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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r
 

Silent Running [Blu-ray]

 

(Douglas Trumbull, 1972)

 

The 4K UHD of Silent Running is reviewed HERE

 

Also available as a Limited Edition Blu-ray Steelbook in UK and Germany:

Released on Blu-ray in the US by Arrow in November 2020:

 

Review by Gary Tooze / Colin Zavitz

 

Production:

Theatrical: Universal

Video: Eureka - Masters of Cinema - Spine #23 / Universal Pictures / Arrow Video

 

Disc:

Region: 'B'-locked / Region FREE / Region 'A'

Runtime: 1:29:36.913 / 1:29:37.789 / 1:29:30.031

Disc Size: 29,817,238,947 bytes / 30,436,611,222 bytes / 49,633,138,186 bytes

Feature Size: 23,724,939,264 bytes / 24,513,939,456 bytes / 27,489,951,552 bytes

Video Bitrate: 31.30 Mbps / 31.99 Mbps / 34.82 Mbps

Chapters: 13 / 20 / 13

Case: Standard Blu-ray case (both) / Transparent case

Release date: November 14th, 2011 / April 7th, 2015 / November 17th, 2020

 

Video (all three):

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 694 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 694 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 512 kbps / 16-bit)
Isolated Score:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 645 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 645 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 512 kbps / 16-bit)
Commentary:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 679 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 679 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 512 kbps / 16-bit)

DTS-HD Master Audio English 1824 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1824 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS Audio French 448 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps / 24-bit
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB

DTS-HD Master Audio English 1055 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1055 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit)
Dolby Digital Audio English 320 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 320 kbps / DN -31dB
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 320 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 320 kbps / DN -31dB
Isolated Score:

LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit

 

Subtitles (all three):

English (SDH), none

 

Extras:

• Full-length commentary by director Trumbull and actor Bruce Dern
• Isolated music and effects track
• The Making of Silent Running, a 1972 on-set documentary (49:17 in 480i)
• Two video pieces with Douglas Trumbull (30:08 + 4:51 in 480i)
• A Conversation with Bruce Dern, a discussion with the actor (10:56 in 480i)
• Original theatrical trailer (2:57 in 480i)
• A lavish 48-page full-color booklet featuring rare photographs and artwork from Trumbull’s personal collection, and recollections of the film’s cinematographer, special designs coordinator, and composer

 

• Full-length commentary by director Trumbull and actor Bruce Dern

The Making of Silent Running (49:16 in 480i)

Silent Running by Douglas Trumbull (30:09 in 480i)

• A Conversation with Bruce Dern, a discussion with the actor (10:56 in 480i)

• Douglas Trumbull: Then and Now (4:52 in 480i)

• Original theatrical trailer (2:59 in 480i)

 

• Brand new audio commentary by critics Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw
• Original audio commentary by Douglas Trumbull and actor Bruce Dern
• Isolated music and effects track
• No Turning Back, a new interview with film music historian Jeff Bond on the film's score (13:48)
• First Run, a new visual essay by writer and filmmaker Jon Spira exploring the evolution of Silent Running's screenplay (14:03)
• The Making of Silent Running, an archival 1972 on-set documentary (49:17)
• Silent Running by Douglas Trumbull and Douglas Trumbull: Then and Now, two archival interviews with the film s director (30:09)
• A Conversation with Bruce Dern, an archival interview with the film s lead actor (10:57)
• Theatrical trailer (02:58)
• Extensive behind-the-scenes gallery
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Arik Roper
•FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Barry Forshaw and Peter Tonguette

 

Bitrates:

1) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

 

Description: Three years after helping to achieve some of the most amazing imagery in cinema history with 2001: A Space Odyssey, special effects maestro Douglas Trumbull made an auspicious directorial debut at age 29 with the environmentally themed science fiction classic Silent Running.

In the distant future, plant life on our planet is extinct. Remaining specimens are cultivated in vast greenhouse-like domes orbiting in space. Bruce Dern (Marnie, Coming Home, The 'burbs, Monster) stars as Freeman Lowell, dedicated botanist aboard the 'Valley Forge', awaiting the call to refoliate Earth despite the scorn of his crewmates. When an order comes to instead destroy the domes and return home, Lowell takes matters into his own hands, beginning a long and lonely voyage into the unknown.

With its remarkable special effects (especially the robot drones Huey, Dewey, and Louie); glorious score (including songs performed by Joan Baez); memorable sound effects (created by Joseph Byrd from the cult band The United States of America); a screenplay co-written by Michael Cimino (The Deer Hunter) and Steven Bochco (Hill Street Blues), and an impassioned central performance from Dern, Silent Running remains a uniquely contemplative and haunting adventure that continues to make hippies of young children, even today.

