Cradle Will Rock is a drama that chronicles the process and events that surrounded the production of the original 1937 musical The Cradle Will Rock by Marc Blitzstein.It has an ensemble cast that includes Hank Azaria,Ruben Blades,Joan Cusack,John Cusack,Cary Elwes,Angus Macfadyen, Bill Murray,Vanessa Redgrave,Susan Sarandon,John Turturro and Emily Watson .Tim Robbins,in his third film as director, adapts history to create this fictionalized account of the original production, bringing in other stories of the time to produce this commentary on the role of art and power in the 1930s, particularly amidst the struggles of the 1930s labor movement and the corresponding appeal of socialism and communism among many intellectuals and working class people of that time.Orson Welles and John Houseman are working with Marc Bliztstein to stage the latter's leftist musical "The Cradle Will Rock" for the WPA-funded Federal Theater Project. After Congress cuts funding for the embattled Federal Theater over the perceived leftist slant of their presentations, the project is canceled on the day of its premier. Welles and his cast respond by marching 21 blocks from the theater where the show was to open to another venue where, in deference to Actors Equity regulations, they perform the entire show from the audience. A member of Welles' cast, Aldo Silvano, is a dedicated actor from Italy who is trying to resolve his attitudes about his family, who loyally support Mussolini, to Silvano's disgust. Meanwhile, El Duce's former mistress, Margherita Sarfatti, is consorting with industrial tycoon Gray Mathers,whose wife, Contesse LaGrange is a friend and supporter of Welles' project. Elsewhere, Nelson Rockefeller has hired ex-patriot Mexican artist Diego Rivera to create a mural for his projected Rockefeller Center, but the two are soon locking horns over their different views on art, politics and the work at hand. And a ventriloquist fallen on hard times, Tommy Crickshaw, finds himself trying to teach both comedy and speaking without lip movements to a pair of would-be performers at a WPA-backed vaudeville house. Art and politics collide in Tim Robbins' ambitious but not entirely successful effort to recreate a unique moment in American culture circa 1937.It presents good entertainment with superior acting performances and a stellar cast.Also,as a mixture of drama, humor and history, a mélange of seriousness and slapstick, real people and imagined characters, it definitely stands out.

A wonderful, large cast recreates the story behind "The Cradle Will Rock" in this 1999 film, written and directed by Tim Robbins and starring Hank Azaria, Ruben Blades, Joan Cusack, John Cusack, Bill Murray, Cherry Jones, John Turturro, Vanessa Redgrave, Susan Sarandon, Jamey Sheridan, Gretchen Mol, Emily Watson, Bob Balaban - etc.Before the Depression and the turbulence of the 1930s, plays focused on the upper class. Everyone talked like Katharine Hepburn and people wore beautiful clothes. In the 1930s, the working man began to have a voice with the works of William Sarayoan, Clifford Odets, and Maxwell Anderson, among others. During the Depression, FDR started the WPA, and the Federal Theatre Project was one of its programs. "The Cradle Will Rock" is a leftist labor musical by Marc Blitzstein that is chosen by Hallie Flanagan, head of the FTP, to premiere at the Maxine Elliott Theater in New York. The politics of the FTP come under question, the theater is locked, and the actors are forbidden to appear on stage.Orson Welles finds another theater for the production, and the story of the opening night performance, spontaneously performed by the cast from the audience as Blitzstein sat up on stage and played, was thought to be one of the most exciting moments in theater history by those who were there.Robbins focuses on the controversy surrounding the musical but also on several other important events. Maybe, in the end, it is too much content, but fascinating nonetheless. Diego Rivera, an avowed Communist, played by Ruben Blades, is hired by Nelson Rockefeller (John Cusak) to paint a mural at Rockefeller Center. Rockefeller, however, doesn't like the revolutionary tone of the mural. One of the actors, played by John Turturro, has to deal with a family that supports Mussolini's Black Shirts.Marc Blitzstein, in focusing on a prostitute in "The Cradle Will Rock," asks us who the real prostitutes are, and Robbins shows us in his depictions of Rockefeller, Hearst, and the Senate committee before which Hallie Flanagan testifies, the thin and sometimes nonexistent line between art and politics.The performances are terrific. Just about everyone is a standout, with John Turturro in an especially showy role as a man who wants to demonstrate principles and ethics to his children. Ruben Blades and Corina Katt Ayala could have been Rivera and Frida Kahlo, the resemblance is so strong. Vanessa Redgrave is excellent as Countess LaGrange, a wealthy woman who gets caught up in the proceedings. The gifted Broadway star Cherry Jones gives another strong performance as Hallie Flanagan, and Emily Watson is marvelous as Olive Stanton. The minute I heard the vocal rhythm of Angus Macfadyen, I knew he was playing Orson Welles. He does a beautiful job, as does Susan Sarandon as Margherita Sarfatti, Mussolini's ex-mistress who came to the U.S. to sell Mussolini to the American people via William Randolph Hearst's newspapers.Well worth seeing, and the period is well worth reading about.

