Cradle Will Rock (1999)
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64% of critics liked it
(67 reviews) -
64% of users liked it
(6,762 ratings)
The sometimes rocky relationship between art and politics in America in the 1930s -- as well as the gulf between the wealthy and the struggling -- sets the stage for Tim Robbins' ambitious comedy-drama Cradle Will Rock. Pulling together a variety of threads from actual events, Robbins examines… More The sometimes rocky relationship between art and politics in America in the 1930s -- as well as the gulf between the wealthy and the struggling -- sets the stage for Tim Robbins' ambitious comedy-drama Cradle Will Rock. Pulling together a variety of threads from actual events, Robbins examines the lives and ambitions of a variety of creative mavericks and figures of power. Orson Welles (Angus Macfadyen) and John Houseman (Cary Elwes) are working with Marc Bliztstein (Hank Azaria) 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 (John Turturro), 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 (Susan Sarandon), is consorting with industrial tycoon Gray Mathers (Philip Baker Hall) -- whose wife, Contesse LaGrange (Vanessa Redgrave) is a friend and supporter of Welles' project. Elsewhere, Nelson Rockefeller (John Cusack) has hired expatriot Mexican artist Diego Rivera (Ruben Blades) 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 (Bill Murray), 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. William Randolph Hearst (John Carpenter), Marion Davies (Gretchen Mol), Frida Kahlo (Corina Katt), and Olive Stanton (Emily Watson) are also woven into the tapestry of this historical epic, which premiered at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Tim Robbins
- Written By
- Tim Robbins
- Genres
- Drama
R,
- In Theaters
- Dec 8, 1999 Wide
- Studio
- Buena Vista Pictures
Critic Reviews
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J. Hoberman, Village Voice
Willfully superficial.
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Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Art and politics and ideals; mature.
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
Art and politics collide in Tim Robbins' ambitious but not entirely successful effort to recreate a unique moment in American culture circa 1937.
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Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
The movie's radical stance is that artists should get to do their art without being destroyed by mean rich people, and aren't we just wonderful for agreeing with that?
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Betsy Bozdech, Reel.com
As passionate and interesting as the film is, it's about as subtle as a brick wall.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Hank Azaria
as Marc Blitzstein
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Ruben Blades
as Diego Rivera
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Joan Cusack
as Hazel Huffman
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John Cusack
as Nelson Rockefeller
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Cary Elwes
as John Houseman
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Philip Baker Hall
as Gray Mathers
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Cherry Jones
as Hallie Flanagan
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Angus Macfadyen
as Orson Welles
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Bill Murray
as Crickshaw Tommy
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Vanessa Redgrave
as Countess LaGrange
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Susan Sarandon
as Margherita Sarfatti
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Jamey Sheridan
as John Adair
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John Turturro
as Aldo Silvano
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Emily Watson
as Olive Stanton
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Bob Balaban
as Harry Hopkins
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Jack Black
as Sid
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Kyle Gass
as Larry
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Paul Giamatti
as Carlo
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Barnard Hughes
as Frank Marvel
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Barbara Sukowa
as Sophie Silvano
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John Carpenter
as William Randolph Hearst
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Gretchen Mol
as Marion Davies
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Harris Yulin
as Chairman Martin Dies
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Gil Robbins
as Congressman Starnes
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Corina Katt
as Frida Kahlo
