Shocking, because of its use of an intelligent script and bonafide actors. And it avoids the the use of vulgarities and excesses that are everpresent in most modern films. The breadth of the film is enlarged by events that are suggested, rather than depicted. The film's climax involves a courtroom trial, but the trial itself is never shown.
Political cartoons communicate the attitudes of the press and the public.
Most modern films are ridden with cliches. So many times, the viewer already knows what will happen, and how each scene will be depicted. But this should not be. Film audiences of the early twentieth century often did not know what to expect, since they had seen very few films. But present day audiences have access to a wide variety of films, and they have developed an understanding of the language of film.