I found it hard to stay with Citizen Kane as well. The problem is that all sorts of innovations in filmmaking (camera techniques, etc.) were introduced by Orson Welles in that picture, but they have long since become so much a part of the common vocabulary that you and I don't really notice them when watching Kane. It was revolutionary at the time, but you'd have to study up to know all the reasons why, and I confess I haven't done that.
This is how my brother explained it to me, and he's a fair bit more knowledgeable than I on the subject of film and filmmaking history.
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Methinks Ted Sturgeon was too kind.
'Yes, but I think some people should be offended.'
-- John Cleese (on whether he thought some might be offended by Monty Python)
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