Rating of
3/4
Ragtime - Some things change others do not...
Indyfreak - wrote on 10/23/16
Milos Forman's sprawling historical drama encompasses how class, race, politics, and family shaped the social climate of early 1900s New York City. There are two main stories in a film full of subplots. The first is a white family's experiences with a wily black pianist (Howard Rollins) whose disdain for the social hierarchy of the times hold perhaps drastic consequences. The second is the media frenzy between a love triangle gone wrong between an insane millionaire, his childish wife, and a famous architect. Both are engaging narratives that revel in the idiosyncrasies of the period but also don't shy away from the unpleasantness of turn-of-the-century America. What makes it more entertaining are the early appearances by performers who've since become a staple of Hollywood's long list of character actors like Jeff Daniels, Brad Dourif, Fran Drescher, Mandy Patinkin, Mary Steenburgen, and Samuel L. Jackson. The costumes and production design are both impressive.
