Ragtime Plot Summary and Details

Plot

Milos Foreman's cinematic adaptation of E.L. Doctrow's sprawling pop-culture epic Ragtime follows a variety of characters whose lives intertwine during the earliest years of the 20th century. Brad Dourif plays the meek young brother in a wealthy family who ends up helping Coalhouse Walker Jr. (Howard E. Rollins) when the proud black man stands up to the racism that surrounds him with a criminal act that leads to a standoff with a police commissioner (James Cagney - making his return to the big screen after fifteen years away). Secondary characters include a street artist (Mandy Patinkin) who gets his foot in the door of the nascent film business, and a flighty young woman (Elizabeth McGovern) who inspires men who desire her to violence. Randy Newman composed the score, which included a song that earned him his first Oscar nomination.

MPAA Rating:

Genre(s):

Drama

Run Time:

155min.

DVD Release Date:

11/16/2004

Director(s):

Milos Forman

Starring:

James Cagney , Brad Dourif , Moses Gunn , Elizabeth McGovern , Kenneth McMillan

Themes: