Film | Cradle Will Rock (1999) with Bill Murray and Susan Sarandon

The story fictionalizes the true events that surrounded the development of the 1937 musical The Cradle Will Rock by Marc Blitzstein; it adapts history to create an account of the original production, bringing in other stories of the time to produce a social commentary on the role of art and power in the 1930s, particularly amidst the struggles of the labor movement at the time and the corresponding appeal of socialism and communism among many intellectuals, artists and working-class people in the same period. In 1930s New York, Orson Welles tries to stage a musical on a steel strike under the Federal Theater Program, despite pressure from an establishment fearful of industrial unrest and red activity. Meanwhile, Nelson Rockefeller gets the foyer of his company headquarters decorated, and an Italian countess sells paintings for Mussolini.

Director: Tim Robbins
Cast: Hank Azaria, Bill Murray, Susan Sarandon

Bill Murray is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and director. Known for his deadpan delivery, Murray rose to fame on The National Lampoon Radio Hour (1973-1974) before becoming a national presence on Saturday Night Live from 1977 to 1980, where he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. He starred in comedy films including Meatballs (1979), Caddyshack (1980), Stripes (1981), Ghostbusters (1984), Scrooged (1988), What About Bob? (1991), Groundhog Day (1993), Kingpin (1996), The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997), Osmosis Jones (2001), and Garfield (2004). Murray's performance in Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation (2003) earned him a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

Susan Sarandon is an American actress and the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and nine Golden Globe Awards. Sarandon began her acting career in the drama film Joe (1970). In 1975, she starred as Janet Weiss in the musical comedy horror film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Sarandon was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for Atlantic City (1980), Thelma & Louise (1991), Lorenzo's Oil (1992), and The Client (1994), before winning for Dead Man Walking (1995). Her other films include Pretty Baby (1978), The Hunger (1983), The Witches of Eastwick (1987), Bull Durham (1988), White Palace (1990), Little Women (1994), James and the Giant Peach (1996), Stepmom (1998), Enchanted (2007), and more.