Rating: 
Summary: A sweet and generous film....
Review: Creating works of art can be an expensive undertaking, so artists need patrons. But patrons tend to try and influence the outcome of the artistic ventures they bankroll. So each individual artist has to decide to what extent they will compromise their vision in order to be able to practice their craft at all. This film explores how various individual artists, mostly members of a WPA theater troupe (and a painter funded by Nelson Rockefeller) struggle to keep from having the stage (or the scaffold) yanked out from under them. Director Robbins wisely turns our attention away from the creations in question (the play is hokey and the mural is mediocre) and concentrates instead on the hard work and passion of the creators.
Rating: 
Summary: seamlessly edited educating ensemble performances
Review: The film itself consists of many single-shot pieces telling a story about art, who sets the standards of art, and what it means to create a work for people instead of "collectors." There are excellent scenes depicting (on radio and in person) appearances before Dies "un-American activities" committee. The creative process is depicted as a sort of hallucinatory reality both of the playwright and the play itself. Bill Murray's character portrays the notion of theatre as the artist speaking through and for others, a main theme of the film symbolically underscored by the portrayal of artist Diego Garcia and the beautiful but "too controversial" mural commissioned for the Rockefeller plaza, which is physically destroyed just as the play "Cradle Will Rock" is performed with its verboten ideology of people joining together to effect change through unionism and solidarity. The cynicism of the wealthy elite chatting about determining the future direction of modern art through selective patronism should be seen not as a charicature but as a prediction of the future as demonstrated by the final shot of the film (and illuminated brilliantly by the German artist Hans Haacke).
Rating:
Summary: Unfortunately Overlooked...
Review: It's a crime that so few people saw this film. I was absolutely blown away by the obvious hard work that went into this production. Those portrayed in this movie were heroes, willing to give their all for their art in a time when all odds were against doing so. It is a shame that this type of mindset is becoming increasingly rare in today's "cookie-cutter, conformity-driven" entertainment industry. Please watch this movie, and keep an open mind, for this one is certainly a treasure that should not be missed.
Rating: 
Summary: Tim, Go Back to Bull Durham
Review: Tim Robbins started well, and accurately in his Hollywood career. As a shallow, not too perceptive, but upcoming pitcher, he learned finesse in the art of empty sports cliche from Kevin Costner in Bull Durham. It worked within and without that film for Robbins' character. Apparently someone else helped him out with the art of empty, juvenile Marxist cliche for his directorial career and he's ridden it ever since to a fair deal of critical plaudits which are as well merited as the pitcher's interview fodder. Somehow, I couldn't miss the comparison with Miller's far more competent work in The Crucible which, makes the leftist argument in a far more sensible, literate and effective manner. More pointedly, Miller takes the rational side of the controversy he describes, unlike Robbins who seems to embrace the political superstitions of the Thirties long after the adult world has abandoned them. When all is said and done, I couldn't help but see this product as little more than a melodrama for benighted Marxists, replete with hissing the villain and cheering the protagonist. Save your time and money.
Rating: 
Summary: Too much heaped on this particular plate.
Review: "Cradle Will Rock", written and directed by Tim Robbins, is the story of a government-funded Left-wing musical in the 1930's, and how it was shut down on its opening night. For some reason, it's also about the destruction of Diego Rivera's Commie mural for Rockefeller Center . . . Robbins is clearly trying to draw parallels. In fact, he's trying to tell the entire story of the Depression, Fascism (at home and abroad), the nature of Genius, Art Itself, etc. He would've been better advised to focus on the darn play. I'm not sure we needed his particular opinions on Hearst & Davies, for instance: the depiction herein is, frankly, unforgivably slanderous and irresponsible. For that matter, so is the depiction of Welles & Houseman: the drunk and ninny presented here (respectively) seem unable to act like grown-ups at any time, much less run the Mercury Theatre. Farce is one thing, but making farces out of Real People with Real Living Descendants is an egregious thing to do . . . but the four mentioned ARE dead, so who really cares, right?At any rate . . . as I said, the movie tries to do too much, tell too much. One would think that the story of the making of the musical "The Cradle Will Rock" and its unfortunate stage history would be of sufficient interest, but Robbins must show off: the appearances of Nelson Rockefeller, Frida Kahlo and her hubby, among others, are merely cultural cache, not good storytelling. But that's only one aspect of Robbins' self-indulgence: you can bet that the characters on the Right side of the political spectrum are presented as drunks or otherwise sad or neurotic people. As much as I sympathize with Robbins' politics, I still can't get past the didactic bullying. Despite that, Bill Murray rises splendidly to the occasion in his part of a Right-wing ventriloquist, bringing real flesh and blood and pain to the proceedings. (Murray is fast becoming one of the best character actors around -- what a wonderful surprise it is!) John Turturro, on the other side of the firing line, is also fine as the passionately Left-wing Italian actor. During the clandestine performance of the musical at the end of the film, Turturro is thrilling. His character really believes in what he is doing. Unfortunately, not many of the other characters seem to: this is a bandwagon movie, with a lot of name stars apparently doing Tim a favor. Not many serious performances, here. Overdirected and overwritten, *Cradle Will Rock* could've been so much better.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping!
