Ragtime appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a strong presentation.
Sharpness seemed solid. The movie remained nicely crisp and detailed from start to finish, as very few instances of softness appeared. Overall, the picture was accurate and well defined.
Jagged edges and moiré effects created no concerns, and edge haloes remained absent. Grain felt natural, while print flaws remained absent.
Ragtime boasted a natural but frequently lively palette. The colors consistently seemed vivid and bright, and they appeared wonderfully rich.
Black levels also were deep and dense, while shadow detail seemed appropriately heavy but not excessively thick. This turned into a top-notch image.
As for the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack of Ragtime, it presented a moderately vivid affair. Not surprisingly, the focus remained on the music, as the score displayed good stereo imaging and really added a lot of kick to the mix.
I noted reasonably good general ambience throughout the film, and some more heavily populated scenes – mostly on bustling streets – provided a greater level of activity. The surrounds seemed fairly passive throughout the movie, but they contributed a nice sense of reinforcement, particularly in regard to the music.
Audio quality appeared excellent. Speech came across as natural and crisp, with no signs of edginess.
Effects played a minor role in the film, but they always seemed accurate and well defined, with no issues related to distortion or other areas. The occasional explosion or blast managed surprising oomph.
Of course, the music remained the most important element, and the mix provided very solid reproduction of the score. The pieces of music sounded bright and vivid, and they boasted fairly good dynamic range. This was a more than adequate soundtrack for a 40-year-old character piece.
How did the Blu-ray compare to the DVD from 2004? The Blu-ray’s lossless audio seemed a bit warmer and richer, but both soundfields showed similar scopes.
As for visuals, the BD appeared cleaner, better defined and more film-like. This turned into a significant upgrade.
The Blu-ray mixes old and new extras, and we open with an audio commentary from director Milos Forman and executive producer Michael Hausman. Both of them sit together for this running, screen-specific chat. They chat a little about the cast, the music, sets and locations.
When I say “a little” I mean “almost never”. The commentary does start out fairly well as we learn how Forman lured James Cagney out of retirement.
However, after that it goes almost nowhere. What notes we get tend to be extremely rudimentary, and we’re often left with the feeling of unfulfilled potential.
Occasionally Forman sounds like he’s on the verge of a good story, but these useful anecdotes fail to materialize. Instead, we find basic banalities and lots of dead air.
And I do mean lots! All of these factors conspire to make this a genuinely bad commentary and a true disappointment.
A more satisfying look at the production comes from a featurette called Remembering Ragtime. This program goes for 18 minutes, 32 seconds and presents interviews from Forman, Hausman, art director Patrizia von Brandenstein, and actor Brad Dourif.
They discuss how Forman took on the project, adaptation issues, locations and sets, the film’s look and visual elements, casting and the performers.
“Remembering” covers almost all of the territory examined in the commentary, which leaves us virtually no reason to listen to it, as Forman tells most of the same stories here. It became fairly redundant for me since I’d already taken in the commentary, but it’s definitely the preferred way to get this information.
It gives us all the necessary material in more than two hours less time. It’s not a great program, but taken on its own merits, it offers a fairly informative look at the film.
Carried over from the DVD, the disc includes one deleted scene. It lasts 10 minutes, 19 seconds as expands on the sequence in which Tateh boots his wife. It focuses on a protest from anarchist/proto-feminist Emma Goldman.
After she confronts Tateh, she then takes Evelyn back to her place to tout her cause. It also implies some lesbian desire on Goldman’s part, though it doesn’t explicitly develop that theme. It’s an interesting scene but not a necessary one, as it mostly points out Evelyn’s dopiness.
The remaining extras are new to the Blu-ray, and Remembering Ragtime runs 21 minutes, 11 seconds. It brings a chat between Forman collaborator Larry Karazewski and screenwriter Michael Weller.
They discuss how Weller came to the project, the script and the adaptation of the novel, working with Forman, and related topics. I like the chance to hear the writers compare experiences as well as more insights connected to Ragtime during this engaging conversation.
Deleted and Extended Scenes go for a total of 17 minutes, six seconds. As you can tell from the running time, the sequences don’t usually last very long.
This means segments that add modest exposition and character material. While fun to see, nothing essential emerges.
On a second disc, we find a Workprint Version of Ragtime. Whereas the theatrical cut lasts 2:35:10, the “Workprint” spans 2:54:02.
With nearly 19 minutes of extra footage, the “Workprint” offers quite a few differences compared to the theatrical edition. The major change comes from the inclusion of the Emma Goldman sequence found as a deleted scene on Disc One.
That fills more than half the Workprint’s extra running time. I didn’t care for this sequence on its own and it doesn’t work any better crammed into the full movie.
Other additions seem less significant, as they tend toward fairly short character expansions. These can seem interesting but not especially substantial.
Note that some alterations in sequencing appear as well. For instance, in the “Workprint”, Harry kills White before we meet the unnamed suburban family.
I think the “Workprint” provides an intriguing alternate version of the movie, but I can’t claim I believe it fares better than the theatrical cut. While worth a look, it doesn’t clearly improve the movie.
Inevitably, the “Workprint” lacks the picture quality seen with the theatrical cut. Actually, most of it remains perfectly watchable, but the image looks considerably weaker than the main Blu-ray.
The added footage looks worst. Presented black and white, these shots tend to seem pretty ugly.
Audio comes to us via a Dolby TrueHD stereo track. It seems less impressive than the 5.1 mix on the main feature, but it holds up fine overall.
Ragtime examines society in the early 20th century with a lively tale. It manages to jump among various stories and characters well to create a good picture of the period. The Blu-ray offers very good picture and audio as well as a mix of bonus materials highlighted by an alternate cut of the movie. This becomes a fine release for an engaging tale.
To rate this film, visit the prior review of RAGTIME