far more relevant today than it has ever been. Thank you Mr Dern, you have a place in eternity along with your habitat domes.
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.
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
Actually, the "original" Star Wars opening crawl did say "Chapter 4 A New Hope:, because Lucas wanted a feel of a movie serial, and was hoping to get the other parts made, and decided to start in the middle...
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😢😢😢😢
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
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.
Dank
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.
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.
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. 😂
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!
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.
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
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
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.
"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.
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 💔💔💔
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.)
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. " 😂😂
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.
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."
The robot tapping his foot while waiting is classic.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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...
Even as a kid, I never understood the point of loading flora and fauna into domes and launching them into space to wait and see if Earth's environment could be "fixed."
Nuclear fallout
Let's hope they never attempt a remake.
They'd just throw in a bunch of giant exploding robots.
Whisper quietly past the Graveyard.. this is a Perfect Vehicle for Agenda driven movies these days.. even though I don't think it was all about Environmentalism.. I think that was just the excuse he clinged to after the first murder. He was something of an Activist and an Anti-Hero.. its something Hollywood would very much like to use as a platform today. It fits more in the category of MASH or One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest during that time period.. that it was disguised as SciFi attracted a small audience.. but not enough that I think they seriously try to re-make it.
They remade Silent Running. It's called Wall-e
I would love to see a good remake, the message is more vital than ever
@@shaneking5610 There is no such thing as a good remake anymore.
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!
It's weird. Every time I watch Silent Running and it ends, massive pollen and onion fumes suddenly appear in the air.
Same. Funny how that happens. 😏😭
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.
Such a sad story...always made me tear up.
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!
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.
Good script, good acting, good directing. You don't need a huge budget when you have those three. Modern films seem to have lost sight of this simple truth.
So true. I think it's about time some studio took the shotgun approach of many small budget films instead of a few big budget movies again. Then we might get something worth watching and some new talent and ideas put into circulation.
This film actually made me cry as a child....I am pretty sure it still would.
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.
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 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.
I remember watching this in the theater when I was a kid and thinking, why would anyone want to get rid of trees? We need them to breathe. No I’m not a tree hugger.
Property rights. Rights given by God, and enforced by pigs paid by your taxes.
They wear small hats, preach tolerance and want us to accept new ideas.
Lol, I've seen a couple comments here saying this film made them love nature/trees, denied being "tree huggers". The term "tree hugger" has a negative connotation for some reason...
If you hug a Jeffrey Pine, and put your nose into the crack in the bark and inhale you will smell the most wonderful vanilla like scent in the world.
@@kenlee5509 Never met him. buh-dum bum.
@@kenlee5509 Yep, same with Ponderosa pines, which look very similar to Jeffrey pines (same reddish bark -- and same vanilla smell).
Drones conspire to fleece him at cards: those cheeky messages from tapping feet. Wonderful. John K, UK.
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.😢
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.
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.
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.
Saw it as a kid
Always worried about one-legged Louie floating around in space all alone
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.
Silent Running is an absolute classic. Saw it on tv as a child (must have been 1975 or so), and just fell in love with it. An interesting connection with 2001 A Space Odyssey, is that in the book, the Discovery went to Saturn, but the film makers couldn’t figure out a realistic way to make Saturns rings, so they went to Jupiter instead. For Silent Running, they had worked it out, and the results were spectacular.
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.
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.
The telescope was an original orange Celestron C8
An amazingly forward thinking story line. Just turned 50 myself, and this movie at a young age was added to my long list of films that were etched into my life.
Joe Campanella. Master _space freighter voice_
Thanks! I didn't know that--I sometimes *thought* I recognized it, but was never certain.
Valley Forge, come in Valley Forge. Lowell, you there? Or something like that. Probably been 40+ years since I saw it.
Thank you. 😢 I loved that movie! I was in Junior High School when "Silent Running" was released in theaters, and it inspired my imagination to soar to heights that I'd never believed possible. I spent 30 years of my life in the Aerospace field, and I know that "Silent Running" played a part in my decision to choose Aerospace as my vocational destiny. ❤
Can't believe you didn't mention that "Mystery Science Theater 3000" was loosely based on "Silent Running."
Remember watching in a small theater in my hometown when it came out. Thanks again for going to memory lane 😅
"Can you hear me? Can you hear me running?
Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you?" ~Paul Carrack
I love films like this that fly under the radar, but allow you to say to someone, "You gotta see this"
As a young kid, I was into all kinds of Science Fiction, notably Star Trek. I remember this movie on TV, and I remember crying my eyes out. Professionally I am a Biologist and life-long naturalist and nature photographer so i have a deep affinity for the themes in this movie. I am also a conservationist and I suspect the genesis of that feeling in my heart comes out of this movie.
This was a fantastic movie
I was lucky enough to see it in the theater. I was 11. When I got home that night, I looked up at the stars and thought of Dewey; watering his plants, drifting through space forever
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!!
Underrated in my opinion and holds a special place in my heart. I was 11 in 72, my mom was in the hospital for a minor surgery and my dad took me to see this film. Thanks Dad.
I own it on DVD and watch it every so often!
I was watching it again this morning to get ready for this.
The surgery scene and the poker scene remains two examples of my favorite "robot" scenes in all of cinema (that I've seen so far).
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.
This movie was very impactful to my 12 year old mind. It truly helped me to be a more caring person and mindful of the environment. And yes I cry every time I have seen it.
I thought the drones looked like a Polaroid One Step camera
Very Astute.. at the time the British Planetary Society was considering the requirements for a Fusion Powered Starship, a Space Probe fueled near Jupiter with Helium3.. and that it would require onboard drones to service it throughout its mission to the nearest stars. One of the thoughts was the intellect of the drones would have been low, or kept low so it could not learn and become sentient and vulnerable to going insane on the long voyage. I think back then some thought it morally reprehensible to create a mechanical slave that was deliberately limited to serve man. That they showed up in this movie and served as center piece when Lowell upgraded their memory capacities and skillsets and broke some of their safe guards to enable them to learn and become something else was interesting. In the end saving the forest, but condemning Duey to an endless journey was somewhat cruel, but the movie was supposed to end with Duey meeting an alien starship.. and end with a cliff hanger..
An early draft had the robot hand the Aliens a flower from the garden.
This movie had a different mood. It brought tears to my eye's that felt like a broken heart. It did have a "simple life" feel to it. The music hit home, and the special effects at the end were some of the best I've seen. 4K? You bet.
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.
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)!
I still remember seeing that movie in the theater back in 1972
I saw this movie at the drive in when it first came out. My Dad and mom, and brothers and sister piled in the wrangler station wagon. We took some baloney sandwiches and sodas. I'm being the youngest sat in the front seat between my parents while my two brothers and sister sat in the back seat. I was about six or seven years old at the time. I was amazed by this movie and couldn't take my eyes off it. Although my brothers and sister were just fooling around in the backseat, bored I guess but not me. At the ending of the movie when Dewey was left to care for the forest and Joan Baez sang that most touching song the tears started rolling out. Great memories of my family being together.
This video arrived just in time to occupy me while I wait to be discharged from the hospital!
Thanks, Dan!
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.
Couldn’t agree more, it’s just Star Wars. Great video.
I was in high school when this film came out. That era was big on the environment with celebrities like John Denver and Jacques Cousteau highlighting nature, the formation of the EPA, the phasing out of leaded gasoline and anti pollution/litter initiatives (remember the Native American shedding a tear?) I loved that movie, but being 1972, you had to wait for broadcast TV to air it. There were no video recordings, Netflix or on-demand downloads.
While I don't have a copy on VHS, DVD or Blu Ray, I do have a copy on Laserdisc. Not-so-much a player to view it, but... a nice display piece with the 12inch square disc sleeve which is the same size as a Vinyl LP. Great nostalgic item to frame.
Standing ovation! Wonderful movie. I too hope the robot trio are out there tending gardens.
Just one of them, sadly.
One of the most impresssive movies ever. It changed my life.. i became a gardener and still love it !Bruce deserved an Oscar award for his perfomance. In my humble opinion.
Even after as many times as I've seen this, that final lonely scene in that dome still jerks the tears from my eyes.
So many people saying about how this film made them cry (Yes, me as well.) I think that is a true testament to the acting in this movie not only of Bruce Dern, but Mark Persons, Steven Brown, Cheryl Sparks and Larry Whisenhunt who brought the drones to life and made us cry about robots! How many other films have made us cry over robots?
Kitbashing and Greeblies are time honored traditions in model building.
Star Trek: The Next Generation in the late 1980's still used Model Kits, and Built and re-Built the BORG Cube to terrifying affect.
What's a "Greeblie"?
