Customer Reviews

Cradle Will Rock [VHS]

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

The time was 1936-the painful apex of the Great Depression. This was the world inhabited by the plethora of characters in this film. Most of them were real people-augmented by fictional counterparts. Composer Marc Blitzstein was real-as was his Brechtian musical. Its opening night is still considered the most extraordinary night in the history of American theatre. Rockefeller, Hearst, Diego Rivera, Orson Welles, and John Houseman were all real-and they did have a struggle with Actor's Equity and Federal Theatre Project (1935-39).

Tim Robbins, director, kept the film moving at a frenetic pace-flowing smoothly-overlapping several sub-plots and vignettes-and pulling it all together for the opening night of the landmark Marxist musical play. He cast his lovely lady-Susan Sarandon, in the small part of Mussolini's mistress Margherita. She shined as usual. Hank Azaria was very intense and effective as the composer Blitzstein-who heard "music" while immersed in the strife of the times. Ruben Blades played the artist Diego Rivera quite effectively-but that part will always belong to Alfred Molina after his turn in FRIDA (2002). John Cusack played NY mayor Nelson Rockefeller. Angus MacFadyen hammed it up a bit much as the young tiger-Orson Welles. Carey Elwes played John Houseman with a bit of a limp wrist. Cherry Jones was very good as Hallie Flanagan-head of the FTP. Vanessa Redgrave had a ball playing Countess LaGrange. Philip Baker Hall was the fictitious steel magnate-Gray Mathers. Bill Murray did a grand job playing ventriloquist-Tommy Crickshaw. Joan Cusack was prissy-good as muckraker Hazel Huffman. Emily Watson lifted our spirits playing down-on-her-luck Olive Stanton. John Turturro stood out as the young actor and family man-Aldo Silvano. The supporting cast was huge. It included Bernard Hughes, John Carpenter, Gretchen Mol, Jack Black, Paul Giamatti, Bob Balaban, and Harris Yulin.

Robbins has created an epic film with multiple narrative threads-endeavoring to encapsulate an entire world in turmoil-and set it to music. He adopted the point of view of the artist-the prince of players at the head of his troupe of swirling acrobats, jugglers, singers and actors. But when these many plot lines and battalions of characters are thoroughly mixed-and the denouement emerges-he pulled everything together into a precarious balance-performing a kind of performance magic. Based on the film's BO records (modest revenues)-a lot of people out there did not have the patience, education, stamina, or motivation to hold on for the full ride. It is not a film for the faint of focus. It takes a throbbing love of theatre and film to ride it full-tilt to the final buzzer and roll of credits.

Although ultraconservatives will undoubtedly dismiss `The Cradle Will Rock' as blatant leftwing propaganda, the rest of us will see it as a fascinating rumination on the intricate relationship that has always existed between politics and art. Writer/director Tim Robbins, whose left-leaning sympathies are common knowledge in the film industry, has managed to create a screenplay of amazing complexity and depth, functioning on an enormous number of levels - political, historical, aesthetic, personal - without ever losing clarity and focus. He has set up a dizzying array of characters, yet each one is fleshed out with enough depth and particularity to make him or her a vital part of the overall tapestry.

Set in the turbulent 1930's, Robbins' tale focuses on the National Theatre Company, an organization set up by Roosevelt during the Depression to provide out-of-work artists a vehicle through which to ply their trade and culture-starved audiences a chance to revel in the glories of live theatrical performances. Unfortunately, it was also a time of great civil and political upheaval, with Communism and Fascism battling for supremacy abroad and many Americans divided along similar lines in their loyalties. With passions running deep, it was only a matter of time before many in the United States Congress began suspecting the NTC of Communist sympathizing - and it was a short road from there to the eventual dismemberment of the organization. The film centers on the production of a controversial musical play called `The Cradle Will Rock' that portrays the glorious coming of unionism to a steel factory, a scenario that parallels the events in the lives of several of the characters in the film.

Given this fascinating historical background, Robbins has filled his film with a rich assortment of characters, from Orson Welles, as a fledgling young actor who sees unions as the ruination of artistic purity, to Nelson Rockefeller, as a well-meaning art patron who balks at the mural Diego Rivera has painted for him only after Rivera refuses to remove the image of Lenin from Rockefeller's monument-to-capitalism lobby. In fact, the cast of characters is so enormous, with each one taking a crucial part in the narrative proceedings, that it is quite impossible to mention them all here. Suffice it to say that Robbins covers the social spectrum from industrialists and capitalists to union workers and the unemployed, from sympathetic patrons and patronesses to the little people eager to root out the seeds of Communism even at the expense of their own ostracism. And not a one is uninteresting.

