RAGTIME (1981)

THE FILM

ILM DIRECTOR: Milos Forman

SCREENWRITER: Michael Weller

FILM STARS: James Cagney, Brad Dourif, Elizabeth McGovern, Moses Gunn, Mary Steenburgen, James Olson, Pat O’Brien, Mandy Patinkin, Donald O’Connor, Fran Drescher, Norman Mailer, Jeff Daniels

COUNTRY: USA

THIS BOOK

AUTHOR: E.L. Doctorow

TYPE: Novel

PUBLISHER: Pan

THIS EDITION

PUBLISHED: 1982

COUNTRY: Australia

COVER: Paperback

THE ORIGINAL BOOK

ORIGINAL AUTHOR: As Above

YEAR FIRST PUBLISHED: 1976

ORIGINAL BOOK TITLE: The film title

NOTES

GENRE: Drama, Crime

WORDS: Sad to say I haven’t read the book but, as per usual, I have seen the film. And, oddly, not so long ago for the first time. I know! I have seen most of Cagney’s films but this, his last feature film, and not a hard one to find, had to wait.  His role wasn’t major but he still had it (good to see Donald O’Connor and Pat O’Brien in small roles as well). Turn of the century and pre World War 2 settings were popular in the 1970s and early 1980s,  and this comes at the tail end of that, and is impressive in it’s sets and décor. The film meanders through sex, crime, corruption and is usually engrossing but it is trying to say something bigger about the USA, though what, I’m not sure. I’m sure Doctorow, who wrote the book, would know. I should read it …

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