“widely regarded as one of the best films ever made”
only by ancient film school profs who’ve never moved along ...
i’ve watched that film at least twice, and have never understood why it’s considered “the best film ever made” ... for me, it was a big “meh” ...
i could easily name a dozen films far more interesting and entertaining, and several of those are classics that will endure for at least a century, while “Citizen Kane” fades away into obscurity everywhere except a few esoteric film school classes ...
I’d rank The Thief of Bagdad (1940 version) higher than Citizen Kane. And even also the 1924 version with Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.
It was pretty bold and innovative in both technical and thematic aspects when it came out. I view it in kind of the same light a saying, "The P-51 Mustang is regarded as one of the best fighter aircraft ever made." Certainly pretty much anything designed and built from 1950 on would outfly it, and I'm pretty sure the WWII Luftwaffe were never big fans of it, nonetheless, the record of what it was during its time speaks for itself.