Despite being 81 and wheelchair bound, the crusty old timer proves he still had it in him to deliver a solid performance. Cagney, on the other hand, more than justifies his casting. The inclusion of Pat O'Brien and Donald O'Conner is nice, but their parts are really just glorified cameos. The younger cast led by Elizabeth McGovern and Howard E. You certainly can't blame the cast for any of the movie's flaws. The scene between him and Coalhouse in the library is one of the tensest in the film. Father is clearly uncomfortable being involved with Coalhouse, particularly after he goes on his vengeance fueled rampage, and yet he tries to help him anyway. His involvement with the unnamed middle-class white family is one of the more intriguing angles of the film. The story of Coalhouse Walker and his journey from being an up and coming musician who ends up a terrorist holed up in the NYC Library is the real story of this movie. His character is interesting, but given such limited screentime that he's never fully explored and might as well have been left on the cutting room floor. Likewise, Mandy Patinkin could have been removed without disruption. Sure, she meets two characters involved with the other storylines, but you could lift her from the movie and you'd still have a complete film with just a small amount of editing. Evelyn is mostly absent from the latter half of the film. I quite enjoyed this portion of the movie, but it has very little to do with the rest of the movie.
#Ragtime movie firetruck scene trial#
Dubbed "The Trial of the Century" at the time, it was the scandal of the year. Much of the first portion of the film centers on Elizabeth McGovern playing real life "chorus girl" Evelyn Nesbit and the trial of her husband for the murder of one of her ex-lovers. Maybe Robert Altman, who was originally slated to direct this movie, could have pulled off the multi-story arcs with more grace, but here they just seem piled on top of each other, without smooth enough connections. Amazingly, several storylines were slimmed down from the book while others were removed completely and there's still too many for just one movie, despite it's 2 hour and 20 minute running time.ĭirector Milos Forman and writer Michael Weller simply try to cram too many stories into one film. Doctorow novel, seems to be crying out for the miniseries treatment and there's certainly enough characters and storylines to warrant one. I bring this up because this movie, released in 1981 and based on the sprawling E.L. Roots, Centennial, Shogun and others were all released during that period. The 1970s and early 80s was a golden time for the historical television mini-series. I'm happy to say that both movies hold up very well today and may, in fact, have improved with age.Įlizabeth McGovern and Donald O'Connor in Ragtime. Of all the movies I saw during my adolescence, this one and Apocalypse Now stand out the most clearly in my memory. It is paced rather slow but it so richly unfolds. This movie is beautiful down to the smallest detail. Mandy Patinkin also adds much color as a poor but ambitious Jewish entrepreneur. Donald O'Connor is wonderful as a song and dance Vaudevillian of the era. There are many different characters and the time period is painstakingly recreated. This is an epic though so much more is going on than just that. Things just keep on escalating in a battle of wills and eventually the entire police force is involved.
Coalhouse Walker, a black man, is humiliated by some volunteer firemen, who are jealous of seeing him drive around well-dressed in a nice new automobile. One of the families is white the other is black. Set exactly one hundred years ago in 1906 Ragtime is mostly about two families that come together and affect each other. Jackson and even silent film star Bessie Love. Rollins Jr., Debbie Allen, Pat O'Brien, Donald O'Connor, Jeff Daniels, Fran Drescher, Samuel L. Cagney) Elizabeth McGovern, Mandy Patinkin, Mary Steenburgen, Howard E. It also boasts an amazing cast that includes (besides Mr. Doctorow, directed by Milos Forman and produced by Dino De Laurentiis this movie has quite a pedigree. As a huge fan of James Cagney's, Ragtime was the one that I remember most anticipating.
In Ragtime, On Golden Pond, Ghost Story and S.O.B respectively. James Cagney, Henry Fonda, Fred Astaire and William Holden all made their last theatrical film appearances that year. In 1981 there seemed to be a last hurrah for several classic era male stars. James Cagney made his last film appearance in Ragtime.
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