Ragtime (1981)

Director:

Milos Forman

Writers:

E.L. Doctorow (novel) and
Michael Weller (writer)

Release Date:

6 January 1982 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was Ragtime

Plot:

A young black pianist becomes embroiled in the lives of an upper-class white family set among the racial tensions, infidelity, violence, and other nostalgic events in early 1900s New York City.

Plot Keywords:

Shot To Death | Brother In Law Brother In Law Relationship | Harlem | New Rochelle New York | Anarchist

Awards:

Nominated for 8 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

James Cagney	...	Commissioner Rheinlander Waldo
Brad Dourif	...	Younger Brother
Moses Gunn	...	Booker T. Washington
Elizabeth McGovern	...	Evelyn Nesbit
Kenneth McMillan	...	Willie Conklin
Pat O'Brien	...	Mr. Delphin Delmas
Donald O'Connor	...	Evelyn's Dance Instructor
James Olson	...	Father
Mandy Patinkin	...	Tateh
Howard E. Rollins Jr.	...	Coalhouse Walker Jr.
Mary Steenburgen	...	Mother
Debbie Allen	...	Sarah
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Harry Houdini (as Jeff Demunn)
Robert Joy	...	Henry 'Harry' Kendall Thaw
Norman Mailer	...	Stanford White

Also Known As:

Love and Glory (Philippines: English title)

Runtime:

155 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

81 West Main Street, Mt. Kisco, New York, USA

Company:

Dino De Laurentiis Company

Trivia:

Ethan Phillips' film debut.

Goofs:

Evelyn's hair in her nude scene shifts over her shoulder momentarily.

Quotes:

Sarah: [about Coalhouse] He say one thing, and then he say another thing. And he make it all sound so good. It ain't nuthin' but talk, Ma'am. It ain't nuthin' but talk!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Remembering 'Ragtime' (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

ONE MORE HOUR

Now clearly a classic

Ragtime has emerged as a classic film. Its astonishing array of great performances--literally a score of them, from Howard Rollins's truly tragic stand for human dignity at the film's center to James Cagney's historic return to film at the end of his life and the end of this motion picture--would almost alone qualify this as a great motion picture. But Michael Weller's breathtakingly complex and complete dramatization of Doctorow's sprawling novel, the gorgeous production and costume designs and the superb direction of Milos Forman seal the deal. This is a magnificent tapestry of American life at the beginning of the American century.

Lavishly entertaining, genuinely heartbreaking and a dandy history lesson to boot, Ragtime has joined the pantheon of great, epic movies.