Ragtime

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Ragtime

film by Forman [1981]

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July 15, 2026

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The 1981 film Ragtime, directed by Miloš Forman, is an adaptation of E.L. Doctorow's 1975 novel of the same name. The novel and film are set in the early 20th century in New York and explore the lives of various characters, including a Harlem pianist named Coalhouse Walker, whose music is ragtime.12

Ragtime itself is a syncopated musical style that was popular in the United States from around 1899 to 1917, serving as a precursor to jazz. It evolved from pianists playing along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, characterized by a steady left-hand beat and a syncopated melody in the right hand. Scott Joplin, known as the "King of Ragtime," was a prominent composer of this genre. While the film Ragtime received eight Oscar nominations, it did not find a large audience.321

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James Cagney
…in his final two films, Ragtime (1981) and the television film Terrible Joe Moran (1984). Contrary to the popular perception created by scores of impressionists throughout the years, Cagney said neither “You dirty rat!” nor “All right, you guys!” in any film.
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…in his final two films, Ragtime (1981) and the television film Terrible Joe Moran (1984). Contrary to the popular perception created by scores of impressionists throughout the years, Cagney said neither “You dirty rat!” nor “All right, you guys!” in any film.
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Twyla Tharp
…pictures such as Hair (1979), Ragtime (1981), and Amadeus (1984) and for Broadway musical theatre productions such as The Catherine Wheel (1981; music by David Byrne), Movin’ Out (2002–05; music by Billy Joel), The Times They Are A-Changin’ (2006; music by Bob Dylan
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…pictures such as Hair (1979), Ragtime (1981), and Amadeus (1984) and for Broadway musical theatre productions such as The Catherine Wheel (1981; music by David Byrne), Movin’ Out (2002–05; music by Billy Joel), The Times They Are A-Changin’ (2006; music by Bob Dylan
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Dino De Laurentiis
…Kong (1976), as well as Ragtime (1981), a critically lauded adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s novel. In 1984 he opened another film studio in Wilmington, North Carolina, and—after engineering the De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG), an umbrella company—he opened production offices in Australia. DEG failed four years later, though it managed…
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…Kong (1976), as well as Ragtime (1981), a critically lauded adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s novel. In 1984 he opened another film studio in Wilmington, North Carolina, and—after engineering the De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG), an umbrella company—he opened production offices in Australia. DEG failed four years later, though it managed…
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Miloš Forman
The director then made Ragtime (1981), a handsomely mounted, expensive adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s best-selling novel about early 20th-century America. The historical drama starred James Cagney in his first credited big-screen appearance in some 20 years; it was the actor’s last feature film. Ragtime, however, also failed to find…
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The director then made Ragtime (1981), a handsomely mounted, expensive adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s best-selling novel about early 20th-century America. The historical drama starred James Cagney in his first credited big-screen appearance in some 20 years; it was the actor’s last feature film. Ragtime, however, also failed to find…
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Randy Newman
…motion pictures, most notably for Ragtime (1981) and The Natural (1984); he earned his first Grammy for his sound track for the latter film. In 1995 he began a fruitful collaboration with Pixar Animation Studios, and he received two Academy Award nominations for his work on Toy Story (1995). He…
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…motion pictures, most notably for Ragtime (1981) and The Natural (1984); he earned his first Grammy for his sound track for the latter film. In 1995 he began a fruitful collaboration with Pixar Animation Studios, and he received two Academy Award nominations for his work on Toy Story (1995). He…
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Mandy Patinkin
1970s and ’80s: Evita, Yentl, and The Princess Bride
…Patinkin appeared in Miloš Forman’s Ragtime, a film adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s novel of the same name. Two years later the actor won additional fame with his portrayal of yeshiva student Avigdor in the award-winning Yentl, a musical adaptation of a short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer that starred Barbra…
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…Patinkin appeared in Miloš Forman’s Ragtime, a film adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s novel of the same name. Two years later the actor won additional fame with his portrayal of yeshiva student Avigdor in the award-winning Yentl, a musical adaptation of a short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer that starred Barbra…
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Mary Steenburgen
…prim matriarch in Miloš Forman’s Ragtime (1981), based on the 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow, and the writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings in the biopic Cross Creek (1983). Steenburgen was nominated for a BAFTA award for her portrayal of Nicole Diver in the 1985 television miniseries Tender Is the Night, based…
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…prim matriarch in Miloš Forman’s Ragtime (1981), based on the 1975 novel by E.L. Doctorow, and the writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings in the biopic Cross Creek (1983). Steenburgen was nominated for a BAFTA award for her portrayal of Nicole Diver in the 1985 television miniseries Tender Is the Night, based…
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