2. Silent Running
I re-watched this film recently to see if the ending was as I remembered it. I was not disappointed as it was just as downbeat as I recalled. It is the sort of ending that in a modern day movie is pretty much unthinkable, certainly in the big blockbuster. The modern blockbuster is so averse to unhappy endings that rumour has it that prior to the release of Titanic, 20th Century Fox considered ordering an alternative ending to be filmed as they felt audiences would be depressed if the ship sank. Urban legend or not there is a grain of truth in this. Silent Running is unapologetic in its themes and its stark ending. It is brave and contains a warning about our abuse of the planets natural resources that is still very relevant today. The premise is a future where there is no natural habitat left in the world so mankind is forced to try and grow forests in space in huge domes. It has been the work of Bruce Derns character for 8 years and the announcement that the government is cutting the funding for this forest programme and giving the order to destroy the forests sends Dern into despair. He refuses to give up on his trees and on a vision for mankinds future where trees might actually grow again on earth. A large part of the film is played out with Dern trying to work out why the forest might be dying and trying to protect the trees at all cost. Apart from his trees the only company he has are three robots, Hughie, Louie and Dewie. Dern gives an awesome performance; moving, intense and slighly mad, the whole movie is made or lost on the strength of his performance and thankfully he plays it to perfection. The last scene plays out to the strains of Joan Baezs Rejoice In The Sun and is utterly devastating. The film resonates with the issues we face today; a government making cuts and a world faced with dwindling natural resources.