A quick word about the cinematography.
It is so thoughtful and meticulous. Some of the, what I guess must be called SFX today, are amazingly effective. Those early scenes thru windows and doors with what I assume to be back projection, I haven't seen better until we get into the era of CGI. Wow.
And the underlying direction; the simple intelligence and clarity of how some of those shots are put together- for example, the 'journey of the special boots', again...wow.
This movie not only deserves its great reputation, but what those technical people did with primitive technology all those years ago, that really is worth our awe.