Paramount Presents: RAGTIME [1981 / 2021] [Blu-ray] [USA Release]
Young, Beautiful, Passionate and Scandalous. She was America in the time of “Ragtime”
Layering fascinating characters with the riotous events of early 1900s America, the best-seller by E.L. Doctorow became a cinematic epic under the direction of two-time Oscar winning director Miloš Forman. From the emerging New York suburb of New Rochelle to the flashy spectacle of Atlantic City, a family faces racial tensions, scandals and violence that will test everything they believe in. Newly remastered from a 4K film transfer for its 40th Anniversary. ‘RAGTIME’ features an unforgettable music score by Randy Newman, and an incredible all-star cast that includes James Cagney in his first and final role in nearly two decades, Donald O’Connor, Mandy Patinkin, Mary Steenburgen, Debbie Allen, Elizabeth McGovern, Moses Gunn, Pat O’Brien, Jeff Daniels, Fran Drescher, John Ratzenberger, Michael Jeter, Norman Mailer, and Samuel L. Jackson.
Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment is proud to spotlight a new line of Blu-ray releases for collectors and fans – PARAMOUNT PRESENTS. From celebrated classics to film-lover favourites, each title comes directly from the studio’s renowned library, spanning over 100 years of storytelling. The films have never looked better on Blu-ray – each lovingly remastered from 4K film transfers, featuring never-before-seen bonus content, and exclusive collectable packaging.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1981 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards: Win: LAFCA Award for Best Music for Randy Newman. 1981 New York Film Critics Circle Awards: Nominated: NYFCC Award for Best Supporting Actor for Howard Ellsworth Rollins Jr. [4th Place]. 1981 New York Film Critics Circle Awards: Nominated: NYFCC Award for Best Supporting Actor for Howard Ellsworth Rollins Jr. [4th Place]. 1982 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Howard Ellsworth Rollins Jr. Nominated: Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Elizabeth McGovern. Nominated: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium for Michael Weller. Nominated: Best Cinematography for Miroslav Ondrícek. Nominated: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration for George DeTitta Sr., George DeTitta Jr., John Graysmark, Patrizia von Brandenstein, Peter Howitt and Tony Reading. Nominated: Best Costume Design for Anna Hill Johnstone. Nominated: Best Music, Original Song for Randy Newman for the song “One More Hour.” Nominated: Best Music for an Original Score for Randy Newman. 1982 David di Donatello Awards: David Award for Best Foreign Producer (Migliore Produttore Straniero) for Dino De Laurentiis. 1982 Golden Globes: Nominated: Best Motion Picture in a Drama. Nominated: Best Director for a Motion Picture for Miloš Forman. Nominated: Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for Mary Steenburgen. Nominated: Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for Howard Ellsworth Rollins Jr. Nominated: New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture for Elizabeth McGovern. Nominated: New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture for Howard E. Rollins Jr. Nominated: Best Original Song in a Motion Picture for Randy Newman for the song “One More Hour.” 1982 Image Awards (NAACP): Win: Image Award for Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for Moses Gunn. Nominated: Image Award for Best Motion Picture. 1982 Writers Guild of America: Nominated: WGA Award (Screen) for Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium for Michael Weller. 1983 BAFTA Awards: Nominated: BAFTA Film Award for Best Original Song for Randy Newman for the song “One More Hour.” 1983 Grammy Awards: Nominated: Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special for Randy Newman. 2005 Satellite Awards: Nominated: NYFCC Award for Best Supporting Actor for Howard E. Rollins Jr. [4th Place]. 2005 Satellite Awards: Nominated: Golden Satellite Award for Best Classic DVD.
FILM FACT No.2: The film ‘RAGTIME’ was shot on location in New York City; Mount Kisco, New York; New Jersey; and at Shepperton Studios, England. Robert Altman initially signed to direct the film, but was replaced by Miloš Forman.
Cast: James Cagney, Brad Dourif, Moses Gunn, Elizabeth McGovern, Kenneth McMillan, Pat O'Brien, Donald O'Connor, James Olson, Mandy Patinkin, Howard Ellsworth Rollins Jr., Mary Steenburgen, Debbie Allen, Jeffrey DeMunn, Robert Joy, Norman Mailer, Bruce Boa, Hoolihand Burke, Norman Chancer, Edwin Cooper, Jeff Daniels, Fran Drescher, Frankie Faison, Hal Galili, Alan Gifford, Richard Griffiths, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Jeter, Calvin Levels, Bessie Love, Christopher Malcolm, Herman Meckler, Billy J. Mitchell, Jenny Nichols, Max Nichols, Zack Norman, Eloise Taylor (aka Eloise O'Brien), Don Plumley, Don Plumley, Ted Ross, Dorsey Wright, Robert Arden, Robert Boyd, Thomas A. Carlin, John Clarkson, Brian F. Dean, Harry Ditson, Robert Dorning, Geoffrey Greenhill, Ray Hassett, Robert Hitt, Rodney James, George Harris, George J. Manos, Val Pringle, Ron Weyand, Sonny Abagnale, John Alderson, Nesbitt Blaisdell, Chaim Blatter, Donald Bisset, Josh Clark, Robert Coffin, Patrick Connor, Joel Cutrara, Jake Dengel, Barry Dennen, Natalia Dobrer, Daniel Foley, Gretchen Franklin, Pat Gorman, Guy Gregory, Dave Griffiths, Jeff Harding, Robert Henderson, Colette Hiller, Patrick M. Hughes, Elaine Ives-Cameron, Andreas Katsulas, Douglas Lambert, Pavel Landovský, Norris Mailer, Derek Martin, Al Matthews, Stuart Milligan, Richard Oldfield, Nelly Polissky, Mike Potter, Anthony Powell, Ethan Phillips, Joe Praml, John Ratzenberger, Bill Reimbold, Bob Sherman, Tony Sibbald, Stan Simmons, John Sterland, Jan Tríska, Burnell Tucker, Britt Walker, Peter Whitman, Edward Wiley, John Carrafa (uncredited), Nancy Cohen (uncredited), Harry Fielder (uncredited), Jim Fitzpatrick (uncredited), Robert Hallak (uncredited), Warren Kliewer (uncredited), Derek Lyons (uncredited), Louis Marino (uncredited), Cathy Munroe (uncredited), Chris Parsons (uncredited), Frank Patton III (uncredited), Billie Perkins (uncredited), Ilana Rapp (uncredited), Ellen Stretton (uncredited) and Judi Trott (uncredited)
Director: Miloš Forman
Producers: Bernard Williams, Dino De Laurentiis, Fredric M. Sidewater and Michael Hausman
Screenplay: E.L. Doctorow (based on the novel), Michael Weller (screenplay) and Heinrich von Kleist (story “Michael Kohlhaas”) (uncredited)
Costume Design: Anna Hill Johnstone
Composer: Randy Newman
Cinematography: Miroslav Ondrícek (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p + 1080i (Technicolor + Black-and-White)
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 (Todd-AO 35 anamorphic)
Audio: English: 5.1 Dolby TrueHD Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby TrueHD Audio
Subtitles: English and English SDH
Running Time: 155 minutes + Director’s Cut Workprint: 174 minutes
Region: All Regions
Number of discs: 2
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘RAGTIME’ [1981] is handsomely mounted, exceptionally nuanced and subtly underplayed to the point of perfection, and director Miloš Forman’s ‘RAGTIME’ [1981] and remains an extraordinary picture about an unusual time in America’s evolutionary chronicle from young nation ushered into the hedonist glamor of the early 20th century.
It also stockpiles a roster of mind-bogglingly gifted performers, to include James Olson, Mary Steenburgen, Howard Ellsworth Rollins Jr., Brad Dourif, Elizabeth McGovern, Mandy Patinkin, Donald O’Connor, Jeff Daniels, Fran Drescher, Samuel L. Jackson, Ethan Phillips, Debbie Allen, and John Ratzenberger into its kaleidoscopic reflection of the gilded age, and, marks the final screen appearances of two Hollywood alumni, Pat O’Brien, and the legendary James Cagney, herein cast as Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo.