 

 

The Film:

The movie's themes of environmental concern and rebellion against wrongheaded authority fit very well with the time it was released (enhanced by Joan Baez's folksy soundtrack). The story is set in the year 2008, when Earth's natural environment has been destroyed. All that remains are samples of forests and waterlands preserved in space-station greenhouses orbiting Saturn until the day our planet is able to support plants and animals again. Freeman Lowell is one of the guardians of these microcosmic environments, and when official word comes that the project is too expensive to be carried on - in fact, Earthlings now seem content with their totally man-made surroundings - he quickly hatches a plan to avert orders to destroy the pod carrying his most beloved forest site. He kills his three colleagues and heads deeper into space, radioing home that an explosion has disabled his spacecraft and sent it on a trajectory where he may never be found again. Alone somewhere inside the rings of Saturn, he forms a relationship with his remaining "drone" robots, teaching them about the abundant life in their care. When a craft from home approaches to "rescue" him, he must take one last drastic step and make an even greater sacrifice to save the land in his care.

Excerpt from TCM located HERE

 

The director is Douglas Trumbull, a Canadian who designed many of the special effects for Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey." Trumbull also did the computers and the underground laboratory for "The Andromeda Strain," and is one of the best science-fiction special-effects men. "Silent Running," which has deep space effects every bit the equal of those in "2001," also introduces him as an intelligent, if not sensational, director.

The weight of the movie falls on the shoulders of Bruce Dern, who plays the only man in sight during most of the picture. His only companions are Huey, Louie, and Dewey, who are small and uncannily human robots who help with the gardening. They're OK with a trowel but no good at playing poker, as their human boss discovers during a period of boredom.

Excerpt from Roger Ebert  located HERE

 

The 4K UHD of Silent Running is reviewed HERE

 

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

Silent Running appears true to the source on Blu-ray from The Masters of Cinema arm of Eureka Cinema in the UK.  The image quality shows a fine layer of grain and colors are bright - bordering on vibrant. The enclosed booklet in the package states "Further restoration work was completed at Deluxe 142, London. Picture issues, such as dirt, light scratches, and debris as well as warped, damaged, or unstable frames were removed or improved upon using a combination of HD-DVNR, Phoenix, and MTI systems.". It is neither glossy nor pristinely sharp but shows some depth and I would guess the 1.85:1 aspect ratio 1080P transfer is a strong replication of the theatrical appearance some 40-years hence. This Blu-ray has a nice realistic feel with a reasonable film-like sense to it. Visually this gets high marks.

 

Firstly, with the timeline feature on the Universal disc (during pause) I had trouble obtaining exact frame matches but our attempts below should give you a good idea of the differences. The new Universal has warmer, and richer, colors. It is equally as technically robust as the Masters of Cinema. It looks very pleasing appearing newer with the deeper tones but I have no idea of how accurate it is to the theatrical roots.

 

Arrow Video presents a brand new 2K restoration of Douglas Trumbull's "Silent Running". This transfer is from the original camera negative, approved by director Trumbull and produced by Arrow Video. The film is housed on a dual-layered Blu-ray disc, with the superb 1.85:1 HD image boasting a maxed-out bitrate. This new restoration is nothing short of stunning, and I was surprised at points that this was not a 4K restoration. Colors that seemed ever so slightly jaundiced before, now have a more natural glow, without losing any warmth. Reds and oranges are now much more distinguishable, along with a heightened amount of detail, and enviable grain. There is ever-so-slightly more in the upper, lower, and right side of the frame, thanks to this new restoration from the original negative. Kudos to Arrow on this one.

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

1) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

 

Audio :

Masters of Cinema offer an uncompressed DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel stereo track with minimal depth but the film doesn't require an abundance of floor rattling. There is also the ability to listen to the Isolated music and effects separately at about the same HD quality as the feature's lossless track. There are some audio effects but they are mostly passive - and not bass-dependant. It sounds pretty clean and crisp to me - this is certainly evident by accessing the isolated score which, by the way the music was composed by Peter Schickele, also known in other circles as 'P.D.Q. Bach'. The classically-rooted music is both haunting and exports a sense of isolation. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region 'B'-locked.

 

The Universal also is also DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel but slightly more robust although I can't say I heard any superiority in my viewing. The new US disc adds a French DUB option, also has optional English subtitles but is region FREE - playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide. 

 

The film now boasts a 1.0 mono-track, in 24-bit DTS-HD Master audio. This sounds very close to the previous Universal release, though I prefer this 1.0 mono to the 2.0 stereo option. Either way you choose, those Joan Baez songs sound great. There are optional English subtitles on this Region "A" Blu-ray from Arrow Video.

