Review of Cradle Will Rock (1999) by Emily R — 21 Jul 2004

First of all, I'm going on holiday tomorrow. Excited? Yes. Chicago is going to be great.

I watched "Cradle Will Rock" this morning and it blew me away just as much as the first time I watched it.

Besides having an All-Star ensemble cast including Hank Azaria, Susan Sarandon, John Cusack, Bill Murray, Vanessa Redgrave, Anges MacFadyen, Joan Cusack, Emily Watson, John Turturro, and Cary Elwes (not to mention the loads of familiar faces whose names just might not leap into mind) it is a well-written, comedic drama that keeps you entertained. It is the story of the Great Depression and the political as well as economic ordeals of the time focusing on the Federal Theater Project as well as some high-society muckity-mucks. The two stories tie together beautifully. The characters are fantastically played. The eccentricity of Orson Welles is played to near perfection by MacFadyen, the power and greed of William Randolph Hearst is very close to frightening, and the passion and inner turmoil of Marc Blitzstein (if that is how you spell his name) is captured wonderfully, even if it takes awhile to realize that the male figure he is imagining is actually Bertolt Brecht. Anyway, it's a smart, funny, semi historically accurate portrayal of events leading to the dismantling of the Federal Theater.

Things to you'll come away with:

The impression that Anges MacFadyen is actually Welles reincarnated.

Cherry Jones has a remarkably charming face. I just can't take my eyes off her.

Hallie Flanagan (the real woman as well as the character) was a remarkable woman and I think that some American historians need to pay a little bit of attention to her.

Hank Azaria is brilliant.

Emily Watson is a horrible singer.

Christopher Marlowe was a communist.

That's about it.

Entertaining as hell.

Interesting as hell.

Great movie through and through.