Review: Of all of the movies that were released in 1998, this is clearly the best. The combination of these four historic tales unfolding together throughout the course of the film was truely masterful. Also, the cameos made by so many big stars made the work unique. The real magic in the movie, however, can be found in the detail. All serious movie-lovers will appreciate the work that went on behind the scenes to make this film a masterpiece. From the wardrobe down to the grip work . . . the perfection is evident. This film is a must see! SCG
Rating:
Summary: Powerful movie of an average play
Review: I realize that watching a movie about a play and not actually experiencing that play from the beginning does not qualify me as actually grading the play.....however.....the play "Cradle Will Rock" sounded hokey and average. The songs didn't move me, and when the entire audience erupts at the end in joyous exaltation, I sat unmoved by what I had seen. I mean, does anyone know why this musical has never been revived? It can't be some sort of anti-union conspiracy. The musical just isn't that good. At least not to me. That being said, the actual event that led to the performance of the play was very powerful. The epic scale of the film dealing with not only the federal theater, but also with the emergence of painters and the multi-millionaires who funded their works until they became too political was very interesting and balanced. The performances in this ensemble were also very well done, especially the combination of Joan Cusack and Bill Murray as anti-communist activists. Murray has a wonderful moment during his last performance as a ventriloquist that is heartbreaking. At the other end of the spectrum was Vanessa Redgrave, in a rare bad performance, playing a countess who gets swept up in artistic causes. I know she is supposed to be a little ditzy, but I wanted to slap her face a couple of times during the film. Being a Tim Robbins' film, it is very passionate. From a technical standpoint, it is the best-made film he has made, but it is nowhere near as powerful as "Dead Man Walking," which took a very controversial subject and viewed it from both sides fairly and accurately. "Cradle Will Rock" basically says: Artists=good Government=evil. Okay, maybe not that extreme, but still it is quite cartoonish when portraying its good guys and bad guys without creating any depth behind them. Here, Wiiliam Randolph Hearst is just a wealthy man who can get away with anything, and his heart is black and cold...."RKO 281," about Hearsts' fight with Orson Welles' making of "Citizen Kane" paints a much more tragic portrait, and ultimately a more convincing film. Still, the film works showing us the joy of creating art. Although it is not as good as "Shakespeare In Love" or "Topsy-Turvy" which dealt with the same subject matter, it still succeeds in showing that performing can sometimes be magical. I have probably been more negative than I should have been. I probably held this up to a higher standard, but Robbins' work deserves that. This is an entertaining and sometimes powerful film, but it is not a masterpiece. One day Robbins will create that masterpiece. Great last shot, however.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, thought provoking cinema
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A great story that needed to be told
Review: Although this movie has some flaws (it rambles at times, and it's hard to say if that is a directorial or writing flaw), I gave it an overall 5-star rating because of its superb cast and the way they bring an important but overlooked period and events--the 1930s and the Federal Theatre Project--to life. The stories of Marc Blitzstein, Diego Rivera et al. hold as important a place in American history as do the World Wars, yet the latter have received an overabundance of cultural attention while the former are often relegated to an overlooked shelf. Thank you Tim Robbins and company for putting the stories of Blitzstein and his associates from the left side of 1930s America into a big, beautiful, mainstream work of art. This is a film that should be seen by every American.
Rating: 
Summary: An ok movie...
Review: This is one of the most boring movies I have ever seen. However, there are a few reasons why I give it 3 stars. One is how metaphoric the whole movie is. Two would be the excellent acting/directing/cinematography. The last and most important reason is at the end of the movie, you come out of the theatre with a warm feeling. It is a feeling of fulfillment and joy. The Cradle Will Rock.
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