Ragtime

Audience Reviews

View More

Draco P Apr 8, 2019 First feature starring Samuel L. Jackson (Gang Member No.2): isn't that reason enough to watch "Ragtime"? Well, probably not, so let me tell you more. Good epic movie with different point of views, but as a symphony something is not completely right. I cannot really tell if its because something is missing, therefore should have been longer, or if its because they stretched some parts a bit too thin. Overall a nice period film with good costumes and settings. See more

Feb 2, 2019 The best movie character ever portrayed: Howard Rollins as Coalhouse Walker Jr.! And the best movie score ever composed!

Harry R Sep 23, 2018 Why is Ragtime neglected? A superbly designed, brilliantly acted (many roles filled by Hollywood legends of the past) and richly rewarding snapshot of a period in American history when racism, jazz and the birth of cinema coalesced. Milos Forman finds a dark humour in the most tragic sequences and once again proves himself a master of the larger canvas. Unjustly overlooked. See more

Hagrid G Jul 1, 2018 In a strange way, especially for a film so surprisingly straightforward, the scope here is both overwhelming-an enormous ensemble piece telling a set of often seemingly unrelated stories-and yet quite narrow, in that it sticks to and utterly nails a specific era, place, and peoples. When the film focuses in on those smaller details, when it scales somewhat back and away from its source material-from what I understand, Forman's adaptation tells only a small slice, one section of the novel-it is hard not to be caught up in the wonderful Randy Newman score, the lovely cinematography, and the minutia of the perfect production design. But at just over two-and-a-half hours in run time, those finer points get muddled and less charming as the narrative stretches on at a slackening toward a foregone and inevitable conclusion. But what a powerful conclusion, made so much richer by its all-star performances. How timely a last shot (pun intended). How grisly a truth that, a century later, this is (still) America, land of the free and home of ragtime. As an allegory for my country-beautiful, overwhelming, violent, stuffy, racist, auspicious-Forman captures something hopeful in its brutality, a patriotic optimism that often comes strongest from the immigrants who strived so hard to get here. Perhaps that is a truth, that America is and always has been a country where murderous privilege mixes with blind opportunity, we need reminding of at this moment in our history See more

Theodore S Apr 18, 2018 Doctorow's novel is a tricky thing to adapt, especially with its deliberately elusive ideas about America. Inevitably a lot of materiel was cut or truncated in this movie but there is a lot to admire in Forman's vision here. His focus on the characters inspires a lot of empathy, more than usual in these kinds of period pieces. See more

Hagrid M Jun 5, 2017 This is Milos Forman's first truly American film. But, like his other films, it is about the overarching connection of all people. Ragtime is a beautiful and endlessly entertaining portrait of the many comedies and tragedies of the turn of the century. See more

Read all reviews

Ragtime

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING