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Ragtime

Ragtime

Drama · History · 1981

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.

Movie details

Ragtime

“The passion, the violence, the birth of America's Gilded Age.”

1981 Drama · History 2h 35m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Ragtime?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Miloš Forman

Written by

Michael Weller

James Cagney

James Cagney

New York Police Commissioner Rhinelander Waldo

Brad Dourif

Brad Dourif

Younger Brother

Moses Gunn

Moses Gunn

Booker T. Washington

Elizabeth McGovern

Elizabeth McGovern

Evelyn Nesbit

Kenneth McMillan

Kenneth McMillan

Willie Conklin

Pat O'Brien

Pat O'Brien

Delmas

Donald O'Connor

Donald O'Connor

Evelyn's Dance Instructor

Court is in session

Put Ragtime on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.