After Eating, A Sunday, Thank God It’s Frida

After Eating, A Sunday, Thank God It’s Frida

Today was a typical Sunday. I had lunch at a café and saw a movie. I usually only write about the movies I see in my movie review section, but I’m going to make an exception in this case.

First of all, I saw Frida.

Now, while Frida was an exceptional film full of pain, passion and heartache, I do not write about it to tell you that it was an exceptional film full of pain, passion and heartache. I write about it because I have such a big bothersome bug in my brain about one particular scene in the movie that I will absolutely die if I can’t squash this gnat and move on. So help me out here, why don’t you?

The scene in question takes place in New York. Frida has gone there with her renowned artist of a husband Diego, who has been commissioned to paint a mural in one of Rockefeller’s buildings. Diego is played by Alfred Molina, while Rockefeller is played by Edward Norton, and the scene they do, with Diego working on the mural and with Rockefeller looking on, is something I’ve seen in yet another movie. To give you an idea of the tension going on in the scene, I’ll also add that people are upset because Diego has painted his politics on the wall, and while Rockefeller supports the artist’s work, he has little choice but to satisfy the people’s demands because of his political ambitions.

So… the question is:
Where the heck have I seen this scene before?

I can picture it in my head. Everything in the Frida version of that scene is familiar to me—the wall, the painting, Diego on the platform and Rockefeller looking up. They stand in their positions, and they’re talking, talking about the politics that Diego has so defiantly painted on the wall. I have seen all of this before in another movie, but I can’t for the life of me remember what that movie was or who played Diego and Rockefeller in that one.

Whoops. Hold the phone; I forgot I had a walking encyclopedia.

April: What movie did you say that was? The leftist one that took place in the ’30s?

Human Encyclopedia: The Cradle Will Rock.

April: What? Incredible Rock?

Human Encyclopedia: The Cradle Will Rock.

Oh.

Well… I’ll be darned. That’s the one, all right. In that movie, Rubén Blades plays Diego and John Cusack plays Rockefeller.

It’s all coming back to me now, thank God. I’ve squashed the gnat, and I can finally move on!

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4 thoughts on “After Eating, A Sunday, Thank God It’s Frida”

  2. That he does! 🙂

    And in all seriousness, if Human Encyclopedia hadn’t named the movie I was trying to remember, this post would have been a genuine request for information from my readers. It was really killing me not to know!

  3. I’ve been trying to remember that movie too! There is a fascinating [although, hard to believe] scene with Rockefeller explaining how Diego angered him so much that from now on, only abstract art will be popular in the United States. He would see to it that galleries and grants only go to abstract artists.

  4. Dave, I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one wondering, and I’m so glad that I helped you remember, in a way. I also think it’s nifty spanking cool that you’ve seen that movie, too!

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