It was the chronological end of the 1970s, essentially the “aftermath” decade of the previous one, the 1960s. Herewith two films that help us see how the idea of contact continues to change. Although we don’t get into films that often here on Centauri Dreams, I always like to keep an eye on how our culture comes to grip with new scientific ideas, and that’s a place where popular movies become prime sources.

Larry’s latest is a resource-laden look into two films of the late 1970s that illustrate our evolving ideas about potential encounters with extraterrestrials. Those of you who have read his deep dives into such films as Forbidden Planet, Avatar or The Thing from Another World can understand why I think of Larry as the Robert Osborne of the SF movie (if you don’t know who Robert Osborne was, then you’re not as passionate about old movies as I am). Larry Klaes loves science fiction movies.