#NewsBytesExplainer: Breaking down the concept of landmark films in cinema
What's the story
Landmark film is a term that is often discussed in cinematic circles, though only selected films qualify and earn this tag.
A film can be called landmark or groundbreaking if it does something exceptionally different and/or unprecedented.
This can refer to introducing a new technology, raking in massive money at the box office, or successfully trying a different genre.
Let's break them down.
Criteria
Recently, 'RRR' became a landmark film; here's how
Take, for instance, a film like RRR, which has been acclaimed in the West in a never-seen-before manner and brought glory to India as no other movie has in recent years.
Recently, its foot-tapping number Naatu Naatu scripted history and won the Golden Globe in the Best Song category!
Thus, a film can also be termed groundbreaking if it courts immense critical acclaim globally.
Earliest examples
These are the earliest international examples
The Astronomer's Dream, a film that came out in 1898 is one of the earliest examples, considering it was made at a time film technology was in its nascent stage.
The Birth of a Nation (1915), The Immigrant (1917), The Kid (1921), The General (1926), Metropolis (1927), Man With a Movie Camera (1929), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) are other noteworthy examples.
Hollywood examples
Which one is your favorite?
Avatar (Part 1 and 2; 2009 and 2022), Titanic (1997), The Godfather (1972), Gone with the Wind (1939), Scarface (1932), Psycho (1960), Anatomy of a Murder (1959), The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966), Goodfellas (1990), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Pulp Fiction (1994), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Interstellar (2014) are some films that have changed the course of Hollywood cinema.
Indian examples
These are some prominent Indian examples from across industries
All the film industries in India have delivered several landmark films over the years.
The most popular ones are Sholay (1975), Mayabazar (1957), Mughal-e-Azam (1960), 3 Idiots (2009), Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), PK (2014), Swades (2004), Lagaan (2001), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), Neecha Nagar (1946), Pather Panchali (1955), Mother India (1957), Charulata (1964), Deewar (1975), among others.