@@olliefoxx7165 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greeble
Yes, highly underrated. It had a powerful effect on me as a 1970s kid. I was inspired to become an Environmentalist in 80s as a college student and remain so to this day.
Sorry, Dan. But I think if there is one movie who’s message needs to be retold to this world and where we are headed, it’s Silent Running. You could even get get Laura Dern to play her father’s character - how cool is that !
Great idea! Someone should write a screenplay where Washington basically implodes with all the extreme Right and extreme Left bullshit coming to a head with a nuclear attack by both North Korea and Russia on the US (it may very well happen at this point!), post-apocolyptic launching of a couple of secret space stations that have been set up for this purpose, and an evil character in place of Joseph Campanella's Berkshire Captain character who's actually a Tea Party Reugnant who killed the real Berkshire Captain and took his place so he could sabotage the mission. Something like that could work if done right, and Laura Dern as Lowell would be totally CLASSIC!
Nah. You re-tell the story by putting the DVD in their Christmas stocking.
The best way to kill a great memory is to do a re-make or a sequel. Some movies stand alone and should be left that way.
It had the feel that it fitted in the same cinematic universe as ALIEN and Outland, just something about the flight uniforms, instrumentation, commercial space ships etc... the movie is highly underrated and carried a relevant message that hasn't really changed to this very day.
One of my favorite Pre Star Wars Sci-Fi movies. I loved it because I had to use my imagination to fill in a lot of the plot gaps which was fine. Fast forward to the 1990s I was on Active Duty in the Navy serving aboard USS Valley Forge CG-50, sadly there were never any references to the film anywhere aboard the ship and she was a target in a live fire Missile Exercise and is now a man made reef laying on the bottom of the ocean floor. The curse of ships bearing the name Valley Forge!
From what I've heard the original Valley Forge was no picnic either.
I LOVED this! And I loved the movie when it came out. I think I saw it in 1973 or 1974, when I was 8-9 years old, and then a few times in the 80's and 90's. First time was the Saturday matinee at the Little Rock Air Force Base (Arkansas) base theater. Started at noon. Kids got in for 25 cents. I still remember crying so hard! Heartbreaking and poignant. Bruce Dern was great, and my heart was with him. I love the poker scene!! The little robots hissing, haha. Thanks Dan -- for the awesome research (I know it's gotta take a lot of time!), and for continuing to bring back simpler times in life.
One of my all time favorite movie. I showed it at my Navy base on a reel movie projector. As with many others, the ending made me cry.
Please find out what happened to dark star
Hello bomb
Nerd Fact: Special Effects Master John Dykstra is the father of cosplayer/gamer/nerd-goddess Chloe Dykstra.
Loved this movie from my childhood and watch it every so often.
I was lucky enough to meet and work with Doug Trumbull when he executive produced a film written and directed by my good friend in 2017. I was a life-long fan, and totally star struck when I got to tour his home studio in CT. Such a nice guy, kept working towards developing innovations in photography and film presentation, really sad he passed away before his time. As I was told by my friend the director, he got to read Doug's treatment for a potential sequel to Silent Running, but in his oppinion it was pretty problematic. They unfortunately never got any further on developing it before Doug's passing. So greatful I got to meet one of my cinematic heroes while he was still alive, and one of my greatest treasures I own now is my copy of Blade Runner autographed by Doug, Richard Yuricich and Rocco Gioffri, who all worked on our film.
A brilliant movie
I watched this movie at the grand Yallourn Picture Theater Victoria Australia in mid 1973. With me was my first ever girlfriend and a best mate with his girlfriend. "Silent Running" was the 2nd matinee and the main matinee movie was "The Way We were". Strangely both movies seemed to tell the same story. One in the past of a young activist fighting for a political agenda to bring about a new and better world. The second about a future world where human kind pillages the planet and relocates the last remaining habitats in domes to orbit in space - and the activist who fights to save them but eventually sends them into deep space to seed a future new and better world. Both remarkable movies encapsulated the beauty and the futility of our species, and their message is probably far more relevant today than it has ever been. Thank you Mr Dern, you have a place in eternity along with your habitat domes.
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.
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
The water in the forest scenes was FREEZING and Bruce Dern had to psych himself to enter the pool.
Actually, the "original" Star Wars opening crawl did say "Chapter 4 A New Hope:, because Lucas wanted a feel of a movie serial, and was hoping to get the other parts made, and decided to start in the middle...