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 Cit... Read allA 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.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.
- Nominated for 8 Oscars
- 2 wins & 22 nominations total
Jeffrey DeMunn
- Houdini
- (as Jeff Demunn)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJames Cagney had been advised by his doctors and caregivers that making a film at this point in his life was very important for his health. The actor never flew, so he and his wife took an ocean liner to London, where his scenes were filmed. Despite his numerous infirmities, he stayed on-set during his fellow actors' close-ups to give them line readings.
- GoofsCharles W. Fairbanks was not Vice President when he ran with Theodore Roosevelt in 1904. He was a Senator from Indiana, chosen as Roosevelt's running mate that year. Roosevelt was William McKinley's Vice President; he became president when McKinley was assassinated, and had no Vice President for his first term.
- Quotes
Coalhouse Walker Jr.: I read music so good, white folks think I'm fakin' it.
- Alternate versionsA work print version was included on the film's US Blu-ray release in 2021. It runs 19 minutes longer than the theatrical version.
- ConnectionsFeatured in James Cagney: That Yankee Doodle Dandy (1981)
Featured review
A short commentary: Having read through a few of the comments here, I note that there are several which express disappointment that the movie didn't do the book justice. Personally, having read the book some time after seeing the movie, I can understand their point, but realistically it's the type of book which would be nearly be impossible to do justice to, as there are so many broad interwoven threads in the book that it would require at least a 6 hour movie to even scratch the surface, and even then, putting it all together into a singular coherent whole which would hold the viewer's interest for that long would be quite a mean feat indeed. So instead of looking at it as an attempt to fully capture the book, it might be best to simply appreciate it for what it is, rather than what it isn't. And I believe that on its own terms it succeeds admirably, and remains one of my favorite movies of all time.
Another way of looking at this, as an introduction to the book, rather than vice versa it has some value on those terms. Perhaps if I hadn't seen the movie I might never have happened upon the book, and never known what I'd missed.
Another way of looking at this, as an introduction to the book, rather than vice versa it has some value on those terms. Perhaps if I hadn't seen the movie I might never have happened upon the book, and never known what I'd missed.
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Ragtime. Tiempo de injusticia
- Filming locations
- 81 West Main Street, Mt. Kisco, New York, USA(as Ragtime Victorian mansion)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $14,920,781
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $151,351
- Nov 22, 1981
- Gross worldwide
- $14,920,781
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