Cast: Emily Watson, John Turturro, John Cusack, Joan Cusack, Hank Azaria, Angus MacFadyen, Cary Elwes, Cherry Jones, Ruben Blades, Philip Baker Hall, Vanessa Redgrave, Bill Murray, Susan Sarandon
Director: Tim Robbins
Producers: Lydia Dean-Pilcher, Jon Kilik, Tim Robbins
Screenplay: Tim Robbins
Cinematography: Jean-Yves Escoffier
Music: David Robbins (songs by Marc Blitzstein)
U.S. Distributor: Touchstone Pictures
Cradle Will Rock is Tim Robbins' most challenging feature to date. A combination screwball comedy and period piece drama, the film makes us laugh while presenting themes that are as relevant today as they were six decades ago. Intertwining the stories of more than a dozen characters and using a style that variously recalls the work of Preston Sturges, Orson Welles, and Robert Altman, Robbins generates a pace that is often frantic. Cradle Will Rock is not without its flaws - but, as always, it's far more agreeable to experience a movie that occasionally stumbles because the filmmaker is ambitious, as opposed to the opposite.
This is Robbins' third outing behind the camera, and, although his efforts have been radically different in tone and temperament, they have shared one common feature: a social conscience. Bob Roberts, Robbins' debut, was a blistering satire about how the media can build up and tear down political candidates. Dead Man Walking, the 1995 critical success that won Susan Sarandon a Best Actress Oscar, offered a frank and uncompromising view of the death penalty from several perspectives. Now, with Cradle Will Rock, Robbins looks at two issues that are different but related: freedom of expression and what it means for an artist to prostitute himself or herself.
Cradle Will Rock is, according to the film, (mostly) based on a true tale. Actually, it's more like five episodes that are thematically and, at times, narratively, linked. The primary story tells of the efforts of director Orson Welles (Angus MacFadyen), producer John Houseman (Cary Elwes), writer Marc Blitzstein (Hank Azaria), and their cast to put on the pro-Union play "The Cradle Will Rock" despite attempts by the U.S. government to close it down. Folded into this tale are the struggles of Hallie Flanagan (Cherry Jones) to keep the Dies Committee from cutting financial support to the WPA (which funded the Federal Theater program) because of alleged pro-Communist propeganda in the plays. Meanwhile, Nelson Rockerfeller (John Cusack) hires artist Diego Rivera (Ruben Blades) to paint a mural in the lobby of Rockerfeller Center, then balks when he sees the final product. Steel magnate Gray Mathers (Philip Baker Hall) flirts with Mussolini's mistress, Margherita Sarfatti (Susan Sarandon), while his flighty wife, the Countess (Vanessa Redgrave), pursues social causes. And an alcoholic ventriloquist (Bill Murray) believes that communists are infiltrating vaudeville, but his attempts to do something about them alienate him from everyone he knows.
One thing that Cradle Will Rock does exceptionally well is to capture the spirit of the 1930s. It does so not only by careful attention to detail in terms of set design and costumes, but by focusing on subject matter that, by today's standards, seems archaic. While the witch hunt against Communists in America is most commonly associated with Senator Joseph McCarthy's committee, it had antecedents as far back as the mid-1930s, when Congressman Dies convened hearings to uncover "anti-American" activities. Throughout Cradle Will Rock, characters argue the virtues of fascism simply because it's the opposite of communism. The movie also offers glimpses into a time when unions were beginning to acquire power and influence, and when social unrest caused some to fear that the U.S. government might topple. (Blitzstein's play was about the plight of Steel Workers and the need for unions.)
Cradle Will Rock treads into fascinating territory with some of its meatier issues. How far does freedom of expression go? Does the government have the right to arbitrarily determine what "art" it will fund, or is that censorship? And, when a person owns a piece of art, does he or she have the right to determine when or how it is displayed, or whether it can be changed, defaced, or destroyed? None of these questions have easy answers, and Cradle Will Rock doesn't pretend they do, but it addresses all of them during its 135-minute running time. And, in terms of contemporary relevance, consider that, only a few months ago, the mayor of New York City threatened to stop a museum's funding because it displayed a potentially offensive painting.
With so many characters woven into the tapestry of Robbins' film, there's little opportunity to get to know any of them on more than a superficial level. Several, such as Bill Murray's lonely ventriloquist, probably could have been cut without damaging the movie's essential integrity - in fact, a slightly tighter storyline might have been more satisfying. There are times when, however briefly, Cradle Will Rock loses its focus. The individual with the most screen time is probably Emily Watson's Olive Stanton, a homeless woman who becomes the lead actress in "The Cradle Will Rock." John Turturro, as an Italian American thespian, also has a significant role. Angus MacFadyen and Cary Elwes do brilliant imitations of Orson Welles and John Houseman, respectively. In fact, it's almost unfair to single out particular actors, since there isn't a weak performance in the film, which is exactly what one would expect from a troupe that also includes Susan Sarandon, John and Joan Cusack, the ubiquitous Philip Baker Hall, Tony Award winner Cherry Jones, and Vanessa Redgrave.
Robbins adds technical virtuosity to a compelling script and a top-notch cast. While the opening shot isn't the only memorable one in the film, it is the most ambitious, and can be seen as an homage to the way Robert Altman opened The Player (which, in itself, was a nod to Welles - a fact that creates a very nice sense of closure). It's a long and complex tracking shot - the camera moves in on Emily Watson, stays with her as she puts on socks and shoes, follows her outside and through an alley, pans away from her to Joan Cusack for a moment, then returns to her as she walks down a street. Eventually, it rises into the air to look down at her, then moves up to a window and parts the curtain to close in on Hank Azaria, who is sitting at a piano. The unbroken sequence lasts about five minutes and is flawlessly executed. Some two hours later, the film closes with a shot that is nothing short of brilliant. One can interpret it in any number of ways, but, no matter how you see it, it's an inspired way to trigger the end credits.
The movie's last act features an abbreviated performance of "The Cradle Will Rock", with cast members (Turturro, Watson, Azaria, etc.) singing their own parts. The 20-minute sequence contains numerous moments of mini heroism as actors defy a ban on appearing in the play - the kind of thing that's grand enough to provoke a smile, but not so over-the-top or manipulative that it feels forced or cloying. And, even though the film tackles serious issues, the tone remains light throughout. This is as much a comedy as it is a drama.
In some ways, Cradle Will Rock is the least successful of Robbins' directorial efforts - it lacks the zing of Bob Roberts and the unflinching, deeply realized agony of Dead Man Walking. Nevertheless, with this film, Robbins has taken a clear step forward in his craft, again affirming that he isn't afraid to be a risk-taker. It took him seven years to bring this movie to the screen, and, considering some of the jabs it takes at the corporate sponsorship of art, it couldn't have been an easy sell to Disney. In the end, even though Cradle Will Rock may be a little uneven, it is clearly the work of an accomplished and sure-handed filmmaker.
© 1999 James Berardinelli