With the film ‘RAGTIME’ the year is 1906 and a lot of activity is going on in America. The film is magnificent, truthful and compelling tale of graft, corruption, hard knocks and vigilantism, set against the bustling, gritty metropolis of New York, with intermittent respites to the moneyed upper middle-class digs of New Rochelle and windswept and sun-filled boardwalks of Atlantic City.
We see Harry Houdini is pulling off illusion after illusion successfully. President Roosevelt’s never seen better approval numbers and a woman Evelyn Nesbit [Elizabeth McGovern] has modelled herself for a statue. This is all well and good if only her jealous husband Henry Thaw [Robert Joy] can approve, which he does not and he builds up enough jealous rage that he threatens to kill the maker Stanford White [Norman Mailer] because of this statue of his wife. Meanwhile a middle class family find a big surprise, in the form of a African American baby, waiting for them on their grounds surrounding their house. They find out that one of their servants is the baby’s mother. What they don’t find out until later is that the father is a known piano player named Coalhouse Walker Jr. [Howard Ellsworth Rollins Jr.], and that he would do all that he can to be a good father, but some racial acts play against him and he is forced to bring himself into a situation that would also include a good part of the town, including New York Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo [James Cagney].
E.L. Doctorow’s acclaimed best-selling novel “Ragtime” was a dynamic fictional chronicle of society between 1900 and 1913. The novel was so big that it presented a difficult challenge for screenwriter Michael Weller, and of course eventually his screenplay is bold, as a whole, the film ‘RAGTIME’ is totally condensed compared to the novel. At the same time, it excludes crucial characters, and the story structure is all over the place.
The wide array of actors in this film are used to a great extent and it helps that there is a minimum of main title credits at the beginning of the film, for that many come on without expectation. The performances all around are exceptional particularly from Howard Ellsworth Rollins Jr. as the character Coalhouse Walker Jr. who is a man who loves his music and wants to be more, but tragically, the limitations of this period shows that time is not on his side. It’s no surprise that he was nominated for an Oscar® for his role and his performance certainly was worthy as well as winning his award.
And the sight of James Cagney is a welcome one as he’s given a small role with this ensemble cast and he makes the most of his screen presence with the period the film is set in and what James Cagney injects into the character of New York Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo is small but he does so much with so little. This was James Cagney’s last feature film role and it was a nice one to go out on as he does so well amongst the other fine cast.
I can honestly say that director Miloš Forman’s film drew me in with its sense of much happier times deep down, but unfortunately happier times can be very deceiving. The multiple storylines were not a distraction but somehow link into each other very nicely. For many years, James Cagney had been retired from acting work. In those years there had been several offers given to him to make a comeback of sorts and he turned them all down for one reason or another. As luck would have it, director Miloš Forman had a chance encounter with James Cagney at a party and had told him that he was casting for a new film he was doing and that it would be great for James Cagney to be part of it. After some resistance, they both made a deal with each other and after a reactive rehearsal, James Cagney agreed to return for this one time only deal and he would be part of a wide ensemble cast telling a multi-plot tale involving one man’s vision, a rise and fall of a family, and a police commissioner forced to make a choice. This is the early 20th century, an America full of scandal, transition and the sound of Ragtime.
Nevertheless, the cast does their best with what they have got, and they are all spectacular. Chief among them is Howard Ellsworth Rollins Jr., who deservedly received multiple nominations as his character Coalhouse Walker Jr. Yet, every actor in the film transforms into their characters with uncanny believability.
It’s great that this was director Miloš Forman’s first foray into anamorphic filmmaking and he uses the widescreen space very well in many scenes that give the film a more cinematic look from beginning to end. But despite a few flaws in the films structure and an uneven story, but overall the film ‘RAGTIME’ is an entertaining time worth spent.
‘RAGTIME’ is a mysterious piece of work, managing to be both an exhaustively detailed historical piece and slippery work of mischief. It’s a mood piece that routinely shatters its own mood, a box of chocolates laced with poison. It’s easily one of the best things I’ve watched this year, and I hope you make time for it as well. The film sadly itself seems relatively forgotten. I certainly don’t see it discussed often on the list of great 1980’s films, or even great historical epics. A super-star cast of great actors and excellent supporting actors in a story that makes no sense from beginning to end. The main story is about the town's main lawyer and his dysfunctional family and cheating wife. But the bigger story is about Coalhouse Walker Jr. fighting for equal justice against the biased and racist white majority.
But folks, stay near to the end of the film and be totally shocked by the outcome and see how justice has not been shown towards Coalhouse Walker Jr., and see how America in that period of time was so 100% biased towards the white American population and to also show you how lawless and unjust it was towards the African American population. The other unequal justice shown towards Coalhouse Walker Jr. was the horrible outcome near the end of the film where you see Henry Thaw released from prison after shooting Stanford White and killing him outright, so showing how the white population at the time was so biased towards the African American population in making them feel like second class citizens.
The look of the film is totally exquisite and especially with Miroslav Ondracek (Director of Photography) who captures the period really nicely with nice historical touches to the colourful palette given to the film both visually and literally. The film wouldn’t be called ‘RAGTIME’ without ragtime music and the score by Randy Newman is done as a kind of love letter to that period’s music. It’s rich, lovely and very well done.
The ‘RAGTIME’ film is beautiful, stunning in its recreation of early 1900’s New York, utilizing the screenplay which somehow ties together the central events and their effects on its main characters as well as one of the finest. Also most haunting is the composed film soundtrack, which Randy Newman, who went so far as to compose several original “ragtime” numbers in the past twenty years, topped off with a first-rate cast. James Cagney was the big news of course, and deservedly so and emerging from twenty years of retirement, and showed that he had not lost anything but had added to his expertise and professional acting ability. Add Mary Steenburgen, Mandy Patinkin, James Olsen, Howard Rollins, Keith McMillan and even Elizabeth McGovern, each of them perfectly cast, to name but a few, and you see where director Miloš Forman wasn't missing anything. Lavishly entertaining, genuinely heart-breaking at times and a dandy history lesson to boot on the terrible racial equality the black Americans had to put up with in that period from a really white bigot misogynous dinosaurs and made me feel very uncomfortable for someone like me from England that I felt we had a much more civilised society at the period in time, although we did have some prejudices against blacks but not on the scale of what was happening at the same time in the United States of America relating to the same period we see in the film. The film ‘RAGTIME’ has joined the pantheon of the great and the good, and to sum up, this is an epic film that really draws you in with great gusto without realising it.
RAGTIME MUSIC TRACK LIST
ONE MORE HOUR (1981) (Words by Randy Newman) (Music by Randy Newman) [Sung by Jennifer Warnes]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Paramount Pictures presents you the film ‘RAGTIME’ with a really beautiful 1080p image and shown in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio. The new restoration provides greater clarity and vividness. The picture is sharp —practically pristine and with colours rich and deep, especially in the costumes of the chorus girls, the period fire vehicles, Evelyn Nesbit’s dresses, costumes on the women in a Madison Square Garden sequence, and the picturesque home of the New Rochelle family. Actual and simulated archival black-and-white footage helps to establish events of the era. There’s excellent detail in wallpaper patterns, flower arrangements, and a crowded tenement street. Blacks are deep and velvety. Needless to say, the new restoration looks fantastic. The whites liven up the lit areas, and the blacks are consistent and quite deep. Colours have a tonal balance along with an excellent blend of dominant tones and grounded colours. The picture is also super clear and reveals the subtle degrees of fine details and textures. The fine grain lends a practically perfect layer and accentuates the cinematic look of the film image.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Paramount Pictures brings you the film ‘RAGTIME’ with a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD Audio experience. Dialogue is crisp and sharp throughout. Mandy Patinkin’s accent suggests his character is of east European origins but is easy to understand. Music plays a very important part in creating the right period flavour. Randy Newman’s score is bouncy and upbeat, helping to keep the pace brisk. In the street scenes, the sound mix blends voices, pushcart hawkers, horses, early automobile noise, and music, creating a busy aural canvas. Explosions are extremely loud and occur during relatively quiet sequences, providing shocking moments. The mix occasionally utilizes the surrounds for atmospheric effects without sounding unnatural or overly processed. As a result, it seamlessly combines crowds, horses, automobiles, and music, which leads to an always active aural experience. Dialogue is crisp and sharp throughout.