Ragtime (1981)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 155 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Milos Forman
Stars: James Cagney, Brad Dourif and Moses Gunn
IMDb score:
7,3 (11.487)
Releasedate: 20 November 1981
Ragtime plot
"The passion, the violence, the birth of America's Gilded Age."
Film adaptation of EL Doctorow's bestseller about the melting pot that was America at the beginning of the 20th century. The film focuses on two families, one white and one black. The racism of American society forces a ragtime pianist into a desperate act of reparation.
Actors and actresses
Younger Brother
Coalhouse Walker Jr.
Evelyn Nesbit
Mother
Booker T. Washington
New York Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo
Willie Conklin
Delmas, Thaw's Lawyer
Evelyn's Dance Instructor
Father
Reviews & comments
scorsese
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- 13232 messages
- 11124 votes
Beautiful film about a black pianist who wants justice when he is harassed. The film is set at the beginning of the last century in New York and gives a beautiful picture of the time with a truly beautiful setting. A number of compelling storylines that work together in a natural way and where the characters all come across well. A fine cast with this being the last role for James Cagney.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Filmkriebel
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- 10012 messages
- 4678 votes
Very good belle époque drama by Forman. He brings this period beautifully to life with impressive sets, wonderful music, glamorous lifestyle and short current affairs sequences. Here it also becomes clear that an actor is at the peak of his talent when a good director is in the chair. And I certainly had that feeling here. McGovern, a fairly mediocre actress, is certainly unforgettable here as the somewhat foolish Evelyn Nesbit, a well-known model of the time, whose mentally ill husband committed murder in public. And of course Rollins too, died way too early.
Ragtime mixes historical fact with fiction. The story eventually teeters toward black pianist Coalhouse Walker, who becomes the butt of a racist joke by firefighters and stubbornly does anything to demand redress. But Forman is formal: at that time, black freedom was very relative.
Very worthwhile. I expected the different storylines to come together but they don't. They are two separate stories that take place next to each other, but there is indeed a strong interweaving of both plots. I thought the final act in the besieged library where Cagney (in his last film role) has to keep the situation under control was far too long.
Translated from Dutch · View original
BBarbie
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- 12893 messages
- 7675 votes
At the time – about 50 years ago – I was very impressed by Doctorow's book about early 20th century America. It paints a compelling picture of the times, including the racial contradictions and associated prejudices. It's amazing how historical figures and events are seamlessly woven into the story. A captivating historical drama with the extra special feature of James Cagney's return after an absence of twenty years.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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