Cradle Will Rock (w/ Harvey Kaye)

Rivka and Frank are joined by historian Harvey Kaye for a deep-dive on Tim Robbins’ Depression-era film Cradle Will Rock. The film tells the story of the Federal Theatre Project — a New Deal program that funded public theater productions around the U.S. during the Great Depression — and the reactionary forces that ultimately killed it. Rivka, Frank, and Harvey explore the film’s central themes of ownership in the arts and political censorship. As always, Harvey provides a detailed explainer on the historical context and accuracy of the film.

Links:

• The Most Radical Speech in Presidential History (Gravel Institute) 

A rough transcript of the episode is available here.

For next week’s Valentine’s Day episode, we’ll be watching the 2008 rom-com 27 Dresses.

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Produced by The Lever | Artwork by Rufus Paisley | Theme song by JustBen

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What is Movies vs. Capitalism?

MOVIES VS. CAPITALISM explores the politics of your favorite films through an anti-capitalist lens. Each episode, hosts Rivka and Frank are joined by a guest for a critical discussion about a film and how it’s obviously a scathing indictment of late-stage capitalism.

MVC examines the crucial intersection between pop culture and politics — unpacking the ideological messages baked into some of your favorite movies.