Comparative Studies In World Cinema

In order to answer this question I think it is necessary to first reflect the way of how I think about cinema in general, or in fact of how my way of thinking has evolved so far. This itself is not an easy question since many years ago watching movies has been mostly a way of entertainment or furthermore to pass time. However there must have been a few sort of key-movies which sparked the understanding of movies as a form of art and as an important cultural good.