Stanley Kubrick's 2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY was lauded upon release as the almost mythical 'intelligent' science fiction film and has been feted ever since. It's 50th anniversary 4k upgrade was rightly a big deal in 2018. If there was any justice in the world then the 50th anniversary 4k upgrade of Douglas Trumbull's SILENT RUNNING would be given just as much attention for this film is as singular a creation as Kubrick's film, whilst being more accessible and more relevant. Whilst Kubrick addressed huge cerebral questions about humanity's origins and evolution, Trumbull's film focuses on Humanity's survival and relationship to its environment. Whilst 2001 shows the start of man's use of tools to shape the world around him, SILENT RUNNING shows the end of where that path leads. The film's plea for the protection of the natural world, and rant against the insanity of deforestation grows ever more potent and pertinent with each passing year, whilst 2001 remains locked in the glass case of its own inscrutability. Kubrick engages the brain, whilst Trumbull goes straight for the heart.

The comparison between the two films is fair because Douglas Trumbull was one the effects maestros that made Kubrick's film so realistic and majestic at the same time. At the time, this was the pinnacle of the visual effects artist's trade and Trumbull wanted to ply his trade on his own projects. Sadly, only two feature films resulted and of the two, SILENT RUNNING is by far the better (the other being the interesting, but rather dull BRAINSTORM). The budget for SILENT RUNNING was tiny compared to that of 2001 and yet the production values stand up today just as well as 2001. Trumbull used a decommissioned, and soon be scrapped, aircraft carrier as a shell for the interiors of his space freighter, which gave him a sense of scale and authenticity. As the film is set inside one single spaceship, one exceptional model does all the heavy lifting, shot from all angles and never less than impressive and believable. The trip through Saturn's rings is spectacular and the jettisoning of the domes holding the various ecosystems flawlessly done. Add to that the drones, believable robots created by amputees in what must have been horribly uncomfortable suits and the technical veracity of the film is assured.

Effects alone, though, do not a successful film make. SILENT RUNNING hangs its success on the shoulders of one character, Freeman Lowell. The casting of Bruce Dern is a masterstroke. Known as a twitchy presence, often used in a heavy of villainous role (see THE DRIVER for example), his compelling central performance makes a zealot seem justified and three murders acceptable. The fact that Lowell is wracked with guilt for his actions afterwards softens those actions, but ensures the film isn't going to end on a happy note. His interactions with the other three members of the crew early on show what a dedicated and committed person he is, but also the hints of mania that lie beneath. His interactions with the drones later provided humour and humanity, softening any potential judgement for his actions. The audience can't condone what he does, but understands completely what he does. With Dern, it's hard to see how anyone else could have balanced this performance so well. The other three actors in the cast don't get a lot of screen time and are cast as the villains of the piece, except that they are not. Ordinary men suffering from the malaise of uncaring that Lowell accuses them off, they aren't really bad. One even sympathises with Lowell, without being able to agree with him. As we blindly walk towards the current climate disaster, it becomes clearer and clearer that SILENT RUNNING's view of Humanity was right on the button fifty years ago.

For all its ruminations of the future of the planet, SILENT RUNNING isn't a dry film. The 100 minute runtime is over before you know it and there are no longueurs. Nothing is wasted and nothing is unnecessary. The songs, sung by Joan Baez, may be oversentimental and firmly date the film in the early 70s hippy movement. They may grate with the modern audience, but for those who grew up with this film on BBC 2 science fiction film seasons or caught it on the cult film circuits, it's hard to imagine the film without them. Songs aside, the soundtrack is as impressive as the rest of the production.

SILENT RUNNING may have had less of an impact on the science fiction genre than other films Douglas Trumbull worked on, but that influence is there to see. The lone man set against the universe character study is echoed in more modern productions such as MOON or OBLIVION and anyone who can look at Huey, Dewey and Louie and not see them as a template for R2-D2 is just blind. Spaceships with domes continue to crop up, not least in BATTLESTAR GALACTICA's Cloud 9.

Fifty years on SILENT RUNNING continues to grow in stature and relevance. It's rare to be able to say that about any film.