Written by Michael Black

The movie that I saw for Assignment 1 was Cradle Will Rock, a drama/comedy that was written and directed by Tim Robbins. Cradle Will Rock takes place in the 1930's and strongly revolves around the creation and production of a musical that is cutting edge during the Red Scare. This backdrop allows Robbins to be very free with the soundtrack and provides ample opportunity for exploration.

A very laid back jazz tune sets the tone during the opening credits and resonates on and off for the rest of the film, gradually developing into a motif. The plot of the story deals with around five intertwining plots; this jazz tune always seems to be around, no matter how different the characters are or what the situation is. Like Bordwell and Thompson say, "the filmmaker can subtly compare scenes, trace patterns of development, and suggest implicit meanings" by using motifs. As the plot unravels, the viewer begins to see that the characters' lives all begin to cross paths thus similar music helps create a common connection to very different characters. This is very similar to how Bordwell and Thompson say, "a melody or musical phrase can be associated with a particular character", but in this case, Robbins associates the jazz music with all the characters to show a common bond.

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