Robbins has assembled an all-star cast that reads like a who's who of contemporary movie acting (albeit of a non-blockbuster variety). Although at the beginning of the film, the casting of such familiar faces seems a bit disconcerting - leading to what critic Judith Crist refers to as the `hey there' syndrome, i.e. destroying the verisimilitude of a work by parading too many recognizable people before the camera - this technique actually helps the audience to differentiate the many characters who might otherwise pass by in a confusing and disorienting blur. Hank Azaria, Ruben Blades, John Cusack, Joan Cusack, Cary Elwes, Bill Murray, Vanessa Redgrave, Susan Sarandon, John Turturro and Emily Watson comprise this truly fine cast.

Liberal as his leanings might be, Robbins is able to focus on the bitter ironies that abound on both sides of the political spectrum. For instance, while Susan Sarandon portrays a Jewish ally of Mussolini, abandoning her pro-worker principles to act as his capitalist representative in the States, Ruben Blades plays a Diego Rivera who has subordinated - if only temporarily - his own revolutionary ethos to the power of the almighty buck. Also, there is a certain paradox to the fact that, when the government has decreed the theater closed and thereby forbidden the premiere performance of the play, it is the actors' UNION that threatens the performers with firing if they carry out their plan to stage it furtively. Robbins is even somewhat evenhanded in his treatment of the `enemy' - the rich capitalists and the anti-communist members of the theatre organization - portraying them with good-natured humor and pathos. Joan Cusack, as a clerk at the employment office and Bill Murray, as a vaudeville ventriloquist, seem like decent people, only hopelessly misguided and lonely. (Unfortunately, Murray's sudden change of heart at the end seems inexplicable and unmotivated). As for the elite in the story, Robbins does a lovely job of spoofery at the end of the film; as the play is finally being performed at a nearby theatre - representing the triumph both on stage and in the world at large of the common man over the oppressive tyrants of industry - the tycoons, dressed in masquerade ball costumes of the 18th Century aristocracy and Catholic hierarchy, mull over their plans to retain control of the art world by bankrolling only those paintings depicting the scenes of utmost blandness and banality. Thus, these men of corporate power are portrayed more as amusingly quaint pests than malevolent or malicious despots.

There is certainly no denying that `The Cradle Will Rock' is, at heart, a bit of a leftwing diatribe. However, it is not a cruel or unreasonable one. And Tim Robbins' extraordinary skills as both a storyteller and filmmaker make this clearly one of the most interesting and impressive films of 1999.

Where is class warfare now that we need it? In the 1930s, when most decent people feared a Communist in every closet, no one thought twice about the fascists and their capitalist allies despoiling the commons. Into this time stepped the

Federal Theater Project (an offshoot of the New Deal's Works Progress Administration), which provided outlet and employment for Depression-era artists. Too bad they were Socialists, too. If you don't know the history of the period, you'll miss a lot of this fascinating story. Cradle Will Rock reflects the title of an FTP production, a real musical written by the real-life playwright Marc Blitzstein (played by Hank Azaria).The anti-communist Dies Commission tried to close down the FTP because it criticized capitalism and harbored Communists. But The Cradle Will Rock opens defiantly in another venue, on June 16, 1937, when the original theatre is padlocked.

Getting to opening night is a fascinating, serpentine historical journey. Imagine this mix of personalities: Orson Welles (Angus Macfadyen) crossing creative swords with John Houseman (Cary Elwes), Nelson Rockefeller (John Cusack) trying to temper the revolutionist artist Diego Rivera (Ruben Blades) - a confrontation played somewhat better in Frida. And then there were other, lesser-known and fictional, characters, such as real-life actress Olive Stanton (Emily Watson), pining for a role; real-life Margherita Sarfatti (Susan Sarandon), passing the hat among capitalists like fictional steel magnate Gray Mathers (Philip Baker Hall) to support the fascist Mussolini; fictional actor Aldo Silvano (John Turturro), balancing his socialist theatre aspirations against his pro-fascist family; and the FTP director and advocate, Hallie Flanagan (Cherry Jones), who fights the good fight for survival against the Dies Committee and do-gooder Hazel Huffman (Joan Cusack). (Huffman is lusted after by jaded ventriloquist Tommy Crickshaw, played by Bill Murray).

It is gratifying to know we can still get a pro-union film produced in this country, even though a lot of films escape to Canada to avoid union rules and negotiated pay rates. Just to give you an example of why rights for workers are necessary, here is an excerpt from a 23 December 2002 news story:

"Last week a jury confirmed what labor activists have argued for years - Wal-Mart is a corporate criminal making its profits by illegally breaking wage and labor laws: `In the lawsuit, 400 current and former employees from 18 stores in Oregon accused the company of violating federal and state wage laws by systematically pressuring them to work unpaid overtime.' And this case is just one example, as Wal-Mart has been quietly settling other lawsuits by employees across the country. Globally, Wal-Mart's drive for low wages extends to contracting with sweatshops in developing nations that systematically violate human rights and workers rights."