 

Extras :

Included is the previously-heard relaxed commentary from 2000 with director Trumbull and actor Bruce Dern. The production information imparted is very good and it's nice to hear them both talk about the film. We get Charles Barbee's 50-minute Making of Silent Running documentary, filmed in 1972 on-set. It showcases more on technical effects details including the three robot drones - efficiently named Drone 1, Drone 2, and Drone 3, reprogrammed by Dern's character, Freeman Lowell, to respond to Huey, Dewey, and Louie. There are further - two video pieces with Douglas Trumbull running about 35-minutes in total plus a 10-minute conversation with Bruce Dern on his reminiscences of Silent Running. Lastly are an original theatrical trailer (2:57 in 480i) and a lavish 48-page full-colour booklet included in the case featuring rare photographs and artwork from Trumbull’s personal collection, and recollections of the film’s cinematographer, special designs coordinator, and composer. Excellent!

 

The Universal offers the same video extras (all in 480i) and Trumbull/Dern commentary as the UK package but we don't get the isolated score or the wonderful MoC liner notes booklet.

 

Starting off the special features is an all new audio commentary by critics Kim Newman (author of "Nightmare Movies'') and Barry Forshaw (author of "British Crime Film", "British Gothic Cinema"). The two start off discussing the use of science-fiction as fable/social commentary, and how sci-fi has changed over the decades. The two have a great rapport, and even discuss at one point how one problem with the film's reception could have been the use of a title that brings to mind submarines. I could listen to Newman dna Forshaw for hours on end, and I highly recommend checking out this track. Thankfully the original audio commentary by Douglas Trumbull and actor Bruce Dern is also an option here, as is the superb isolated music and effects track. "No Turning Back" is a 14-minute piece with film music historian Jeff Bond on the film's score. Bond discusses how a Joan Baez Christmas album and Peter Schickele's character P. D. Q. Bach, led to his work on this film. He goes on to discuss the clever use of synthesizers to mimic machine noises, and much more. Bond is heard while scenes from the film play with the score. Well worth a listen. "First Run'' is a 14-minute new visual essay by writer and filmmaker Jon Spira. The visual essay explores the evolution of Silent Running's screenplay drafts throughout the film's development. An archival submenu in the Special Features shows many of the documentaries and interviews included on previous Blu-ray incarnations. These include the 49-minute "The Making of Silent Running", "Silent Running by Douglas Trumbull and Douglas Trumbull: Then and Now" running 30-minutes, and the 11-minute "A Conversation with Bruce Dern. The film's theatrical trailer is also here, as is a mammoth behind-the-scenes gallery. There is a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Arik Roper, and for the 1st pressing only, an illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Barry Forshaw and Peter Tonguette.

 

 

1) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - LEFT

2) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray - RIGHT

 

 

Arrow - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Silent Running is such a cool film - if, obviously, dated in some respects. We have a simple premise with important undercurrent themes and Trumbull pulls the sci-fi angle together with adept effects and a keen use of the haunting score. This is definitely a thinking man's space-feature rather than an action/adventure epic set in the stars (ex. Dern's character's name is 'Freeman'). I think this was a good choice for MoC to release on Blu-ray. I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting the film and the extensive extras buoyed my appreciation for subsequent viewings. Yes, we can easily recommend this as a part of your digital library.

 

This film still resonates with me and it was nice to see it with richer, deeper colors. I don't recommend double dipping if you already own the MoC, but it's a great package at a reasonable price for those that don't have Silent Running in 1080P. Recommended!  

 

Arrow Video has a winner on their hands here, this new 2K restoration of Trumbull's "Silent Running" looks stunning. This is thanks to the added level of detail, with realistic grain and wider range of colors. That Newman and Forshaw commentary is also worth your time. Recommended to fellow sci-fi fans.

Gary Tooze

October 13th, 2011

March 31st, 2015

Colin Zavitz

December 15th, 2020

 

Also available as a Limited Edition Blu-ray Steelbook in UK and Germany:

Released on Blu-ray in the US by Arrow in November 2020:

About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 3500 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.

Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction.

Gary's Home Theatre:

60-Inch Class (59.58” Diagonal) 1080p Pioneer KURO Plasma Flat Panel HDTV PDP6020-FD

Oppo Digital BDP-83 Universal Region FREE Blu-ray/SACD Player
Momitsu - BDP-899 Region FREE Blu-ray player
Marantz SA8001 Super Audio CD Player
Marantz SR7002 THX Select2 Surround Receiver
Tannoy DC6-T (fronts) + Energy (centre, rear, subwoofer) speakers (5.1)

APC AV 1.5 kVA H Type Power Conditioner 120V

Gary W. Tooze

 

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