Abstract
The opening sequence of Ragtime (1981) takes place in a theater during the silent film era where the protagonist, Coalhouse Walker Jr. (Howard Rollins, Jr.), accompanies a newsreel featuring the stars of American public life in the early decades of the twentieth century. While postmodern theorists and film historians have linked the content and form of textual and visual fictions with their historical counterparts, less attention has been given to musical and aural styles as historiographic interventions. And while new research in historical film studies has revealed the flirtations of mainstream feature films with postmodern critique, much of this work skirts the racially coded structures of historiography. This article explores screenwriter Michael Weller and director Milos Forman’s decision to focus on Coalhouse’s story (over novelist E. L. Doctorow’s objections) and to deploy ragtime as both African American counter-beat and explosive historical style.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
