ragtime music

His film 'Ragtime' (1981) directly adapts E.L. Doctorow's novel and weaves ragtime music throughout the narrative as a cultural and historical anchor for early 20th-century America.

His Baltimore-set films frequently feature period jazz and ragtime as authentic soundtracks that define the era and social dynamics of his storytelling.

Known for using ragtime and period music as integral narrative elements in films like 'The Long Goodbye,' using anachronistic and period arrangements to comment on time and culture.