jlthornb51 A fascinating, highly entertaining historical epic that borders on the brilliant. Tim Robbins directs with flair and imagination from an absolutely fantastic script that brings characters that are part of the very fabric of America to life in wonderful ways. The cast is just great but one standout is Emily Watson in the role of a homeless, jobless young woman during the Depression who longs for stardom. It is simply a superb performance and Watson will break your heart while inspiring you at the same time. Her simple beauty and gentle singing voice are perfect for this film and the image of her rising from sleeping behind a theater movie screen will haunt audiences with its power. After watching work her magic in this film, it becomes quite obvious why Emily Watson is considered the greatest actress of our time.

Desertman84 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.

dg4110 Tim Robbins' Cradle Will Rock is an interesting movie about real-life social issues, politics, the arts, and events during the Great Depression era. This movie chronicles an important time in 20th century United States history when the collapse of the Stock Market lead to a high unemployment rate that affected the lives of many families. People faced desperation through starvation, homelessness, and intense competition during the shortage of jobs. In addition to economic and employment woes, this was a climate that increasingly bred uncertainty about the future, suspicions about outside threats to capitalism and democracy (specifically, the movie addresses communism and fascism), and concerns regarding censorship of artistic expression and freedom of speech. This movie cleverly examines all of these matters while primarily following the creation of the actual Cradle Will Rock musical production during the era. Sponsored by the Federal Theatre Project (FTA) under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the United States, the film focuses on a rich ensemble of characters (involved in the arts, theatre, and otherwise). According to this web site (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fedtp/ftwpa.html), the FTP was responsible for bringing theatre to millions of citizens throughout the United States, financially supported the growth of theatres, and provided opportunities for theatre professionals. In the real Cradle Will Rock, the playwright Marc Blitzstein wrote about the social and political issues of the era, especially surrounding labor and unions. The political nature of this lead to the controversy touched upon by the film. During the political climate that fostered growing suspicions about perceived threats to the American way of life, Robbins' brings to the screen a historically-based account about how the arts were specifically challenged and alleged as a medium to spread what were considered dangerous messages against American ideals. In particular, the motives and agendas of artists were questioned and suppressed under intense scrutiny. Robbins' Cradle Will Rock presents the realities of this era blended with just the right balance of exposition, drama, and comedic elements. The humor lightens the mood but does not distract from the seriousness of the situations faced by people during this era. The characters are presented with realism that transports you into the struggles and triumphs of their lives. Although the ensemble of characters was interesting, there could have been more depth in some instances. For instance, there were many great sub-plots that were only briefly touched upon. However, to be fair, the goal of this film was probably not to cram an in-depth examination of their lives, so much as it was to utilize the spectrum of characters to showcase diversity in their experiences. In this, we are exposed to a variety of ideals and values, individual and family experiences, and contrasts between the struggling working class and the elite. Center stage is the question surrounding the definitions of American values, ideals, as well as the boundaries of artistic expression. This is definitely one of those movies where some may gain a greater appreciation if they can view it a second time. There is a lot going on with the variety of characters and issues this film examines. This is not a dry, dull historical account, but rather a surface inspection of the Depression era and a country with challenging social and political issues. Viewers may want to enhance their understanding of the events touched upon by the film by learning more about the real, historical events. For instance, we only receive a few, although effective, examples of what people experienced during the climate of the Red Scare. Finally, Robbins' Cradle Will Rock will probably challenge many to think about the potential pros and cons of government response during social and political issues. For instance, the WPA and FTP improved the lives of millions of United States citizens; however, the paranoia surrounding the suspected infiltration of anti-American principles shadowed these accomplishments.

thespian57 This is more the story of an era rather than the story of a play. The WPA was one of Franklin Roosevelts greatest achievements in an era when not too many people felt great. The federal theatre project was one arm of the WPA. Welle's Mercury theater was part of the FTA. This movie was extremely well researched. Angus McFayden does a great job as Welles. Countering him is Cary Elwes as John Houseman. We recently had this theatre treasure come to us as Professor Kingsfield in "The Paper Chase" film and TV series. Will Geer, part of Welles's group was the grandfather in "The Waltons". Viewers will get a wonderful rendering of a largely forgotten Musical by Marc Blitztein and Bertholt Brecht. "The cradle will rock" is a pro-worker anti-big business piece that rocked the theatre going world in an era where Big Business was largely responsible for the working man's woes. Interwoven within the basic plot of the composition and production of this play are subplots dealing with Mexican painter Diego Rivera (some of whose murals are visible even today) and art dealings by Musolini's mistress.This is a very compelling film well directed and acted. A must see for musical theater students, and just about everyone else.