Cradle Will Rock
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Movie Reviews of Cradle Will Rock
Movie Review: Dance of the Dialectics
Summary: 4 Stars
The time was 1936-the painful apex of the Great Depression. This was the world inhabited by the plethora of characters in this film. Most of them were real people-augmented by fictional counterparts. Composer Marc Blitzstein was real-as was his Brechtian musical. Its opening night is still considered the most extraordinary night in the history of American theatre. Rockefeller, Hearst, Diego Rivera, Orson Welles, and John Houseman were all real-and they did have a struggle with Actor's Equity and Federal Theatre Project (1935-39).
Tim Robbins, director, kept the film moving at a frenetic pace-flowing smoothly-overlapping several sub-plots and vignettes-and pulling it all together for the opening night of the landmark Marxist musical play. He cast his lovely lady-Susan Sarandon, in the small part of Mussolini's mistress Margherita. She shined as usual. Hank Azaria was very intense and effective as the composer Blitzstein-who heard "music" while immersed in the strife of the times. Ruben Blades played the artist Diego Rivera quite effectively-but that part will always belong to Alfred Molina after his turn in FRIDA (2002). John Cusack played NY mayor Nelson Rockefeller. Angus MacFadyen hammed it up a bit much as the young tiger-Orson Welles. Carey Elwes played John Houseman with a bit of a limp wrist. Cherry Jones was very good as Hallie Flanagan-head of the FTP. Vanessa Redgrave had a ball playing Countess LaGrange. Philip Baker Hall was the fictitious steel magnate-Gray Mathers. Bill Murray did a grand job playing ventriloquist-Tommy Crickshaw. Joan Cusack was prissy-good as muckraker Hazel Huffman. Emily Watson lifted our spirits playing down-on-her-luck Olive Stanton. John Turturro stood out as the young actor and family man-Aldo Silvano. The supporting cast was huge. It included Bernard Hughes, John Carpenter, Gretchen Mol, Jack Black, Paul Giamatti, Bob Balaban, and Harris Yulin.
Robbins has created an epic film with multiple narrative threads-endeavoring to encapsulate an entire world in turmoil-and set it to music. He adopted the point of view of the artist-the prince of players at the head of his troupe of swirling acrobats, jugglers, singers and actors. But when these many plot lines and battalions of characters are thoroughly mixed-and the denouement emerges-he pulled everything together into a precarious balance-performing a kind of performance magic. Based on the film's BO records (modest revenues)-a lot of people out there did not have the patience, education, stamina, or motivation to hold on for the full ride. It is not a film for the faint of focus. It takes a throbbing love of theatre and film to ride it full-tilt to the final buzzer and roll of credits.
Movie Review: Powerful movie of an average play
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
Movie Review: An epic told economically
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
Movie Review: Pretty Good Film
Summary: 4 Stars
Cradle Will Rock is a piece of theater history. It was made during the Great Depression in the 1930s when times were hard and entertainment was escapist. However, Cradle Will Rock was a generic story that made a dramatic statement about the times and how hard life was. It was so strong, it was banned, but the actors believed in the message so much they performed anyway at the risk of their jobs, something scarce and vital in those days.
The writing in this film is incredibly well done and the cast is amazing. It is overflowing with notable actors (John Cusack, Hank Azaria, Susan Sarandon, Cary Elwes, Bill Murray, etc) and famous characters (Diego Rivera, William Randolph Hearst, Orson Welles, etc). Most films about this era are disappointing because they don't seem to capture it without being preachy or overly sentimental. This one is not perfect, but it is much closer. Aside from the historical stories, the film is actually interesting to watch and the characters are relatable.
The music is done well too. The characters do not just burst into song; they have a reason for singing when they do, which is not too terribly often.
The only complaint I have is the historical accuracy of some of the real characters. As a fan of silent films, I was disappointed to see that the few scenes with Marion Davies managed to portray her as a drunk and a dimwit. Even Hearst was portrayed to be rather overbearing and pompous. Still, they were a minor part of the action and did not ruin the film.
Movie Review: Excellent acting, interesting & true stories well dramatized
Summary: 4 Stars
This was an entertaining film, but often confusing for me. There was a lot of dialogue that overlapped other dialogue and if I didn't have the closed captioning activated, I never would have known what was going on.Acting was terrific and convincing and this film teaches a lot about a little-known facet of theater and free speech right here in America. It wasn't what I expected.
This is a great insightful film for those studying film, drama and anything involving the world of theater and performing. History buffs will also love the wardrobes and backdrops that are true to form.
I think the downfall for this film in the theaters was its failure to acknowledge that only a minority of people are highly knowledgable in the history of the WPA, The Theatre Project in general and the politics and historical characters involved. The film assumes that you know who everyone is, and most people do not. Being an art major, I was familiar w/ Diego Rivera and Freida Khalo... but only those who read the credits would even know that Freida had a last name, much less a highly accomplished artist in her own right. I love watching a film that assumes you have a brain and some knowledge, but this film assumes a little bit too much knowledge by too many people on too many subjects at the same time. Nonetheless, a quality film. The commentaries on the DVD are excellent, seeing each actor in costume commenting on the character they portrayed. I really wish I watched the commentaries before seeing the movie.