"Cradle Will Rock" is not a very exciting title for a film, and my eye would most certainly have slid past its listing in the TV guide if it were not for the one-sentence plot synopsis below: "Orson Welles attempts to stage a controversial play in Depression-era America." My attention was immediately captured, and even more so during the very impressive one-take opening shot, which also boasts a lengthy line-up of casting credits that features everybody from Hank Azaria to Emily Watson, with no less than two Cusacks to seal the deal – if there's one thing to be said about actors-turned-directors, it's that they can certainly bring in the big names. 'Cradle Will Rock (1999)' was Tim Robbins' third directorial effort, and he courageously tackles a wide assortment of political and social issues from 1930s America, as well as providing a commentary on the importance of art and culture as a means of expressing one's personal beliefs. It is only fitting that a film about the role of art be directed by a man who is obviously very passionate about his craft, and Robbins has produced a mature and intelligent comedy/drama.The film, based on the true story of Marc Blitzstein's 1937 musical "The Cradle Will Rock," was originally planned as Orson Welles' final project, and pre-production commenced in 1983. However, not unusually for the great director, financial support was withdrawn shortly afterwards, and Welles passed away in 1985. Marc Blitzstein (Hank Azaria), a delusional playwright, pens a leftist labour musical based on his experiences with poverty-stricken households and the emerging union powers. Hallie Flanagan (Cherry Jones) of the Federal Theatre Project recognises the dramatic brilliance of the play and agrees to finance it, much to the consternation of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, which is attempting to wheedle out anything that might possibly be construed as Communism. The dramatic prodigy Orson Welles (Angus Macfadyen) is hired to direct the play, and he impulsively decides to cast a homeless stagehand (Emily Watson) in the lead role, even though she can't sing. Meanwhile, Nelson Rockefeller (John Cusack) commissions artist Diego Rivera (Ruben Blades) to paint a mural in his lobby, but is dismayed at the final result.Though Orson Welles merely plays a supporting role in the proceedings, he is played with delicious verve by relative unknown Angus Macfadyen. His portrayal is completely overplayed, presenting the director and performer as a flamboyant caricature, probably the only approach if one is to capture a personality as outrageous as that of Orson Welles. Though the film itself lacks some narrative focus in that it attempts to cover too many themes and characters, all the loose-ends satisfactorily come together for the climax, the incredibly-energetic opening performance of "The Cradle Will Rock." I was once again reminded of the considerable talents of John Turturro, who brilliantly and convincingly evolves from the shy, humble Italian family man off-stage to his character of the strong, assertive union leader. Robbins also intercuts the play performance with the heartless desecration of Diego Rivera's politically-charged artwork mural, ironically contrasting the presentation of great art with its inevitable destruction by those who could never appreciate its importance to human culture.

An all-star production, CRADLE WILL ROCK chronicles the events leading up to the debut of Mark Blitzstein's "The Cradle Will Rock," a labor-oriented drama with music, written in the turbulent 1930s. It is to be performed at the WPA Federal Theater, but the government gets cold feet at the last minute and closes the theater. So the players take their production to a private theater and perform before an SRO crowd. Oddly enough, the performance turns out to be the least interesting part of the film, done up in a "Let's fix up the old barn and put on a show" routine seen in countless Andy Hardy and Little Rascals films. It is what happens before that is fascinating, as we shift back and forth between New York and Washington and are exposed to the "isms" of this post Depression/pre-WWII time: communism and fascism. One supposes most of what writer/director Tim Robbins portrays here is real enough, but keep in mind Robbins is an avowed leftist and so the film is probably best taken with a large dose of salt. But what a cast: John and Joan Cusack, Susan (Mrs. Tim Robbins) Sarandon, Cary Elwes, John Turturro, Jack Black, Bill Murray, Vanessa Redgrave, Ruben Blades and Hank Azaria. All play real-life figures of the era, including Orson Welles and John Rockefeller. A must-see for art-house film lovers and those interested in the period. All others, beware.