I'll stand up and say that you're wrong - or, since you're judging art, at least in the small minority. That story you linked to praises the movie and gives several reasons why it's in Roger Ebert's list of "Great Movies". You gave no reasons why you think it's horrible. The movie has a very high
8.7 out of 10 stars at IMDB.com based on over 100,000 user ratings. It was nominated for 5 Oscars the year it came out and, although it didn't win any, it has won
other awards. Perhaps being in the public domain has helped the movie - but that's not the only reason it's remembered.