Not just for commies
I think it would be a mistake for somebody to watch this film and somehow think it's taking a political stance (in this case for socialism). The stance Cradle Will Rock does take is against artists. Around WWII, by allowing inluential collectors and critics to seduce them away from work that was political and more connected to the common man, artists opened a chasm existing today between an elitist gallery system and the rest of culture. The final shot of this film is haunting and stays with me like a raving prophet beneath my window.