Writer-director Tim Robbins has venerable liberal credentials, dating to the wicked satire Bob Roberts (1992), and he juggles all of these story lines with consummate skill. He and his excellent cast capture the excitement of putting on a show that might actually change minds, rather than just bring in spare change. There was a time in American history when some people were paying attention to what's good for American people rather than just American corporations. Cradle Will Rock is meant to rock you, not to sleep, as most entertainment does, but wide awake.

Cradle Will Rock is a piece of theater history. It was made during the Great Depression in the 1930s when times were hard and entertainment was escapist. However, Cradle Will Rock was a generic story that made a dramatic statement about the times and how hard life was. It was so strong, it was banned, but the actors believed in the message so much they performed anyway at the risk of their jobs, something scarce and vital in those days.

The writing in this film is incredibly well done and the cast is amazing. It is overflowing with notable actors (John Cusack, Hank Azaria, Susan Sarandon, Cary Elwes, Bill Murray, etc) and famous characters (Diego Rivera, William Randolph Hearst, Orson Welles, etc). Most films about this era are disappointing because they don't seem to capture it without being preachy or overly sentimental. This one is not perfect, but it is much closer. Aside from the historical stories, the film is actually interesting to watch and the characters are relatable.

The music is done well too. The characters do not just burst into song; they have a reason for singing when they do, which is not too terribly often.

The only complaint I have is the historical accuracy of some of the real characters. As a fan of silent films, I was disappointed to see that the few scenes with Marion Davies managed to portray her as a drunk and a dimwit. Even Hearst was portrayed to be rather overbearing and pompous. Still, they were a minor part of the action and did not ruin the film.

The Greentomatoes reviews of this excellent movie make for truly depressing reading. A favourite line from some of them is
"tries too hard". Yeah. Evidently, making a movie that encourages you to hold a thought between your ears for longer than thirty seconds constitutes a crime. This is a passionately "theatrical" re-telling of a series of seminal moments in the history of american art & theatre. If you don't like this movie,check your pulse, you might just be dead.

The only thing one can say after watching this film is WOW. Tim Robbins takes on such a wide range of issues and does it well. The cast is amazing. The subject matter -- Art/Censorship/Wartime Politics/Patriotism - is so relevant today. I wish the studios would re-release this and soon, before we wind up with an Ashcroft/Rumsfeld witch hunt related to Iraq and 9/11. Even without thinking of these larger issues, the movie is simply great entertainment. There's romance, drama, comedy, rags to riches sub-plots and history. Characters include Nelson Rockerfeller, WR Hearst, Diego Rivera, and Orson Wells. I mean this is ambitious stuff. If I taught high school or college American History, I would show this film as a teaching tool. Enjoy this film and hope that hollywood makes more like it.

This is a brisk, fun film in many ways, because director Tim Robbins understands that it is very difficult to be didactic and entertain. But, as Oliver Stone uses fast cuts and snappy dialogue so as to "keep it moving," Robbins does just that too; and -- also like Stone -- he employs an exemplary cast to great result.

Ramon Blades portrays Diego Rivera as a wryly perceptive charmer; John Cusack is a superficially sophisticated Nelson Rockefeller; Emily Watson is a poignant portrait in sadness as the actress actually "off the streets," Olive Stanton; Bill Murray is equally impressive as the melancholic, resentful vaudeville ventriloquist, Tommy Crickshaw; John Turturro is powerful and inspiring as the principled Italian immigrant who plays the union organizer in the radical Federal Theatre project musical that gives its title to this film. (And I must add an accolade for Corina Katt, who is Frida Kahlo: she takes a small part with only a few lines -- in Spanish, already! -- and you literally can not take your eyes off her when she is on screen.)

As I say, there is a great deal of "fun" in this film, yet its essential story is serious and sad. It chronicles the erosion of politically potent (meaning "radical") popular theatre into the (generally) escapist entertainment that pervades most American arts today. From "Lenin" (who does not "stay" -- as Rivera's Rockefeller Center mural attacking imperial capitalism is destroyed by a self-righteously indignant Nelson) we have declined to "Lennon" -- i. e., a song like John Lennon's "Imagine" is as "radical" as pop culture is likely to allow.

