Cradle Will Rock

Kind of as a follow-through on my previous post, I thought I'd mention a really fine movie that addresses how art and politics collided in the 1930s, namely Cradle Will Rock, directed by Tim Robbins (which should be available for rental in most video stores). Having read Hallie Flanagan's memoir some years ago (she was the head of the Federal Theater Project), I was struck at how closely the film matched up with my sense of her commitment to the project. It certainly takes some liberties as well (most noticeably in telescoping events that unfolded over several years into what seems like just a couple of weeks), but in the end I think it gets at the essence of the debate. Here's the trailer: