Cradle Will Rock
Cradle Will Rock DVD
Directed by	Tim Robbins
Written by	Tim Robbins
Starring	Hank Azaria Ruben Blades Joan Cusack John Cusack Cary Elwes Cherry Jones Angus Macfadyen Bill Murray Vanessa Redgrave Susan Sarandon
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures
Released	1999
Running time	132 min
Language	English
IMDb profile

For the original 1937 musical, see The Cradle Will Rock.

Cradle Will Rock chronicles the process and events that surrounded the production of the original 1937 musical by Marc Blitzstein. 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 1930’s. In telling the story of The Cradle Will Rock, a leftist labor musical that was sponsored by the Federal Theater Project (FTP), only to be banned from going on after the Works Progress Administration (WPA) cut the project and diverted its funds elsewhere, Robbins is able to tie in issues labor unrest, the repression of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, as well as questions the role and value of art in such a tumultuous time. Image File history File links Cradle_will_rock. ... Tim Robbins at Cannes, 2001 Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an American Academy Award winning actor, screenwriter, director, producer, and small time musician. ... Tim Robbins at Cannes, 2001 Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an American Academy Award winning actor, screenwriter, director, producer, and small time musician. ... Hank Azaria Hank Albert Azaria (born April 25, 1964) is an Emmy Award-winning American actor and voice artist. ... Rubén Blades (born July 16, 1948) is a Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter, actor and politician. ... Joan Cusack (born October 11, 1962 in New York City) is an Academy Award-nominated American actress and comedienne. ... John Cusack as Ed in Identity John Paul Cusack (born June 28, 1966) is an American film actor, born in Evanston, Illinois to an Irish-Catholic family. ... Cary Elwes in The Princess Bride Cary Elwes (born Ivan Simon Cary Elwes on October 26, 1962) is a British actor, best known for his performances in The Princess Bride, Glory, Saw, and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. ... Cherry Jones (born on November 21, 1956, in Paris, Tennessee) is an American actress. ... Angus MacFadyen, a Scottish actor, played Robert the Bruce in the movie Braveheart. ... Bill Murray in Broken Flowers (2005). ... Vanessa Redgrave during the 2004 season of Nip/Tuck. ... Sarandon in The Banger Sisters Susan Sarandon (born October 4, 1946) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. ... The Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group is a collection of affiliated motion picture studios, all subsidaries of The Walt Disney Company. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The 1937 musical The Cradle Will Rock by Marc Blitzstein was originally a part of the Federal Theatre Project. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Marc Blitzstein (March 2, 1905 - January 22, 1964) was an American composer. ... Tim Robbins at Cannes, 2001 Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an American Academy Award winning actor, screenwriter, director, producer, and small time musician. ... 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The 1937 musical The Cradle Will Rock by Marc Blitzstein was originally a part of the Federal Theatre Project. ... Musical theatre (sometimes spelled theater) is a form of theatre combining music, songs, dance, and spoken dialogue. ... Scene from Orson Welles Voodoo Macbeth The Federal Theatre Project (FTP) was a project to fund theater performances in the United States during the Great Depression. ... The abbreviation FTP can refer to: The File Transfer Protocol used on the Internet. ... WPA Graphic The Works Progress Administration (later Works Projects Administration, abbreviated WPA), was created in May 1935 by Presidential order (Congress funded it annually but did not set it up). ... danielle franks is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below: Walter Payton Award War Powers Act is also known as the Trading with the Enemy Act, and is commonly confused with the danielle franksWar Powers Resolution (of 1973). ... The House Committee on Un-American Activities or HUAC (1945-1975) was an investigating committee of the United States House of Representatives. ...

The film was released in conjunction with a book which Robbins put together to provide a more in-depth look at the history of the time in which the film is set. The book includes the film’s script, accompanied by essays and pictures describing the people, events and themes that are the basis for the film.

More than that, Cradle Will Rock was meant to be Welles's last film as a director. It went into pre-production in 1983 (with Rupert Everett on board to play Welles) before the backers pulled out and the production collapsed. 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Rupert James Hector Everett (born 29 May 1959) is an English actor. ...

