Silent Running comes to Blu-ray through Arrow Video and stars venerable actor Bruce Dern and comes with new video and audio transfers alongside a good selection of bonus material.
Silent Running
(1972)
Genre(s): Science Fiction
Arrow Video | G – 90 min. – $39.95 | November 17, 2020
Date Published: 01/03/2021 | Author: The Movieman
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Arrow Video provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
PLOT SYNOPSIS |
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After the end of all botanical life on Earth, ecologist Freeman Lowell (BRUCE DERN) maintains a greenhouse on a space station in order to preserve various plants for future generations. Assisted by three robots and a small human crew, Lowell rebels when he is ordered to destroy the greenhouse in favor of carrying cargo, a decision that puts him at odds with everyone but his mechanical companions. Lowell and his robots are forced to do anything necessary to keep their invaluable greenery alive. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 4/5 |
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This release comes with a matted slip cover and inside a booklet. The interior sleeve is reversible revealing the film’s original poster artwork. The Blu-ray contains a fair amount of bonus material, a mix of old and new interviews and commentaries. Audio Commentaries:
No Turning Back (13:48) — Music Historian Jeff Bond on the film’s score. First Run (14:03) — Visual Essay with writer-director Joe Spira exploring the evolution of the film’s screenplay. The Making of Silent Running (49:17) — On-set featurette from 1972 with behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and crew. Silent Running by Douglas Trumbull (39:09) and Douglas Trumbull: Then and Now (4:52) are two archival interviews with the film’s director. A Conversation with Bruce Dern (10:57) is an archive interview with the lead actor. Also includes the Theatrical Trailer (2:58) and a Behind-the-Scenes Gallery. |
VIDEO – 4¾/5 |
| Per the notes in the booklet, Silent Running comes to Blu-ray with a new 1080p high-definition transfer, taken from the original 35mm camera negative and then scanned in 4K resolution, following a new grading and 2K restoration, approved by Douglas Trumbull. There’s no mention what, if any, clean-up work was done so I assume the negative was well preserved and nothing major was done. As for the transfer itself, another home-run job done by Arrow, detail is very well done, the natural film grain is still present and I did not notice any major or apparent damage, like specs, scratches or other film damage. |
AUDIO – 4½/5 |
| The disc comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 track, more than suitable for a movie that is either quiet or just dialogue, which does come through with fine clarity and crispness, no hisses, pops or other aural ailments. |
Check out some more 1080p screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.