Cradle Will Rock

Tim Robbins’ evocative tale fuses a number of true events into a spirited comment on Depression-era politics and art. Orson Welles stages a left-leaning Broadway musical courtesy of government funds, but soon runs into difficulties when the authorities get wind of his plans. Meanwhile, Nelson Rockefeller has his own problems controlling the content of artist Diego Rivera’s murals, commissioned for the millionaire’s corporate palace. Looking back on the creativity and corruption of the times, the film also acknowledges the inevitable political outcomes that reverberated well into the fifties.