“Photography is truth. The cinema is truth 24 times per second.” – Jean Luc Godard

It is doubtless that the power of cinema, the youngest of all arts, is not exploited to the fullest. Though many masters of the medium continuously strive to provide a whole new look and feel to the seventh art, it still has a lot of unexplored content. I present here, ten of the very many films that had successfully utilized the power of cinematic expression and redefined cinema in their respective periods.

2001: A Space Odyssey: “Open the pod bay doors, HAL”– A line that has been etched in cinema history. Stanley Kubrick’s magnum opus provides a new interpretation to the classic man versus machine theme. Co-scripted with Arthur C. Clarke, the film’s amazing use of sound and time line has class written all over. With HAL’s cold yet human voice and the stunning “dawn of man” opening sequence, the film is definitely in the top ten movies ever made.

Apocalypse Now: Adapted from Joseph Conrad’s novella “Heart Of Darkness”, this Coppola classic is not only the journey of a disturbed man into the bowels of a war-torn nation but also into the darkness of his own mind. Classic portrayal of effects of war and the discovery of evil within oneself. The graded natural lighting throughout the film coupled with the short-but-chilling performance of Marlon Brando as Colonel Kurtz is the best combination you can ask for.

Jurassic Park: Special Effects – The latest boon given to cinema. Though used now to tasteless extents, the movie that made it big and neat is this Steven Spielberg fantasy. Oozing with the “Magic of the big screen”, it is just scintillating to see the big creatures roam about and live in the big screen. Spielberg’s unquenchable thirst for science fiction succeeds big time when his ideas meet the tools.

Koyaanisqatsi: Godfrey Reggio’s tradition-defying “movie” is a seemingly unconnected set of images powered by great music (Philip Glass). But there is definitely more to it than meets the eye. Unlimited number of plausible interpretations make this a brand new movie no matter how many times you watch it. This gem in interactive cinema requires the viewer to think and draw conclusions- a very rare thing indeed.

Rashomon: Perhaps the most influential Asian film, Kurosawa’s Rashomon was the prime reason for the inclusion of a best foreign film category in the Oscars. Endlessly imitated for its breakthrough screenplay and simplicity, the film has been remade and plagiarized many times over. Thoroughly exploiting the features of cinematic medium, Rashomon remains an object of amazement for filmmakers and film buffs around the world.