Play any old movie and you will see the intro meander for a while, opening credits will take sometimes almost 5 minutes. As opposed to now, movies start fast before you click out and watch another thing. Sure, they didn't particularly waste film, but they did meander... or, you could say they weren't meandering but setting the mood/ambiance for the film. One must remember directors were artists, cinema existed for the art not for the audience, there wasn't a whole lot of pandering.