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Ragtime
1981 155 min United States of America PG 16+
★7.6
Drama, History
Director: Milos Forman
🎭 Based on
«Ragtime»
byE. L. Doctorow
Trailers
Description
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.
US Gross:
$14.92M
Starring
James Cagney
Actor
Elizabeth McGovern
Actor
Howard E. Rollins Jr.
Actor
Awards
Academy Awards 1982
— Best Adapted Screenplay
Academy Awards 1982
— Best Supporting Actress
Academy Awards 1982
— Best Supporting Actor
Academy Awards 1982
— Best Cinematography
Golden Globe 1982
— Best Original Song
Academy Awards 1982
— Best Production Design
Academy Awards 1982
— Best Costume Design
Academy Awards 1982
— Best Original Song
Academy Awards 1982
— Best Original Score
Golden Globe 1982
— Best Picture (Drama)
Golden Globe 1982
— Best Supporting Actress
Golden Globe 1982
— Best Supporting Actor
Golden Globe 1982
— Best Director
Golden Globe 1982
— Breakthrough of the Year
BAFTA 1983
— Best Original Song
Key opinion
Miloš Forman's adaptation of E.L. Doctorow's novel is widely regarded as a visually meticulous, emotionally resonant, and thematically ambitious historical epic. While some critics praise its complex narrative tapestry, others find its tonal shift from period drama to thriller to be disjointed or lacking in cohesion.
| Acting | Howard E. Rollins Jr.'s portrayal of Coalhouse Walker Jr. provides a powerful, Oscar-nominated emotional anchor for the film's racial conflict. | |
| Production | The production design successfully crafts an authentic and immersive atmosphere of early 20th-century America. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay's transition from a multi-character social chronicle to a revenge-thriller creates a divisive structural rupture for some viewers. | |
| Theme | The film functions as a compelling exploration of systemic injustice, racism, and the clash between individual morality and rigid societal institutions. |