Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Silent Running 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 8, 2022

Note: Arrow released its 1080 version of Silent Running in 2020. This review will repeat relevant portions of my original review.

Silent Running was most definitely a product of its time, coming in the wake of the creation of both Earth Day and the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, in a general awakening that had probably been growing at least since the publication of another release with "silent" in its title, Silent Spring by Rachel Carson, in 1962. Silent Running played off a post-Apocalyptic conceit within the context of environmentalism, and as such, it was a rather interesting approach for a science fiction film ostensibly about life in outer space to take. The film is also interesting in that it gave the first directorial opportunity to special effects guru Douglas Trumbull, even as late as 1972 enjoying some of the afterglow from his stunning special effects for Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey 4K.

Silent Running has had a number of Blu-ray releases in various regions through the years, and both Marty and Svet have reviewed some of them. For those wanting a recap of the plot, as well as a chance to compare screenshots and slates of supplements, I refer you to both Marty's Silent Running Blu-ray review of the U.S. release from Universal, as well as Svet's Silent Running Blu-ray review of the Eureka Entertainment version put out in Region B. The rest of this review will concentrate on this release's technical merits, as well as the bounteous supplemental features.

Silent Running 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from Arrow's 1080 release from a few years ago. This release does not include a 1080 disc. For that reason, the 2K video score above has been left blank.

Silent Running is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Arrow Video with a 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following information on the restoration:

Silent Running has been exclusively restored by Arrow Films and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with mono audio.

The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution at Company 3, Burbank. The film was graded in HDR10 and restored in 4K at R3Store Studioes in London, using our approved 2K grade from Director Douglas Trumbull as our primary colour reference. The Dolby Vision was completed by Fidelity in Motion, New York.

The original mono mix was remastered from the original sound negatives at NBC Universal.

This is another largely impressive looking 4K presentation, though as anyone with a history with this release on home video will probably know, this is often a very grainy looking enterprise, and this may be another case where the increased resolution of this format is not always friendly to detail levels and clarity as a result. That said, both this release and Arrow's recent Videodrome 4K have generally impressed me with the general tightness of grain resolution. Some of what I'm assuming were optical zooms also may not benefit from the increased resolution, but aside from these passing moments, there are definitely noticeable fine detail upticks in this version. There is almost a comical surplus of "ridged" elements in the production design, including the kind of corduroy like furrows on the astronauts' outfits, or even the ribbing on the floor of the spaceship, and aspects like that show greater precision throughout the presentation. Some of the miniatures probably come off a bit more in Space: 1999 territory now, in terms of frankly looking like miniatures, but some of the composite special effects actually look surprisingly good in 4K despite their "old school" technologies. HDR and/or Dolby Vision have added some subtle if not mind blowing highlights to the palette. I was struck especially by the greens of the "natural world" in the greenhouses, but also the sudden bright bursts of red and blue looking nicely vivid and robust. My score is 4.25.

Silent Running 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

It may seem positively bizarre that a "big" science fiction film like Silent Running should have been released with mono audio, but it does look like all the 35mm screenings were offered that way (the IMDb lists 6 track sound for the 70mm version). The lack of a surround track may be disappointing, especially when one also considers the fact that this film was scored by the wonderful Peter Schikele, and includes songs sung by Joan Baez, but the good news here is that fidelity is excellent throughout this track. Dialogue, effects and score are all rendered without any problems whatsoever, and despite the unavoidable narrowness of things, prioritization is very smartly handled, and there are no issues with damage, distortion or dropouts. Optional English subtitles are available.

Silent Running 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw


• Audio Commentary by Douglas Trumbull and Bruce Dern


• Isolated Music and Effects Track is presented in LPCM 2.0.


• No Turning Back (HD; 13:48) is a new interview with film music historian Jeff Bond, who discusses the film's interesting score by PDQ Bach himself, Peter Schickele.


• First Run (HD; 14:03) is a new visual essay by writer and filmmaker Jon Spira, who takes a look at the development of the screenplay.


• Archival Special Features

  The Making of Silent Running (HD; 49:17)

  
  

  Silent Running by Douglas Trumbull (HD; 30:09)

  
  

  Douglas Trumbull: Then and Now (HD; 4:52)

  
  

  A Conversation with Bruce Dern (HD; 10:57)

• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:58)


• Behind the Scenes Gallery (HD; 1:45:46)

Addtionally, Arrow has provided their typically well appointed insert booklet, in this instance offering two essays, Silent Running: Douglas Trumbull's Visions of Nature by Barry Forshaw, and Silent Running: Bruce Dern's Star Turn Among the Stars by Peter Tonguette. The insert booklet also contains stills, cast and crew information, verbiage on the restoration and technical data.

Silent Running 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Just because Silent Running was a product of its time doesn't mean it doesn't have something to say to us these days, as well. The film may have faced a weird kind of backlash in a way from those who wanted another phantasmagorical "head trip" a la 2001: A Space Odyssey, and so expectations must be set accordingly when approaching this. Silent Running has an ostensibly much more straightforward narrative, and its environmental subtext may actually seem downright prescient, given some of the weather anomalies being experienced down here on Planet Earth, which at least some are attributing to climate change (as a possible precursor to an actual Apocalypse). The film offers a handsome (if somewhat derivative) production design, and Bruce Dern gives one of his most memorable performances as the wonderfully named Freeman Lowell. This enjoys some nice upticks in detail and palette highlights, but the increased resolution means this can look even grainier than earlier versions of the film. Recommended.