Cradle Will Rock (film) The art and theater world of 1930s New York City is in the midst of a burgeoning cultural revolution. Different stories are interwoven to show how individual courage stood in the face of censorship and artists risked their livelihood by performing in shows and painting their canvasses. Nelson Rockefeller hires Mexican artist Diego Rivera to paint the lobby of Rockefeller Center, an Italian propagandist sells da Vincis to help fund the Mussolini war effort, and a paranoid ventriloquist tries to rid his vaudeville troupe of communists. The title refers to an infamous stage production being staged by Orson Welles’ Federal Theater group, closed down on the eve of opening by soldiers. Released on December 8, 1999, in New York and Los Angeles, and beginning December 25, 1999, elsewhere. Directed by Tim Robbins. A Touchstone picture. Stars Hank Azaria (Marc Blitzstein), Ruben Blades (Diego Rivera), John Cusack (Nelson Rockefeller), Cary Elwes (John Houseman), Philip Baker Hall (Grey Mathers), Cherry Jones (Hallie Flanagan), Angus MacFadyen (Orson Welles), Bill Murray (Tommy Crickshaw), Vanessa Redgrave (Countess La Grange), Susan Sarandon (Margherita Sarfatti), John Turturro (Aldo Silvano). 134 min. Filmed in CinemaScope. Released on video in 2000.