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Audio Commentary by Director Miloš Forman and Executive Producer Michael Hausman: First to introduce themselves is director Miloš Forman and next to introduce themselves is executive producer and first director assistant Michael Hausman and are both here to talk in-depth about the film ‘RAGTIME.’ Miloš Forman read the novel “Ragtime” by author E.L. Doctorow and really loved it very much, and it was executive producer Dino De Laurentiis who offered Miloš Forman to direct the film. But originally Robert Altman was offered to direct the film, but of course it was not to be. But author E.L. Doctorow originally wanted the film to be instead made into the TV series of 10 one hour episodes, because the novel was such a sprawling epic story and so many subplots and Miloš Forman was not really interested in that option at all, instead wanted to make one big epic film of the saga and wanted the film to be about the main character Coalhouse Walker Jr. But executive producer Dino De Laurentiis would only allow the film to get to go ahead if director Miloš Forman directed the film, especially if Miloš Forman could secure a big named actor, so Dino De Laurentiis could secure a good distribution of the film around the world, but Miloš Forman was not very forthcoming on what big star actor he actually secured for the film, but I suspect he temporarily forgot to mention that he secured the brilliant star actor and Hollywood legend James Cagney. Miloš Forman also talks about the business of trying to get the actor James Cagney and the strange and unusual deal he secured for the actor to appear in the film that is of course mentioned in detail in the Remembering ‘RAGTIME’ featurette, but one other stipulation James Cagney secured, is that he wanted his salary to be donated to a specific charity, which is not mentioned. Both Miloš Forman and Michael Hausman talk in-depth about some of the other famous male and female actors that appear in the film and Miloš Forman says that before filming was started Miloš Forman actually interviewed over a thousand actors over a long period of time, as he wanted to get the right actor for their character before he could start shooting the film. Miloš Forman also insisted that everyone had to do a screen test and James Cagney heard about this situation and insisted to Miloš Forman that he too wanted to do a screen test and Miloš Forman was rather amused from such a talented actor and didn’t feel James Cagney needed to do a screen test, but James Cagney insisted on doing a screen test, because he wanted Miloš Forman to feel comfortable about his screen test, and so he agreed to let James Cagney go ahead and do his screen test and Miloš Forman was very happy with what he viewed of James Cagney’s screen test. From Chapter Nine at 47:20 until Chapter Ten at 54:00 we get complete silence, so much for a so called audio commentary and I find that very unprofessional, I mean the hell were they doing when they left the recording booth, did they instead have a couple of drinks of alcohol? When they resumed the audio commentary, Miloš Forman talks about the actor Brad Dourif and thought he was a very intense actor and saw Brad Dourif in an off Broadway play entitled “When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?” in 1974 and Miloš Forman found the actor totally mesmerising on stage and that is why Miloš Forman cast Brad Dourif to appear in the film ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest’ in 1975 and was Nominated for an Oscar® and won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for his supporting role as Billy Bibbit. Once again we get complete silence from Chapter Ten at 55:45 until Chapter Eleven at 57:45 which again I think is totally out of order. Then Miloš Forman and Michael Hausman talk about the actress Mary Steenburgen and Miloš Forman cannot remember where he first saw this actress perform in a film, but despite this, Miloš Forman thought her performance was totally outstanding, but after some thinking, he thinks the film he saw her in was ‘Melvin and Howard’ in 1980 and that is why Miloš Forman thought the actress would be perfect in the film ‘RAGTIME.’ Michael Hausman then talks about the very long process of putting everything together for the film ‘RAGTIME’ even before they can start shooting the film, especially getting the time period setting 100% accurate for the film, then they had the logistic problem of shooting the film in two countries and they shot the film first in New York for 50 days solid and then they took a break over the Christmas period and then shot more film for 50 days in England, and of course they had to prepare everything accurate and professional, otherwise if you do not, it could be a total disaster especially people viewing the film point out total mistakes, especially relating to the that period in America. Miloš Forman and Michael Hausman both cannot believe they shot the film ‘RAGTIME’ over 25 years ago, but they feel it only feels like yesterday. We now come to the scene where Coalhouse Walker Jr. is blocked by the white racist pig firemen and Miloš Forman comments that is why he wanted to direct the film ‘RAGTIME’ and also comments that Coalhouse Walker Jr. has to swallow his pride, which is against his nature, which Miloš Forman relates 100% when his country Czechoslovakia was invaded by the Nazi regime and of course in 1984 was taken over by the Communists and in case with the Nazi regime the population of Czechoslovakia had to endure inhuman racist attacks throughout the Second World War. One thing that made me angry, was because Miloš Forman kept asking Michael Hausman now and again where the location shooting was and where they filmed the interior shots, but surely if you are the director you should know exactly where those scenes were shot. When we see the group of renegade African American’s shoot the local firemen and kill them, Miloš Forman feels that scene could not be able to be filmed for a modern film of this genre. When we get to Chapter 15 at precisely 1:30:55 we get the dance hall scene with everyone dancing and we get the upbeat ragtime music that everyone is dancing to, and Miloš Forman comments that he really loves this type of music. At Chapter 15 at 1:37:31 where one of the renegade African American arrives with his horse drawn delivery vehicle outside the building where the other renegade African American’s are ensconced inside the building, well we are informed that this is a replica of The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City and was completely rebuilt in a street in London, because the original The Morgan Library & Museum they were allowed to film the outside and inside the building, but of course the shooting of the interior scenes of The Morgan Library & Museum was filmed on the set of the Shepperton Studios in England. When we get to Chapter 17 at 1:44:00 where they are filming the beach scene and the director Tateh played by Mandy Patinkin is directing the silent film and telling all the actors what to do and then Mary Steenburgen meets the director with her son and husband, but of course the actor Mandy Patinkin I suddenly remembered that he appeared in the Barbra Streisand film ‘YENTL’ and of course he uses a very heavy foreign accent which put me off my stride, whereas in ‘YENTL’ he uses his own voice, but with Mandy Patinkin meeting Mary Steenburgen for the first time and from then on the film does a massive twist of fate for everyone and changes their lives forever. They mention that despite James Cagney was very ill at the time of shooting the film, but again they mention that because he is a very professional actor, did not give the impression he was in serious pain or discomfort while filming his scenes, but in-between shoots would go and rest in his trailer and both Miloš Forman and Michael Hausman says that James Cagney was a great man and a total pleasure to work with, and also was a total legend, so to cause not too many problems, they allowed James Cagney to do only a few hours work in the afternoon and also luckily only had to do a five or six week film schedule. Both Miloš Forman and Michael Hausman talk about the actor Jeffrey DeMunn who plays a scene near the end of the film as Houdini and inform us that he did his own stunt in front of the crowd below him, and was taught how to get out of the straight jacket while hanging upside down all on his own. As the end credits roll up the screen, Miloš Forman says, “Well if you are still watching, thank you.” So to sum up on what I think of this audio commentary by Miloš Forman and Michael Hausman, well for a start there was far too many long silent gaps and I find that totally unprofessional and drives me up the wall, but when they do make any kind of comments on what we are viewing, it was all quite interesting and of course it is entirely up to you whether you want to endure this particular audio commentary of 155 minutes and for me, I can only give this a three star rating.
Special Feature: Deleted and Extended Scenes [1981] 1080p] [2.39:1] [17:06] Here we get to view newly-discovered deleted or extended scenes from the film ‘RAGTIME’ and are all shown in black-and-white. Most of these are small character moments rather than major sequences. But it is interesting to see the fate of Brad Dourif's Younger Brother, who otherwise disappears from the film before the end.
