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When I was around 21 I had a "black and white summer", where all I watched was black and white films from the 30s - 50s, catching up on all those classics I'd always heard about or meant to watch, and discovering a lot of gems I'd never heard of. One thing I find different with those old films is that, with no reliance on effects and not much action to speak of, they were much closer, overall to stage plays - dialogue and acting was paramount. Stories also tended to be much more complex than what became "typical" Hollywood by the 80s.
I'll also say, it was only after this that I really understood why Citizen Kane is held in such high regard. It was analogous to Star Wars (or 2001 might be a better example), in that it was visually such a different experience to anything before. Wells created a visual language for film that is now so ubiquitous that it's invisible.
(Personally, though, I think The Magnificent Ambersons was a much better film.)
I'll also say, it was only after this that I really understood why Citizen Kane is held in such high regard. It was analogous to Star Wars (or 2001 might be a better example), in that it was visually such a different experience to anything before. Wells created a visual language for film that is now so ubiquitous that it's invisible.
(Personally, though, I think The Magnificent Ambersons was a much better film.)