Ragtime (film)

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Movie
German title ragtime
Original title ragtime
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1981
length 155 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Miloš Forman
script Michael Weller
production Dino De Laurentiis
music Randy Newman
camera Miroslav Ondříček
cut Anne V. Coates
occupation

Ragtime is an American film by director Miloš Forman from 1981 , based on the novel of the same name by EL Doctorow from 1975. The film relates to key historical events in the USA between 1906 and 1914.

action

A wealthy entrepreneurial family, consisting of a father, mother, their son and the mother's younger brother, finds an abandoned dark-skinned child in their garden. Originally against the will of the father and on the will of the mother and her brother, the child is taken in and later the child's mother, Sarah, who is returning, is employed. After a while, the child's father, Coalhouse Walker Junior, tries to reconcile with the mother. So far he had not led a regular lifestyle as a musician and accordingly had not taken care of the child. Since he has now found a permanent job as a musician and enjoys a certain wealth, he would like to win Sarah back and marry her. In the course of this, the families become closer.

While driving, he is stopped by several racist whites, led by the captain of the fire station , who refuse to allow him to continue. When he returns with the entrepreneur, he finds his car contaminated with faeces and damaged. Walker's attempts to find satisfaction fail, and his wife is seriously injured in a scuffle with police officers and dies. Walker then uses violence for the first time to get hold of the captain of the fire brigade and take revenge on him. Finally, supported by some blacks and his mother's younger brother, he occupied the New York Pierpont Morgan Library and threatened to blow it up in order to blackmail the captain of the fire department. The chief police officer lets the father arrive for negotiations, and he finally manages to negotiate a deal between the police and Walker. In return for safe conduct for his supporters, he promises to surrender. After his accomplices escaped under the leadership of his mother's younger brother, Walker leaves the library with his hands up and is shot on the spot.

Even the father of the entrepreneurial family does not benefit from his placement work, as his wife - who feels left alone by him - leaves him with her child and her adopted child.

background

The name Coalhouse alludes to the eponymous main character of the novel Michael Kohlhaas by Heinrich von Kleist . Just like Kohlhaas, Coalhouse Walker Jr., in his unconditional pursuit of justice, finally goes to his own downfall.

It was the last film appearance for film legend James Cagney , who also returned to the film screen after 14 years. Cagey's friend and longtime film partner Pat O'Brien is also making his last film appearance in a supporting role.

reception

The New York Times specifically praised the film for its performance as an actor.

In his review of the film in 1982 in Spiegel magazine, Hellmuth Karasek praised not only the performance but also the directorial work. Milos Forman "keeps an eye for the detail in the colorful bustle of the long shots, which gives the whole thing its critical meaning." Karasek criticizes, however, that in the film adaptation of Doctorow's book, important fictional characters "fell into the trash can". This “painful path of a novel into its shortened film version” is “unfortunately still to be seen in the end product on the screen.” So “the film 'Ragtime' is missing, despite the many impressive episode roles and despite the captivating prettiness with which Howard E. Rollins The forerunner of the Black Panthers characterizes the central figure. "

Awards

The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards in 1982, among other things, but came away empty-handed at the award ceremony:

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B00E5DC103BF933A15752C1A967948260
  2. ↑ A black Kohlhaas . In: Der Spiegel , January 18, 1982. Retrieved October 2, 2013.