The idea of "pure cinema" was first suggested by the avante-garde French filmmakers of the 1920s and has been something discussed by filmmakers and movie lovers ever since. But what is "pure cinema"? While the definition has been debated, most agree that pure cinema represents the conscious rejection of other artistic mediums in filmmaking, specifically the narrative influence of literature and the theatrical influence on acting and plot structure which most films tend to emulate. Pure film tells its story - or more relevantly explores its themes, since stories are inherently literary - not through dialogue and exposition but through the elemental combination of sound and imagery. Composition and editing techniques which are exclusively cinematic come to the fore allowing ambitious ideas to be explored in unique new ways. Some people can find this approach to filmmaking boring or pretentious - and sometimes this is the case - but when a director gets it just right the result is often a bona fide cinematic masterpiece. Here are 15 such masterpieces of "pure cinema" every movie lover should see.