And note especially the masquerade ball sequence in which Nelson Rockefeller, William Randolph Hearst, and "Gray Mathers" (a fictional but representative steel magnate) discuss their scheme to exalt "individualistic" (i. e., ego-centered) abstract, scenic and erotic art at the expense of art with social purpose and a social conscience. If you wonder why there are so few good films that seriously critique our society and system (and so much silly, adolescent-oriented soft pornography), here is an explanation worth pondering -- as well as a movie worth seeing.

In time of crisis, nothing is better than the `Panis et Circenses' politics. And the US government kwnew it for sure. So, in the late 20's, early 30's was created the Federal Theatre Project. Many treatre groups nation wide were sponsored by the government, as long as they staged plays that cheer the audience, which, by the way, was formed mostly by unemployed people. Later on, the Congress investigated the FT due to some accusasion of comunism. After a 20% cut in the sponsor, many plays had to close and many artists increased the number of unemployment. One of the plays most affected by it was "Cradle Will Rock", a pro-union musical directed by Orson Wells that is prohibited of being released.

Tim Robbins's movie uses the Wells's production as an `excuse' to show us how art and politics can affect each other in many levels. The film is a wonderful American quilt with many tiny stories that little by little get togheter and creat a huge power over the audience. Besides "Cradle..." story, there is also the fight between Nelson Rockefeller and Diego Rivera over a mural painted by the artist in the lobby of The Rockfeller Center, in NY. The magnate went mad when he saw displayed in the painting Lenin's face. Another important pole of the movie is an ex-Mussolini's lover, who is in the US selling works by Italian geniuses, like Leonardo and Michelangelo, in order to get money to help Facism in Italy.

All there plots look a bit distant from each other in the beginning, but as the movies grows, one can notice how all of them are showing the power of the art and the artists over a society that is changing. Robbin's direction is very effective and touching. He shows how much he loves the artistic class and arts in genneral. But it is nothing new coming from one of the most political actors in Hollywood. The script mixes comedy, with musical and drama in perfect doses. Although the film takes some Artistic licences, they do not ccpromise the accuracy of the facts. By the way, as it is said in the beginning, it is `based on a mostly true story'.

The cast is a huge who-is-who, and every actor seem to be perfectly fit in his/her part. Joan Cusack has never been so deliciously hateful. Susan Sarando has a wonderful Italian accent and we can notice how sad her charater is because she has to sell works from masters to get money. Vanessa Redgrave is wonderful as a theatre enthusiast. She shines every scene she is in. The most importat female role belongs to Emily Watson, who perfectly plays an unemplyed-turn-to-actress singer who has to deal with lack of money in order to survive. The male cast is also exceptional. Hank Azaria is wonderful as the composer Mark Blitzstein, and it is amazing to watch his creation process of the show. John Cusack is as hateful as his sister, playing Nelson Rockefeller. Bill Muray is perfectly melancholic as a ventriloquist.

If Karl Marx had written musicals instead of essays, he probably would have written something very close to " Cradle Will Rock", the play. It has an extremely polical tune. Once I read in an interview Tim Robbins saying that Emily Watson's character was the hero of the movie. But I'm not sure of it. I think she may be the most important, but it seems to me that the hero -- if it happens to be one-- is the ART, which is portrayed as having a power to transform society. It is a wonderful smart and touching movie, that needs be discovered. Another thing, how do you understand the ending? I could not come up with a conclusion. It is very open.

I have never seen a more splendid movie, nor splendid play within a movie - which this film is about. The producer, Tim Robbins, is a saint for finally producing this wonderful play of FDR's Federal Theater Project and putting it into a modern wonderful film. The result is awesome. The theme, cast and photography are exquisite. There are no flaws in this film.

This great film serves as final justice for a great and wonderful play written for the Federal Theater Project that was never shown, yet deserved the highest accolades as one of the greatest plays ever written, produced or played. The wonder and glory of this great film is not only the initial play's great value, but the conditions of complete oppression and repression under which it was, nevertheless, written, produced, viewed and reviewed. The vision is extraordinary and actually will make other such spectacles, for example, such as the Grand Canyon, seem as they really are, in comparison, such a petty thing. Do you want to see something that makes the Grand Canyon seem petty? See "Cradle Will Rock". It is one of the greatest films and stories and chronicles of all time!

Though it will lose something in the video release, this film was one of the most moving, emotionally rousting films I have ever seen. In the true spirit of Tim Robbins' filmmaking, it makes you think, makes you angry, and makes you weep all within the space of two hours. I saw this film 5 times in the theater and would pay to see it 5 more if it were still there. Great performances, incredible subject matter, and very edgy dialogue that shows the truth of the way people are and the way people were instead of simply being kind and nice about ugliness. This will awaken something deep within your soul... if it doesn't, maybe you don't have one.