Saw "Cradle Will Rock," last night, and what
fascinating mess it is. It has nothing to do with the project
that began over a decade ago when producer Michael Fitzgerald
("Wise Blood," "Under the Volcano") had the
idea of making a film about the production of Marc Blitzstein's
musical drama "The Cradle Will Rock" in 1937. It was a
WPA project and so lef-wing that the government decided to shut
it down by padlocking the theater. Welles, John Houseman, and
their company went with Blitzstein and the audience to another
theater where the composer began to perform it as a concert --
augmented by the actors who stood up from their seats and sang.
The performance has become a theatrical legend. Fitzgerald first
comissioned a script from Ring Lardner Jr. Then in the process of
casting it he met Welles -- who then wrote a script of his own
and spearheaded the project. Welles planned to cast Rupert
Everett as his younger self. It was, like so many Welles
projects, never made. The script was published by the Santa
Theresa Press in 1994.
Tim Robbins film doesn't have anything to do with what either
Lardner or Welles wrote. In fact Welles (ngus macFayden) is a
supporting character in a story that tells not only of
Blitzstein's show but a mural Diego Rivera wasmaking for
Rockefeller center, the investigation of the WPA by the Dies
committee, and a fictional story about a disillusioned
ventriloquist who has become a right-wing hack.
Jean-Yves Escoffier is the D.P. and as usual does an amazing
job.
Robbins, unfortunately, is hung up on tumult and steadicam.
The result seems like a cross between Fellini and Altman, that
keeps making the same points over and over again. Still there are
great things in it. Cherry Jones, who has won all sorts of awards
for her stage performances in "The Heiress" and "The
Night of the Iguana" is absolutely amazing as WPA powerhouse
Hattie Flanagan. Bill Murray as the evntriloquist shows that
"Rushmore" was no fluke. In fact I think he's become
one of the finest dramatic actors of our time. This is the first
time I've ever liked Emily Watson in anything (she plays a
homeless street singer who embodies the themes of Blitzstein's
work and gets to so a great renditionof "Nickel Under the
Foot") Hank Azzaria is good as Blitzstein, though he's
encumbered by a lot of symbolic baggae Robbins has confected for
him (he has imaginary conversations with his dead wife AND
bertolt Brecht), Carey Elwes (who has , alas, "let himself
go") is very funny as John Houseman. Ruben Blades is great
as Diego Rivera. Plus there's fine work by Joan Cusack, Susan
Srandon, Phillip Baker Hall, Vanessa Redgrave, John Turturro,
Barbara Sukowa and many, many others.
Plus a great last shot -- whose nature I wouldn't divulge
under any circumstances whatsoever.
Still, it's a mess.
Required viewing, of course.
