I was just watching it the other night with my 72-year-old father and both of us expressed confusion at several points of the movie. Eventually, when Powell and Ms Cooper started singing at each other, my dad just outright exclaimed "this is weird!". I tried to defend it but on reflection, I have to agree.
I suspected it was an adaptation of a novel - certain sections seemed like abridged versions of what would have been much longer sections of a novel.
After it was over, I googled it and confirmed it was in fact an adaptation. But what I also saw was that the film was poorly received on release, and only became a respected classic in later years. But honestly, I think I agree with the original reception. It seems clumsily abridged, and ham-handed in its characterization (at several points characters seem compelled to deliver soliloquys to express thought processes that a better director would have communicated through visual storytelling instead, with the movie ending on Ms Cooper directly addressing the audience). It's no surprise it was the director's first and only movie. I just don't see what the appeal is.
Can people tell me what I might be overlooking, here? And is it STILL considered a classic, or was that only the Roger Eberts of the world who thought so? Have many people even seen it these days?