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Movies / On DVD / Cradle Will Rock
Cradle Will Rock

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Cradle Will Rock (1999)

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63 %
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Reviews Counted: 62

Fresh: 39

Rotten:23

Average Rating: 6.3/10

Consensus: Witty and provocative.

Runtime: 2 hrs 14 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Writer-director Tim Robbins weaves together historical and fictional characters dealing with the relationship between politics and the arts and the fear of communism so prevalent in the first half... Writer-director Tim Robbins weaves together historical and fictional characters dealing with the relationship between politics and the arts and the fear of communism so prevalent in the first half of the 20th century. Set in New York City in the 1930s, the action is based around a pro-union musical, CRADLE WILL ROCK, written by Mark Blitzstein (Hank Azaria). A young Orson Welles (Angus MacFadyen), as part of the Federal Theater Project, is directing Blitzstein's musical. This branch of the Works Progress Administration, established by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and intended to provide jobs for unemployed Americans following the depression, and its director, Hallie Flanagan (Cherry Jones), come under fire in congressional hearings when communist influence is suspected. Politics, wealth, and the arts make strange bedfellows as fascist Margherita Sarfatti (Susan Sarandon) sells masterpieces to millionaires to fund Mussolini's war effort, Nelson Rockefeller (John Cusack) commissions anti-capitalist artist Diego Rivera (Ruben Blades) to paint a mural, and Countess LaGrange (Vanessa Redgrave) becomes involved in the theater company's hijinks. Ultimately, Robbins's star-studded tour de force is a tribute to the courageous individuals who refused to be silenced by censorship. [More]

Starring: Hank Azaria, Ruben Blades, Susan Sarandon, John Cusack

Starring: Hank Azaria, Ruben Blades, Susan Sarandon, John Cusack, Angus MacFadyen, Joan Cusack, Cary Elwes, Philip Baker Hall, Cherry Jones, Bill Murray, Vanessa Redgrave, Jamey Sheridan, John Turturro, Emily Watson, Bob Balaban, Jack Black, Kyle Gass, Paul Giamatti, Barnard Hughes, Barbara Sukowa, John Carpenter, Gretchen Mol

Director: Tim Robbins

Director: Tim Robbins
Screenwriter: Tim Robbins
Producer: Jon Kilik, Tim Robbins, Lydia Dean Pilcher
Composer: David Robbins

[See More Credits]

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Release:

May 16, 2000

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Cradle Will Rock
  • Powerful and sweeping, the critically acclaimed CRADLE WILL ROCK, starring Hank Azaria, Joan Cusack, John Cusack, Bill Murray, and Susan Sarandon, takes a kaleidoscopic look at the extraordinary events of 1930s America. From high society to life on the streets, director Tim Robbins (DEAD MAN WALKING) brings Depression-era New York City to vivid life. It's a time when DaVincis are given to millionaires who help fund the Mussolini war effort and Nelson Rockefeller commissions Mexican artist Diego Rivera to paint the lobby of Rockefeller Center. A time when a young Orson Welles and a troupe of passionate actors risk everything to perform the infamous musical "The Cradle Will Rock." As threats to their freedom and livelihood loom larger, they refuse to give into censorship. Based on actual events, CRADLE WILL ROCK will move you.
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
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    Reviews for Cradle Will Rock

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    N/R

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    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    06/19/08
    Todd McCarthy
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

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    Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
    03/31/08
    David Ansen
    Newsweek
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The movie's radical stance is that artists should get to do their art without being destroyed by mean rich people, and aren't we just wonderful for agreeing with that?

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    07/30/07
    Rob Gonsalves
    eFilmCritic.com
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
    04/27/07
    Andrew Sarris
    New York Observer
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Bertolt Brecht is probably doing somersaults of joy in his grave or wherever his remains happen to be.

    Full Review Source: PlanetOut | comment Comment
    08/06/06
    Brandon Judell
    PlanetOut
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Time Out
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    N/R

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    Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
    05/26/06
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Combustible Celluloid

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    12/06/05
    Film Threat
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

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    Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
    07/21/05
    Houston Chronicle
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    N/R

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    Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
    04/09/05
    Robin Clifford
    Reeling Reviews
    N/R

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    Full Review Source: Nation | comment Comment
    03/03/05
    Stuart Klawans
    Nation

    Trust writer-director Tim Robbins to know how to tickle an audience while making a political point.

    Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) | comment Comment
    06/25/04
    Judith Egerton
    Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

    Al final, se convierte en una colorida celebración del arte como forma de expresión, como compromiso de trabajo y como medio de reivindicación de justicia.

    Full Review Source: Uruguay Total | comment Comment
    09/23/03
    Enrique Buchichio
    Uruguay Total

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    Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
    05/14/03
    Jeanne Aufmuth
    Palo Alto Weekly

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    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    12/08/02
    Film Threat
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Tim Robbins' New Deal theatrical fable tries hard -- too hard.

    Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
    11/07/02
    James Rocchi
    Netflix
    N/R

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    Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
    11/06/02
    Jeff Strickler
    Minneapolis Star Tribune
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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    Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
    04/03/02
    William Arnold
    Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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    Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
    03/19/02
    Globe and Mail
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    You’ll be hard-pressed to find a film as bloated and self-important as Tim Robbins’ Cradle Will Rock, easily one of the worst movies in recent memory.

    Full Review Source: Matinee Magazine | comment Comment
    03/08/02
    Chuck Rudolph
    Matinee Magazine
     
     
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