Rating: 
Summary: Did not receive the attention it deserved! Fantastic Movie
Review: DANG Was this a good movie! Just finished watching it. It had a great ensemble including John Cusack playing Rockefeller quite well, Joan Cusack as a femine business woman working for the Gov but speaking out against it (odd to see her being normal), Vanessa Redgrave ("Max" from MI) as a charming bourgeousie who dotes on getting involved in rambunctious lower class political activity, Bill Murray as a has-been ventrilaquist, Hank Azaria playing quite well the composer of the play, and Emily Watson (Angela's Ashes) as a young homeless woman who wants to sing for a living. It was written and directed by Tim Robbins, giving it just the eclectic flair it needed.Susan Sarandon isn't any good at being Italian but her presence definitely adds to the cast. Makes you wonder what happened to the beautiful art of good ensemble casting. The movie is an equisite combination of both subtle and down right blunt social and political commentary. The entire movie has huge overtones of McCarthyanism and anti facism, while at the same time also looking at the things earlier mentioned--censorship or art, prostitution of everything, the depression and union politics. It really expounds on a lot of history that's not spoken of in typical general education and explores facets of our own not so innocent cultural and politcal history. It's done so well that it could be shown in any number of history classes, yet is not documentary-esque and could hold its own in any serious "hollywood film" fight. Slow moving at times but appropriately so. Rated R for language and female upper nudity. Most of the time, it was not in poor taste--used only to emphasize the desperate "carpe diem because it may be your last" attitude of desperation experienced by those hit by the depression. Highly recommended--be warned, its long but definitely worth the time.
Rating: 
Summary: Some great scenes, others somewhat heavy-handed
Review: Tim Robbins, who directed Cradle Will Rock, is known to most people as an actor and as the husband of Susan Sarandon. He is gifted as a director, but he is not attracted to mainstream subject matter. His most famous work is Dead Man Walking, but even that, with its story about a nun's attempts to counsel a man condemned to death, was not seen that widely. Cradle Will Rock, is his most accessible film to date, still does not deal with topics of interest to the average viewer. However, for those tired of or bored with seeing essential the same stories over and over again, this might prove to be a nice alternative. It's the late 1930s. America is still in the throes of the Great Depression. President Franklin Roosevelt's WPA, which has given work to a number of people through its vast program of public works, has recently started funding the arts. Actors, never steadily employed in the best of times, are lined up in droves at government offices in New York to try to land a part. The legendary Orson Welles [Angus MacFadyen] has obtained a grant to produce a musical called Cradle Will Rock. A lucky few will get jobs with the show. But the production is in chaos. The flamboyant sets don't work right. Welles is fighting constantly with his producing partener John Houseman [Cary Elwes]. Worse yet, outside forces are threatening the Federal program. Actors, along with many in other professions, blame the rich and those in power for causing and then prolonging the Depression. They hold demonstrations because they want to unionize. Many of the powerful people, in turn, blame Communism for causing the workers to demand better hours, wages and lives. Congress, always suspect of anything deemed art, is holding hearings to decide whether or not to continuing funding the program. It is, to say the least, a great big mess. As you can tell, the time Cradle Will Rock is set in gives Robbins many themes to deal with. A few he is a bit heavy-handed with, but most he handles with a deft touch and a wry sense of humor.
Rating: 
Summary: Will Rock You... Awake!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A complex and wonderful film
Review: It looks like a great deal of money was spent making this movie and in a perfect and fair world, it would have wound up, if not a grand commercial success, at least taking home a number of Oscars. But the world doesn't work that way, so most people will have to luck into the experience of Cradle Will Rock, and I hope the reviews on this page will help. The complex plot has already been dealt with by other reviewers here, so I'll just say that, although I am not expert on the movie's subject (though I had read, in an Orson Welles bio, a little bit about the original play), it wasn't too difficult to keep up with the various plot and character strands. A little bit of extra information, perhaps in an opening or closing crawl, would have been nice, but the movie can definitely be enjoyed by intelligent moviegoers without the apparatus of an historical essay. The film is beautifully shot and edited, and the acting is absolutely superb throughout, especially Hank Azaria, Joan Cusack, and Bill Murray. My favorites were Cherry Jones, as a somewhat naive but honest and hard-working arts administrator, and Vanessa Redgrave, as the wife of a steel magnate who gives her sympathy and energy to the theater folk. Her part could easily have been played as just another bored rich person dabbling in politics, but she gives her character such verve and enthusiasm (especially during the climactic performance of the play) that she becomes a fully rounded and engaging character. Robbins stated that he was going for a screwball comedy pacing, despite the serious tone of most of the material, and the pacing works well, keeping the plotlines going with no boredom and a minimum of confusion--although we did have to stop the DVD a couple of times to make sure we were getting all the developments straight. The movie ends on a high note, and the very last, very surprising, shot, puts a perfect cap on this, a wonderful movie indeed.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Exploration of Art and American History
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: WE WILL ROCK YOU
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Movie In Spite of Itself
Review: I could never understand why this film didn't last longer in general release. The cast and director are all A-list and the story and themes seem to be right up Hollywood's alley. Now that I've seen it, I will venture a guess that the distributors either A) didn't know how to effectively promote this film, or B) didn't understand this film. Probably both are true. From his previous directorial efforts (Bob Roberts, Dead Man Walking), you know that Tim Robbins is a pretty smart guy who sometimes feels he has to let the audience in on things that he knows and no one else does. That attitude, which is highly noticeable in Cradle Will Rock, is the one detriment the film has. It's very clear where Robbins stands on the issues and he wants to make sure you know that as the film progresses. Some of the symbolism and imagery might as well club you in the head with a sign that says "IMPORTANT THEMATIC POINT". All that aside, Cradle Will Rock is a terrific movie. Focusing as it does on the events surrounding the Federal Theatre during the New Deal, Robbins does a tremendous job condensing the key events of that time into a comprehensive and intertwining narrative (hence the opening disclaimer, "a mostly true story"). The cast are all top notch in their portrayals, particularly John Cusack as Nelson Rockefeller, Hank Azaria as Marc Blitzstein, and Cherry Jones as Federal Theatre director Hallie Flanagan. Overall, it's difficult to really pick a few members of the ensemble out for special praise as they are all good and Robbins lets them get into their roles with just a touch of the old Hollywood movie star gloss thrown in. The only true exception seems to be Angus Macfadyen as Orson Welles. Not that he doesn't give it the old college try, but comparisons will inevitably be made between Cradle Will Rock's version of Welles and the one put forth by RKO 281 on cable at around the same time. Perhaps that problem lies in the fact that in this film, Welles is just one of many characters we follow and, being Orson Welles, just doesn't blend in too well with the others. Macfadyen should be credited with the attempt, but he just seems a little out of sync with everyone else. At first glance, the film seems to want to be a comedy, but it doesn't play for laughs as such. Instead, the jokes come from the situations and are mostly very subtle, yet it is hardly noticeable since the plot involves you tremendously and keeps you on your toes by really telling six different stories. One gets the sense that instead of trying to be a comedy or a drama, the film simply lets the audience make up its mind as to what it is or what it should be. One unusual thing about this film is that the editing is noticeable and excellent. Usually those two terms are mutually exclusive when it comes to putting a film together, but there are so many things happening simultaneously that it becomes fascinating to watch how, when, and why the film cuts from storyline to storyline. Despite its overall length of 2 hrs. & 15 min. the film goes exceedingly quickly because it never stays with one particular story very long to the point where it becomes stale. There is some tremendous emotionally stirring stuff here as well which, depending not only on your artistic tastes but your political views, greatly affects how you receive the movie as a whole. I personally despise the term "Feel Good Movie" and I don't want to label this film as one, but you can't help watching and not feeling something for the characters. I won't give anything away, but if you know the story behind the film you probably can guess what happens. I don't mean to suggest that people of all opinions can't enjoy this film. Indeed, Robbins goes to great lengths to show both sides of the struggle between labor/management and liberal/conservative sympathetically. It's just that as a piece of cinema, the movie is much more successful as entertainment than as a statement. We all know that the Depression was horrible and what horrors fascism wrought on the world and the fear that communism injected into American life, but even if we didn't already know that, we can accept what occurs on the screen and enjoy it. I just wish Tim Robbins would realize that, but in spite of himself he made a great film.
Rating:
Summary: No Lenin -- Rather, Lennon...
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: An epic told economically
Review: When Tim Robbins brought his company up town to film portions of The Cradle Will Rock at 157th Street, I watched a bit of the filming and, after learning the premise of the story, researched some the history surrounding the premiere of Blitstein's opera. There are many threads and many characters in this story, some central, some peripheral; however, all of the characters and threads lead to one central event: the WPA-sponsored premiere of Blitzstein's opera.
To give detailed screen time to each thread of the story or to each character's part in it, a director would need to produce either a twenty-part mini-series, or a film of epic length. The second best solution, which Robbins seems to have adopted, is to allot just enough screen time to each character and plot element to make clear how it relates to the central event and then move on, reserving focus and screen time for that central event, the premiere performance itself. In doing this, a director must, of necessity, rely on the skills of actors who are capable of creating a character using minimal gestures, vocal inflections, and facial expressions. Robbins has assembled such a cast and watching them work is part of the allure of this fascinating film. Admiring the concise characterizations of Vanessa Redgrave and Susan Sarandon are but two reasons to watch this film again and again. There are many fine performances here including John Cusack's Nelson Rockefeller, Emily Watson's Olive Stanton, and Bill Murray's disturbing portrayal of Tommy Crickshaw. There are also a variety of views of Manhattan in the '30's, from the seedy backstage of a vaudeville house to a middle-class apartment, to an upper-class party. Ultimately, however, this film exists for its central scene, the premiere. The tension in the theatre as Blitztstein prepares to give a solo-performance of his opera is stomach-churning. What happens next is written in opera history books. When it does happen, the purpose of this film becomes clear; all of the characters and events, all of the threads of the story, come together in one moment of triumph. This is not a film one can watch passively; it takes thought and imagination to connect the characters, images, and scenes into a unified whole. It is, however, well worth the effort.
Rating:
Summary: Drawn to this movie
Review: I think Leonard Maltin said it well when he complimented Tim Robbins for his fascinating patchwork of characters. For all its faults, and there are a few, I'm drawn to Cradle Will Rock. It's the only movie that could have used footnotes. It would be nice to know that Marc Blitzstein's dead wife, the woman with whose ghost he converses, had anorexia. Or, that Susan Sarandon portrays the real-life mistress of Mussolini. If you're like me, the movie could lead you to further research on the Federal Theater Project. If, then, you'd call Cradle Will Rock thought-provoking, you might be right.
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