The term Pure Cinema is one that embodies many different meanings and carries many implications that help give us insight to what cinema is, as an art form. The meaning of Pure Cinema also lends itself to many other theories and attitudes towards cinema. Many people, including myself, don't know what Pure Cinema really means in the modern age of film. Some claim that since the death of silent film, there is no Pure Cinema. This paper will examine the complex parameters of Pure Cinema in the modern age of narrative cinema, it will derive a clear definition of what Pure Cinema is based on those parameters and many examples from many movies and authors of cinema. These complex parameters of Pure Cinema will be examined through the films of the great narrative filmmaker Alfred Hitch cock, among others. We will examine how the idea of Pure Cinema has changed throughout the years, and what inclusions to cinema are embraced by the idea of Pure Cinema and those that are not. .
Before one can apply explore the boundaries of Pure Cinema, one must become aware of what the term is thought to mean. The term Pure Cinema is a very elusive one. It is a term that, in my opinion, lacks a certain semantic definition required to make an intellectual stance on its mere existence, let alone its meanings and implications towards film. Basically when people discuss Pure Cinema they are referring to moments in a film where all information is offered through visuals alone, without the aid or inclusion of soundtracks and dialogue. With the invention of cinema came new hope and exiting aspirations for visual art and documentation. What sets the cinema apart from all other visual arts is its ability to exhibit the motion picture. Above all else, its originality and distinctiveness derive from the motion of the image on screen. It is for this reason that film purists say that modern film's downfall began with the advent of the sound film.