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Ragtime (1981)

Drama | 155 minutes
3,48 76 votes

Genre: Drama

Duration: 155 minuten

Country: United States

Directed by: Milos Forman

Stars: James Cagney, Brad Dourif and Moses Gunn

IMDb score: 7,3 (10.709)

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.

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Younger Brother

Coalhouse Walker Jr.

Booker T. Washington

New York Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo

Willie Conklin

Delmas, Thaw's Lawyer

Evelyn's Dance Instructor

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avatar van scorsese

scorsese

  • 12065 messages
  • 10371 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.

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avatar van Filmkriebel

Filmkriebel

  • 9237 messages
  • 4265 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.

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avatar van BBarbie

BBarbie

  • 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.

dutch flagTranslated from Dutch · View original