Independent Films, Film Profiles

Cradle Will Rock
by Tim Robbins

Cradle Will Rock is a 1999 drama film which chronicles the process and events that surrounded the production of the original 1937 musical The Cradle Will Rock by Marc Blitzstein. 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.In telling the story of The Cradle Will Rock, a leftist labor musical that was sponsored by the Federal Theater Project (FTP), only to be banned from going on after the WPA cut the project and diverted its funds elsewhere, Robbins is able to tie in issues such as labor unrest, the repression of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, as well as questions the role and value of art in such a tumultuous time.The film was released in conjunction with a book Robbins put together to provide a more in-depth look at the history of the time in which the film is set. The book includes the film’s script, accompanied by essays and pictures describing the people, events and themes that are the basis for the film.Cradle Will Rock was meant to be Orson Welles's last film as director. It went into pre-production in 1983 with Rupert Everett on board to play Welles before the backers pulled out and the production collapsed.The film begins with one long tracking shot that focuses on a destitute young woman named Olive Stanton (Emily Watson) who is sleeping illegally in a theater, being awakened and kicked out. The shot continues as she slowly walks down the street following the sound of the song Nickel Under My Foot, which leads her to the building where the song is being played. The camera pans up the side of the building and moves inside where we are introduced to the playwright Marc Blitzstein (Hank Azaria) attempting to write the songs and put together the musical The Cradle Will Rock. Acting as Blitzstein’s conscience/mentors are a vision of his deceased wife and later, an imaginary Bertolt Brecht. Brecht was a radical playwright who stressed the importance of breaking down the wall between the audience and actors, and a fitting character for this story of the production of Cradle Will Rock, which did just that.The film continues, providing a picture of life in the 1930s where some people wait in endless unemployment lines attempting to get work, while others enjoy their wealth engaging in parties and purchasing expensive works of art. As the musical nears production, the WPA cuts the budget for the FTP, and puts a halt to all new productions. This announcement comes following the House Committee on Un-American Activities’ questioning of many of those involved in the FTP, and the musical itself due to its leftist themes around labor and union organizing. Despite being canceled, the director, Orson Welles (Angus Macfadyen) and producer, John Houseman (Cary Elwes), lead the cast to another theater that they were able to secure at the last minute. The cast is forbidden to perform by their union, so Blitzstein takes the stage alone at an upright piano to perform the show himself, only to be joined by many of the cast members who deliver their lines from the audience. Robbins juxtaposes this final triumphant moment of the theater with images of the destruction of a mural commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller (John Cusack) because the artist, Diego Rivera (Ruben Blades), refused to remove the image of Lenin's face from the piece. In tying together stories of labor issues and steel strikes, censorship in painting and theater, and the disparities of wealth and power, Robbins is able to paint a picture of the 1930s that goes beyond simply recounting past events and questions the boundaries between art, power and politics. Furthermore, Robbins attempts to link these issues to the present day through the final shot of the film. The camera follows a mock funeral procession for the FTP as it marches into Times Square only to pan up from this scene to a shot of the high rises and neon billboards that stand there today.