Cradle Will Rock (1999)

Director:

Tim Robbins

Writer (WGA):

Tim Robbins (written by)

Release Date:

12 April 2000 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Art is never dangerous -- unless it tells the truth.

Plot:

A true story of politics and art in the 1930s USA, centered around a leftist musical drama and attempts to stop its production.

Plot Keywords:

Box Office Flop | Gay Lead Character | Ensemble Cast | Creative Process | Government

Awards:

4 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Hank Azaria	...	Marc Blitzstein
Rubén Blades	...	Diego Rivera
Joan Cusack	...	Hazel Huffman
John Cusack	...	Nelson Rockefeller
Cary Elwes	...	John Houseman
Philip Baker Hall	...	Gray Mathers
Cherry Jones	...	Hallie Flanagan
Angus Macfadyen	...	Orson Welles
Bill Murray	...	Tommy Crickshaw
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Countess Constance LaGrange
Susan Sarandon	...	Margherita Sarfatti
Jamey Sheridan	...	John Adair
John Turturro	...	Aldo Silvano
Emily Watson	...	Olive Stanton
Bob Balaban	...	Harry Hopkins

MPAA:

Rated R for some language and sexuality.

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | France:U | Spain:7 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Cradle Productions Inc.

Trivia:

Cary Elwes plays the producer of the play, John Houseman, which is the same John Houseman who later became an award winning actor.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: At the beginning of Hallie Flanagan's Senate testimony, the court stenograper's machines are not operating although they are pressing the keys. Later in the scene, the machines are working properly.

Quotes:

Aldo Silvano: When the storm breaks, the cradle will rock!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Gangs of New York (2002)

Soundtrack:

The Cradle Will Rock

Deserves more praise than it gets

This may suffer from having a few too many plot lines and characters (Emily Watson, for example, is a role too far), but most of what's there is excellent. Bill Murray is as good as he has been recently in Rushmore and Lost in Translation, and the Cusacks are at their best. This is a film that lingers with you after you've seen it, and gives a fascinating insight into a turbulent time.