Silent Running Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Silent Running Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 10, 2020

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 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Silent Running is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p 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 EFilm, Burbank. The film was graded and restored in 2K at R3Store Studios in London. Grading was approved by Director Douglas Trumbull.

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

While both Marty and Svet mentioned that there was grain in the presentations they reviewed (something that tended to be "iffy" in those still relatively early days for Universal catalog releases), a side by side (by side) comparisons of some of the screenshots accompanying those two reviews and this one points out that the grain in this presentation is better revealed, while typically resolving quite well, even in some moments where it's admittedly quite thick (as in some of the opticals). The variations in grain are also often accompanied with fluctuations in clarity and fine detail levels, but the overall appearance here is commendably organic looking. Marty mentioned quite a bit of damage in his assessment of the old Universal release, and I certainly noticed no major issues of any import, though a few very minor blemishes have still withstood the restoration gauntlet. The Arrow release can also look just incrementally brighter than the Universal release at times, though this difference can be relatively negligible (note, for example, the white walls of spaceship in screenshot 6 of this review, and compare them to screenshot 19 in Marty's review). The palette is nicely suffused throughout, with the predominant blue tones resonating very well.

Silent Running 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 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 (1080p; 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 (1080p; 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 (1080p; 49:17)

  
  

  Silent Running by Douglas Trumbull (1080i; 30:09)

  
  

  Douglas Trumbull: Then and Now (1080i; 4:52)

  
  

  A Conversation with Bruce Dern (1080i; 10:57)

• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:58)


• Behind the Scenes Gallery (1080p; 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. The keepcase featuers a reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Arik Roper.

Silent Running 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. Technical merits are solid and the supplementary package very well done and enjoyable (take a gander at how long the Behind the Scenes Gallery plays for, with each image lasting between 15 and 20 seconds, for just one idea of how much content is available). Recommended.