Blu-ray Review A Few Words About A few words about…™ Ragtime – in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

I have little concern for such film elitists. In short, screw them! As to that TV film, I haven't seen it in over 25 years, but I remember liking it as they showed some scenes from one of Cagney's earlier boxing movies when he was a young actor.

It was planned as a Katharine Hepburn vehicle, but it went south when the prod company couldn’t come up with her early boxing footage. I’m told they tried to go the PD footage route, and came up with Jack Johnson material, but he was unavailable, so they brought Mr. Cagney down from here:

FOR SALE: James Cagney's Idyllic and Private Chilmark Estate

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Or was it his farm in Duchess County?

 

[Robert Crawford]

It was planned as a Katharine Hepburn vehicle, but it went south when the prod company couldn’t come up with her early boxing footage. I’m told they tried to go the PD footage route, and came up with Jack Johnson material, but he was unavailable, so they brought Mr. Cagney down from here:

FOR SALE: James Cagney's Idyllic and Private Chilmark Estate

With a sweeping entrance through an expansive farm field, walking and riding trails, woodlands, pond, beach access, and total privacy, this feels like one of the exclusive home associations on the island, but this is yours all unto your own. Almost 70 acres of storied history, seclusion and a...

www.tealaneassociates.com

Yeah, I know you weren't being serious with your earlier post, but I was because I see such film elitism expressed on this forum. Not so much about TV movies, but more so movies being made now for younger generations like they didn't make a bunch of bad movies back in the day. It's funny, some of those bad movies from yesteryear are considered classic movies today. God forbid if Star Wars or some Marvel movie be labeled a classic movie.

 

[Jeff Adkins]

The 4K/Dolby Vision version on iTunes looks pretty stellar, however I'm going to need this set for the workprint. I'm really curious to see that.

 

[Robert Harris]

Yeah, I know you weren't being serious with your earlier post, but I was because I see such film elitism expressed on this forum. Not so much about TV movies, but more so movies being made now for younger generations like they didn't make a bunch of bad movies back in the day. It's funny, some of those bad movies from yesteryear are considered classic movies today. God forbid if Star Wars or some Marvel movie be labeled a classic movie.

There was nothing better than the AIP horror comedies.

 

[Sam Favate]

I watched this last night and enjoyed it a lot. I hadn't seen Ragtime in about 40 years, so I'd forgotten a lot of it. But boy, what a film for our times right now.

 

[MartinP.]

I finally got around to watching this the last couple weeks. I did a deep dive and watched the film, then watched it with the audio commentary, then after some days I watched the work print and all the other extras.

I guess I just like this film...I enjoyed all of the scenes that were cut out and would've been happy if they stayed in. But I also agree that everything cut out was superfluous and not needed. The long Emma Goldman scene stands out because, unlike the Houdiini appearances and the Mandy Patinkin character, and others, Goldman is not interwoven into the film as the others are. So that scene sticks out and was rightly cut, IMO.

I remember when the film was first out being surprised that it didn't get a Best Picture nomination. Or director. The film was nominated for 8 Academy Awards, but didn't win any of them. I find the film way more affecting than Reds. Reds is a film that I like watching, but the next day I retain very little of it. Not so with Ragtime. I've enjoyed all versions of it...the book, the movie, the musical. (Interestingly, Maureen Stapleton won an Oscar for Reds that year playing Emma Goldman in it.)

You'd think, just because, that James Cagney would've gotten a supporting actor nomination that year. Maybe not because he had won an Oscar before. I mean, they nominated Fred Astaire for The Towering Inferno. Cagney was perfect for the role here. So glad he did it. The director's commentary about him and how he was cast and such was quite interesting. Fran Drescher, sans her trademark voice, has a role in the film and so does Jeff Daniels, who I'd previously thought I first came to know from Terms of Endearment.

This edition looks great and thank you, Paramount, for this release, I am so glad to have it!