Special Feature: ‘RAGTIME’ Revisited: A Conversation with Larry Karaszewski co-screenwriter and screenwriter Michael Weller on ‘RAGTIME’ [2021] [1080p / 480i] [1.78:1 / 2.39:1] [21:11] Larry Karaszewski and Michael Weller, are the combined screenwriters for the film ‘RAGTIME’ and have a video link conversation together with this new special feature. Miloš Forman approached Michael Weller to write the screenplay but Michael Weller was writing a novel at the time and he felt that the book was “a bit tricky” to adapt and wasn’t eager to take on the job. E.L. Doctorow had written his own screenplay but it was too long and unwieldy. Miloš Forman wanted to make a film about someone standing up to indignity, so Larry Karaszewski and Michael Weller focused on the character of Coalhouse Walker Jr. character. Larry Karaszewski informs us that he was also involved with two Miloš Forman films and they were ‘The People vs. Larry Flint’ [1996] and ‘Man On The Moon’ [1999]. Also we find out that the film is based on the German short novella “Michael Kohlhaas” and is based on a 16th-century story of Heinrich von Kleist and published fragments of the work in volume 6 of his literary journal Phöbus in June 1808. It is about a merchant Hans Kohlhase who lived in Cölln on the Spree (now incorporated into Berlin) in the Margraviate of Brandenburg in the 16th century. In October 1532 he set out on a trip to the Leipzig Trade Fair in the neighbouring Electorate of Saxony. On the way two of his horses were seized, at the command of the Junker von Zaschwitz, as a supposed fee for passage through Saxony. Kohlhase sought redress in the Saxon courts but failed to obtain it. Outraged, he issued a public challenge in 1534 and burned down houses in Wittenberg. Even a letter of admonition from Martin Luther could not dissuade him, and Kohlhase and the band he collected committed further acts of terror. In 1540 he was finally captured and tried, and was publicly broken on the wheel in Berlin on 22 March 1540. From this history Kleist fashioned a novella that dramatized a personal quest for justice in defiance of the claims of the general law and the community. The film ‘RAGTIME’ is about an outsider trying to get a fair shake as he encounters arbitrariness and unfairness. “If you’re going to take a stance, it’s going to cause a lot of friction.” Seeing the film recently, Michael Weller was impressed with how patiently Miloš Forman built each storyline to make it seem real. According to Michael Weller, Miloš Forman is a “hugely nourishing person.” Now and again we get to see clips from the film ‘RAGTIME,’ but for some unknown reason they are shown in black-and-white. All in all, this is quite an interesting featurette.
Special Feature: Deleted Scene [1981] [480i] [2.39:1] [10:19] This lower resolution deleted scene comes immediately after Tateh [Mandy Patinkin] throws his wife out of their apartment. Shown in a black-and-white continuation of the scene, social activist Emma Goldman throws a rock at the apartment window, shattering it and rallying the crowd as she talks about how women have no voice. When the police arrive to break up the crowd, Emma Goldman grabs Evelyn Nesbit, who was watching the street drama, and takes her to her apartment, with Younger Brother following them and managing to hide inside. Emma Goldman explains to Evelyn Nesbit how she’s being exploited until Younger Brother is discovered and Emma Goldman accosts him. Something very strange happens, when Emma Goldman undresses Evelyn Nesbit and exposes the top half of her body naked, but I was very curious and confused that when her breasts are revealed they are obliterated with a white masking, very strange.
