Historically, many turn to European composers such as Johan Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven as some of the most influential ever to put notes on paper. Justifiably so, considering their profound impact on Western civilization’s music, if we jump forward into the 20th century, one of the most important composers of all came out of America, and his name was Scott Joplin.
Not usually put into the same discussion as European classical composers, Joplin was an exceptionally talented pianist who deserves far more recognition. Truly an architect of American music, Joplin was a melodic master who blended rhythmic music with European classical structures, thus laying the foundation for the Swing era in the late 1930s and modern American Jazz. Unique among other African American players of the Ragtime era, Joplin was classically trained in piano and music theory, building on his natural abilities, which allowed him not only to read complex pieces of music but also to score them.
Truly a special musician, while Joplin did not invent Ragtime (which was often dismissed as honky-tonk music), he morphed it into a more sophisticated art form, taking it out of the saloons and brothels and into the mainstream. Earning him the name the “King of Ragtime,” Joplin completed a total of 44 original piano rags, including the famous “Maple Leaf Rag,” which became the first instrumental piece ever to sell over one million copies of sheet music. Even composing an opera (1911’s Treemonisha), sadly, was nearly totally forgotten when he passed away in 1917 at only 48 years old after suffering from syphilis. Investing all of his royalties from his hit songs into staging Treemonisha, he passed with not a penny to his name, lived in poverty, and was buried in an unmarked community plot at St. Michael’s Cemetery in Queens, New York.
A tragic ending for such a brilliant musician, ironically, it would not be until nearly six decades after Joplin’s death that he would receive broader recognition. First, with Joshua Rifkin’s 1970 album Scott Joplin: Piano Rags, Joplin’s opera Treemonisha was finally produced in 1972, and his 1902 iconic “The Entertainer” was featured in the 1973 Academy Award-winning film The Sting. A commerce of his contributions to American music that snowballed, additionally, in 1970, he was inducted into the Songwriter Hall of Fame; in 1976, he received a Pulitzer Prize; and in 1983, he was immortalized on a U.S. postage stamp.
All proof that while a lifetime might pass, true art never dies, and perhaps one of the most exciting celebrations of Scott Joplin came in 1977 with the full-length biographical feature film named after him. Initially planned as a TV movie, but given a theatrical release instead on February 11, 1977, Scott Joplin featured a screenplay written by the award-winning Christopher Knopf and was directed by Jeremy Kagan (who was behind box-office hits such as 1978’s The Big Fix).
These talents as keys behind the film, Scott Joplin was also a Motown Production and featured a cast of Billy Dee Williams (before his Star Wars fame as Lando) as Scott Joplin, talented Songwriter/Actor Clifton Davis (known for writing hits such as The Jackson 5’s 1971 hit “Never Can Say Goodbye) as Ragtime Pianist Louis Chauvin, Academy Award nominee Margaret Avery as Scott Joplin’s wife Belle Joplin, as well as Art Carney (famously known for his role as Ed Norton on The Honeymooners) as Music Publisher John Stark. A recipe that leads you to believe the film would be a hit, unfortunately, it did not achieve much commercial success, and has fallen into obscurity.
Arguably an unjust fate for the film, Scott Joplin was well-written, exceptionally acted, and a heartfelt telling of the musician’s tale. Yes, much of the film has a bleak undertone and sad ending, but the goal was to tell the story of Scott Joplin in a film format that focused on his talents, his undying passion, his struggles, his regrets, and his deeply real human side. Perhaps something that would not sell well to an audience looking for a happy ending, in hindsight, Scott Joplin deserves a closer look nearly fifty years after its release. That is why it could pique many people’s curiosity to learn that Kino Lorber is releasing Scott Joplin on Blu-ray in 2026.
Set for release on March 10, 2026, as part of the Kino Lorber Studio Classics collection, it marks the first-ever Blu-ray edition of Scott Joplin to hit the market. Previously released to DVD in 2011, this new release offers the original 1977 film in a restored high-definition 1080p resolution and the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Looking and sounding sensational, the single-disc Blu-ray also features audio commentary from Jeremy Kagan and moderation by Film Historian/Filmmaker Daniel Kremer. Beyond this, the artwork is faithful to the original striking film poster by Robert Tanenbaum.
Overall, Kino Lorber should be praised for giving the Scott Joplin film a new platform. Not only is it a strong motion picture, but it should be marked as a reminder of Scott Joplin’s music, which should play on forever. That is why Cryptic Rock gives this new Blu-ray edition of Scott Joplin 5 out of 5 stars.
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