SILENT RUNNING (1972) Lobby Cards

 

"Amazing companions on an incredible adventure..."

Here's a terrific set of promotional lobby cards for Douglas Trumbull's 1972 sci-fi parable, Silent Running, featuring an impressive selection of lesser-seen stills from the film, including some very nice effects shots that showcase the exquisite detailing on the Valley Forge spaceship. Enjoy.

News: SILENT RUNNING (1972) Coming to Blu-ray

Universal's on a roll. Along with Gerry Anderson's Journey To The Far Side Of the Sun, the studio is releasing Douglas Trumbull's 1972 sci-fi parable, Silent Running, for the first time in HD in the United States on April 7th. It's about time!

From the Press Release:

Academy Award nominee* Bruce Dern stars in Silent Running, a sci-fi classic that journeys beyond the imagination. Botanist Freeman Lowell (Dern) has spent eight years aboard the space freighter Valley Forge preserving the only botanical specimens left from Earth under huge geodesic domes. When he receives orders to destroy the project and return home, Lowell rebels and hijacks the freighter, while plunging the craft into the gaseous rings of Saturn. From that moment on, he has only the trees, the gardens and two “Drone” robots, Huey and Dewey, to keep him company on his greatest adventure of all.

Extras appear to be the same as on the previously-released DVD:

The Making of Silent Running
Silent Running by Douglas Trumbull
A Conversation with Bruce Dern
Douglas Trumbull: Then and Now
Theatrical Trailer
Optional Feature Commentary with Director Douglas Trumbull and Star Bruce Dern

I'm pretty excited about this - Trumbull's effects deserve to be viewed in hi-def - but I still hate that cover art, recycled from the DVD release. The original poster artwork is so much better. Anyway, the Silent Running Blu-ray is available now for pre-order from Amazon ('natch).

SILENT RUNNING (1972) Poster Art

During one of my recent Google image safaris, I stumbled across this text-free scan of George Akimoto's painting for the the American one-sheet for Douglas Trumbull's 1972 sci-fi parable, Silent Running, and thought it was too nice not to share here.

Updates have been infrequent of late, but I do plan on having some more substantial articles posted here soon.

CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (1972) TV Spot

Here's a long (60 second) TV spot from 1972 for Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes, my favorite of the later Apes sequels (although I like them all - even Battle). I know I'm just an old curmudgeon, but this still looks vastly better to me than the mo-cap CGI "reimagining" that's due out later this Summer - and I don't think it's just nostalgia. The underlying themes of the original films - especially this one - are so much deeper than Rise's apparent "animal testing is bad" message.

Now, maybe Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes will surprise me, and have more to offer than just a bunch of cartoon gorillas attacking people in a sort of simian take on The Birds - but so far, anyway, the trailers haven't indicated much else. From the trailers to date, it looks mostly like a 50s mad scientist flick crossed with When Animals Attack....

SILENT RUNNING (1972) Theatrical Posters

I'm not sure why I have Silent Running on the brain this month - I haven't seen it in years, and it's one of the few 70s science fiction films I don't own on DVD or VHS. It's also quite different from most of the era's other genre films that I reminisce about here, as it's a pretty heavy, downbeat flick, rather than a shoot-em-up space opera.

Still, I've always liked the film, especially Douglas Trumbull's classic special effects and the robotic "drones" - and when I came across these one-sheets, it made me want to watch it again. I'll have to see if I can find a cheap copy of the DVD - or maybe I'll just check if it's available to rent from Netflix. (It is - I just checked!)

Coming Attractions: SILENT RUNNING