cradle will rock (tim robbins, 1999)

a tapestry of 1930’s new york where artists strive for freedom of expression... as labor strikes break out throughout the country, new york city is alive with a burgeoning cultural revolution. nelson rockefeller commissions mexican artist diego rivera to paint the lobby of rockefeller center while italian propagandist margherita sarfatti offers da vinci’s to millionaires to support the mussolini war effort. a paranoid ventriloquist tries to rid his vaudeville troupe of communists while a 22 year-old orson welles directs his federal theater group in an infamous stage production of “the cradle will rock“ which is closed down on the eve of its opening by soldiers of the u.s government.