Plot Summary

The film begins with one long tracking shot that focused on a destitute young woman, who is sleeping illegally in a theater, being awoken and kicked out. The shot continues as she slowly walks down the street following the sound of the song Nickel Under My Foot, which leads her to the building where the song is being played. The camera pans up the side of the building and moves inside where we are introduced to the playwright Marc Blitzstein (Hank Azaria) attempting to write the songs and put together the musical The Cradle Will Rock. Acting as Blitzstein’s conscience/mentor is an imaginary Bertolt Brecht, a radical playwright who stressed the importance of breaking down the wall between the audience and actors, and a fitting character for this story of the production of Cradle Will Rock, which did just that. Marc Blitzstein (March 2, 1905 - January 22, 1964) was an American composer. ... Hank Azaria Hank Albert Azaria (born April 25, 1964) is an Emmy Award-winning American actor and voice artist. ... The 1937 musical The Cradle Will Rock by Marc Blitzstein was originally a part of the Federal Theatre Project. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The film continues, providing a picture of life in the 1930’s where some people wait in endless unemployment lines attempting to get work, while others enjoy their wealth engaging in parties and purchases of expensive works of art. As the musical nears production, the WPA cuts the budget for the FTP, and puts a halt to all new productions. This announcement comes following the House Committee on Un-American Activities’ questioning of many of those involved in the Federal Theater Project, and the musical itself due to its leftist themes around labor and union organizing. Despite being cancelled, the director, Orson Welles (Angus Macfadyen) and producer, John Houseman (Cary Elwes), lead the cast to another theater that they were able to secure at the last minute. The cast is forbidden to perform by their union, so Blitzstein takes the stage alone at an upright piano to perform the show himself, only to be joined by many of the cast members who deliver their lines from the audience. Robbins juxtaposes this final triumphant moment of the theater with images of the destruction of a mural commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller (John Cusack) because the artist, Diego Rivera (Ruben Blades), refused to remove the image of Lenin’s face from the piece. In tying together stories of labor issues and steel strikes, censorship in painting and theater, and the disparities of wealth and power, Robbins is able to paint a picture of the 1930’s that goes beyond simply recounting past events and questions the boundaries between art, power and politics. Furthermore, Robbins attempts to link these issues to the present day through the final shot of the film. The camera follows a mock funeral procession for the Federal Theater Project as it marches into Times Square only to pan up from this scene to a shot of the high rises and neon billboards that stand there today. 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... danielle franks is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below: Walter Payton Award War Powers Act is also known as the Trading with the Enemy Act, and is commonly confused with the danielle franksWar Powers Resolution (of 1973). ... The abbreviation FTP can refer to: The File Transfer Protocol used on the Internet. ... The House Committee on Un-American Activities or HUAC (1945-1975) was an investigating committee of the United States House of Representatives. ... Scene from Orson Welles Voodoo Macbeth The Federal Theatre Project (FTP) was a project to fund theater performances in the United States during the Great Depression. ... Orson Welles on the set of Citizen Kane. ... Angus MacFadyen, a Scottish actor, played Robert the Bruce in the movie Braveheart. ... John Houseman John Houseman (September 22, 1902 – October 31, 1988) was a Romanian-born actor and film producer. ... Cary Elwes in The Princess Bride Cary Elwes (born Ivan Simon Cary Elwes on October 26, 1962) is a British actor, best known for his performances in The Princess Bride, Glory, Saw, and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. ... Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), was an American politician, philanthropist and businessman, and was Governor of New York from 1959 to 1973, the 41st Vice President of the United States of America from December 19, 1974 to January 20, 1977, and a leader of the liberal... John Cusack as Ed in Identity John Paul Cusack (born June 28, 1966) is an American film actor, born in Evanston, Illinois to an Irish-Catholic family. ... Diego Rivera and his wife Frida Kahlo (photographer: Carl Van Vechten) Diego Rivera (born December 8, 1886 in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico – died November 24, 1957)), full name Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez) was a cubist painter... Rubén Blades (born July 16, 1948) is a Panamanian salsa singer, songwriter, actor and politician. ... Vladimir Ilyich Lenin ( Russian: Влади́мир Ильи́ч Ле́нин  listen?), original surname Ulyanov (Улья́нов) ( April 22 (April 10 ( O.S.)), 1870 – January 21, 1924), was a Russian revolutionary, the leader of the Bolshevik party, the first Premier of the Soviet Union, and the founder of the ideology of Leninism. ... 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Scene from Orson Welles Voodoo Macbeth The Federal Theatre Project (FTP) was a project to fund theater performances in the United States during the Great Depression. ... Times Square, named after the one-time headquarters of The New York Times, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, which centers on 42nd Street and Broadway. ...

Historical Context

This film takes place in the 1930’s during the Great Depression. It examines the history of the famous production of the musical The Cradle Will Rock, and through this plot explores issues of censorship both within the Federal Theater Project and elsewhere. It is a comment not only on the control of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, but also on the stark contrasts of wealth and poverty during the Depression. The film does not follow history chronologically, but instead incorporates events that took place over a few years time, thus bending facts to make the labor strikes against Little Steel (1939) happen along with the Italian invasion of Ethiopia (1935) and the HUAC’s assault of the Federal Theater Project (1937) (Weales 2000). 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Dorothea Langes Migrant Mother depicts destitute pea pickers in California, centering on Florence Owens Thompson, a mother of seven children, age 32, in Nipomo, California, March 1936. ... The 1937 musical The Cradle Will Rock by Marc Blitzstein was originally a part of the Federal Theatre Project. ... Scene from Orson Welles Voodoo Macbeth The Federal Theatre Project (FTP) was a project to fund theater performances in the United States during the Great Depression. ... The House Committee on Un-American Activities or HUAC (1945-1975) was an investigating committee of the United States House of Representatives. ... The old steel cable of a colliery winding tower Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) was an investigating committee of the United States House of Representatives. ... Scene from Orson Welles Voodoo Macbeth The Federal Theatre Project (FTP) was a project to fund theater performances in the United States during the Great Depression. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Response

While the original production of The Cradle Will Rock was stated to be “The most exciting evening of theater this New York generation has seen” (MacLeish, quoted in Cole 2000), many critics did not feel the same about Robbins’ reproduction of the event for film. While some have praised the film as an astute commentary on censorship and the lines between art and life (Cole 2000), others have criticized the piece for attempting to bring too many themes together into one story, and thus losing the power of the original context altogether (Alleva 2000; Weales 2000). The 1937 musical The Cradle Will Rock by Marc Blitzstein was originally a part of the Federal Theatre Project. ...

Bibliography

Alleva, R. (2000) Ah, The Theater. Commonweal. 127(5) p. 21,

Cole, S. (2000) Cradle Will Rock. The American Historical Review. 105(4) pp. 1440-1441.

Weales, G. (2000) Tim Robbins Presents Cradle Will Rock, the Movie and The Moment. American Theatre. 17(4) p. 47

External Link

Cradle Will Rock at The Internet Movie Database The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about actors, movies, television shows, television stars and video games. ...