Special Feature: Remembering ‘RAGTIME’ [2019] [1080i] [1.37:1] [18:32] Director Miloš Forman, Art Director Patrizia Von Brandenstein, Executive Producer / First Assistant Dirctor Michael Hausman and Actor Brad Dourif discuss aspects of the making of the film in this vintage featurette. Miloš Forman, who grew up in a communist country, identified with Coalhouse Walker Jr. seeking justice and retaining his dignity. Miloš Forman didn’t have a plan until he knew which actors would be playing the characters and which locations would be used. East 11th Street between Avenues A and B in Manhattan were re-dressed to approximate the crowded tenement life of the early 20th century. Additional scenes were filmed in London. Miloš Forman and producer Dino Di Laurentiis wanted a big name in the film so it could be sold in Europe. Miloš Forman informs us they approached actor Jack Nicholson to appear in the film, and when the director explained his character got very excited and expressed an interest but eventually backed out. But suddenly Miloš Forman remembered the actor James Cagney who he thought would be ideal for his character, who had not made a film in 20 years because he had retired from appearing in films, was approached and agreed only on the condition that he would not sign a contract and would be able to back out up to 3 days before his first scene was scheduled. So Miloš Forman agreed to James Cagney’s terms, but eventually the actor contacted Miloš Forman and informed that he agreed to appear in the film. So when James Cagney walked onto the set at Shepperton Studios in England, everyone started to applaud James Cagney and Miloš Forman noticed tears running down the cheeks of his face and was now keen to shoot his scenes in the film, and they all found the scenes that James Cagney appeared in were totally incredible. Howard Rollins, who was suggested by an agent and was a teacher just prior to filming, aced his audition and got the key role of Coalhouse Walker Jr. Miloš Forman knew Brad Dourif from the film ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ and thought he’d be perfect as the Younger Brother. Jeff Daniels was cast in the small but important role of a policeman who tries to defuse a tense situation between Coalhouse Walker Jr. and the group of firemen who vandalized his car. Jeff Daniels conveyed both intelligence and a good heart, and wasn’t a cliché of the brutal, minority-hating cop of that period. Elizabeth McGovern was very confident in her role as Evelyn Nesbit and Mary Steenburgen “could not do anything and not be ladylike.” Mandy Patinkin nailed the role of Tateh, the immigrant artist. E.L. Doctorow’s book depends on a “truth of place, a sense of place.” There was a tremendous wealth of resources for recreating the amazing period locations and the wonderful costumes. We get a plethora of clips from ‘RAGTIME’ and the contributors talk about all aspects of the film they were involved with. Near the end of this featurette Miloš Forman says that the film ‘RAGTIME’ would not be able to be made today, as it would be far too expensive, but most of all, Miloš Forman says that he loves all the films he has directed. So all in all, the special feature is very informative and fascinating.
Special Feature: Never Before Released Director’s Cut Workprint version of ‘RAGTIME’ [1981] [1080i] [2.39:1] [174: 02] This never-before-seen version of the film ‘RAGTIME,’ that is located on the second Blu-ray disc, and features footage devoted almost entirely to the Emma Goldman sequences. Other additions provide somewhat more in-depth towards the different characters but do not dramatically affect any of the scenes. There are also a few sequencing differences, for instance, in the workprint, the New Rochelle family is not introduced until after Harry Thaw shoots Stanford White. This version of the Director’s Cut Workprint version of ‘RAGTIME’ totally differs from the original theatrical release of ‘RAGTIME’ and thanks to the Museum of Modern Art and The Film Foundation for preserving this material, it would have otherwise been lost forever. As with all workprints, in its current form, it was never intended for a theatrical release or other distributions so will have some defects, especially the extensive black-and-white footage and especially other anomalies consistent with the editorial process. Because the film was too long, that had a twenty-minute sequence that told the story of Emma Goldman was taken out. Although Miloš Forman defended the scene the film’s producer let the author of the novel E.L. Doctorow decide whether they should put it back it. After E.L. Doctorow watched the shortened version of the film, E.L. Doctorow said that he hadn´t missed anything, and so the sequence was omitted. But of course it is entirely up to you viewers watching this longer version of ‘RAGTIME’ whether you agree with E.L. Doctorow or not. But for me, I much prefer the Director’s Cut Workprint version of ‘RAGTIME,’ as it gives you much more in-depth information about the different characters in the film and also certain scenes are much longer in length, so making the film ‘RAGTIME’ totally unique and is now saved for future generations.
Finally, ‘RAGTIME’ is a fantastic Paramount Pictures release. While to some they feel the film is slightly imperfect, still despite this, it is still a very engaging bit of cinema artistry that's as absorbing and powerful as anything out there when it's on, which is much of its second half. The Blu-ray looks terrific and sounds pretty good, too, all things considered. This release includes interesting supplements including a second disc dedicated to a nearly three-hour work print cut of the film. ‘RAGTIME’ portrays the worlds of the affluent and immigrants discovering the miracle of opportunity in their new home, and reflects vitality, innocence, corruption, power, and new discoveries. It offers a fascinating look at totally interesting characters in an era when possibilities seemed endless. Its attention to detail and the interweaving of the many characters in a seemingly disparate stories that converge dramatically artful and very entertaining by the end of this amazing eventful film. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
