Silent Running

 Dir: Douglas Trumbull/USA/1971/90 mins

Lps: Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, Ron Rifkin, Jesse Vint

The year is 2001, and the Earth has been devastated by nuclear war leaving its remaining plant life entrusted to a fleet of spacecraft. Due to cost cuts it is decided to scrap this project to refurbish the earth, by jettisoning the remaining forests. However Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern), convinced of the importance of the mission, disposes of the other three crew members of the spaceship 'Valley Forge' before they manage to jettison the final biosphere. Now alone and with one remaining forest Freeman flees from the rest of the fleet with only the company of the spacecraft's three drones. During this time he trains the drones to tend the forest and, to keep him amused, he teaches them to play cards.

The film's director Douglas Trumbull, helped by his experience on Stanley Kubrick's k's 2001: A Space Odyssey, created the special effects but did not over-use them. The soundtrack contains two songs which resemble ecological commercials sung by Joan Baez. The film also explores the developing relationship between Freeman and the drones, and how loneliness affects him. A thoughtful and occasionally funny film, not to be missed by any science fiction fans. 

ANL

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