For over two years Peter Bogolub, an experienced New York history
teacher, has taught at the Leadership and Public Service High School in
Manhattan, New York. In his spare time, Peter Bogolub is a science
fiction enthusiast and particularly enjoys the works of Philip K. Dick
and H.P. Lovecraft.
Earlier this year Rolling Stone magazine
counted down the 50 greatest science fiction films of the 1970s, a
period of great productivity for the genre. The magazine’s top 10
included a number of familiar titles, ranging from mainstream hits such
as Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind at number nine
to influential cult classics such as Saul Bass’ sole feature film, Phase
IV, ranked at eight. The magazine’s top 10 also included Invasion of
the Body Snatchers and Douglas Trumbull’s Silent Running.
Rolling
Stone may have stirred up some controversy by placing A New Hope, the
first edition of the original Star Wars trilogy, at number five. The
action-adventure classic was beaten out for the top spot by Solaris, A
Clockwork Orange, The Man Who Fell to Earth, and the magazine’s top
choice, Ridley Scott’s 1979 Alien. Scott’s film was praised for a
variety of reasons, being described as both an office place drama and
the most dread-inspiring film of the decade.
