Search - Silent Running on DVD

MPAA Rating: G Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Questionable for Children Movie Release: 1971 DVD Release: 03/18/1998 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 30 mins Studio: Universal Studios Members Wishing: 7 Genres: Drama, Science Fiction, Message Movie See Also: Silent Running

Bruce Dern stars as the caretaker of a greenhouse located on a group of space stations that are sent into orbit. The Earth has been stripped clean of foliage, and the greenhouse contains the last remaining greenery from the planet. Dern's staff includes three human beings and a trio of endearing robots named Huey, Dewey, and Louie. When word arrives from the Powers the Be that the greenhouse is to be destroyed (the space station is more valuable to man when hauling cargo and not "preserving the ecology of the universe"), Dern decides to ignore the order. He also decides to kill his colleagues, "circle the wagons" with Huey and Dewey, and fend off all outside attempts to eliminate his ecological paradise. Special-effects maven Douglas Trumbull directs, Michael Cimino was one of the screenwriters, and Peter "PDQ Bach" Schickele wrote the musical score. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bruce Dern - Lowell
Cliff Potts - Wolf
Ron Rifkin - Barker
Jesse Vint - Keenan

Although it has been supplanted by the more recent and much more elaborate Universal DVD reissue, which comes loaded to the gunnels with extra features, this early DVD release of Silent Running has its own virtues, including slightly brighter color and a sharper transfer than the old letterboxed laserdisc and surprisingly robust sound; actually, this transfer is very slightly brighter than the one used for the later Universal disc, though the latter is superior in every other respect, in terms of visuals and audio. The 16 chapters map out the 90 minute movie adequately, and at a low price this disc can be a decent no-frills, meat-and-potatoes presentation of the movie. The disc opens to the movie automatically, and the menu must be selected manually. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide