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10 Movies In Which Famous Monuments Come Under Attack

Monuments and famous or iconic buildings often come under attack in movies. We can expect to see a pretty spectacular one with White House Down when it hits theatres on Friday. Famous or iconic buildings are often attacked in movies. Here are 10 of the best, strangest, or funniest films in which famous monuments come under attack

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“A building is a symbol, as is the act of destroying it. Symbols are given power by people. Alone, a symbol is meaningless, but with enough people, blowing up a building can change the world.” – V For Vendetta

Monuments and famous or iconic buildings often come under attack in movies. We can expect to see a pretty spectacular example of this with White House Down, which released today. Often those buildings are American – Hollywood can’t quite recognize that there might be other iconic structures in the world. Every once in awhile a non-American landmark might creep in there, but for the most part, the end of civilization as we know it tends to take place on US soil. I wonder why that is?

Following the events of 9/11, we are unlikely to ever look at cinematic destruction the same way again.  As V tells us in V For Vendetta, buildings are more than buildings: they are symbols, and the act of destroying them in films is symbolic too. Films sometimes remind us of how ridiculous we are for putting such faith in what’s basically a gigantic monument to our own arrogance. The destruction of a building in a film can be a rallying cry, an act that symbolizes the fall of a country, or the death of a single person.  Only rarely in films does the destruction of a building or monument mean the destruction of life ; death is implied, but not shown. It’s what these buildings stand for that matter – but it’s also about what we put into them.

Here are 10 of the best, strangest, or funniest films in which famous monuments come under attack.