Silent Running

Silent Running

Release Date

1972

Director

  • Douglas Trumbull

Cast

  • Bruce Dern
  • Cliff Potts
  • Ron Rifkin

In a future where all flora is extinct on Earth, an astronaut is given orders to destroy the last of Earth's botany, kept in a greenhouse aboard a spacecraft.

    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.

    Photo credit: Universal Pictures

    Past Programs

    2024

    Seed time: Classic climate sci-fi

    Block Cinema: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL