Rope Reviews

Rope is one of those rare movies which is totally engrossing within less than five minutes, no doubt in my top 5 films by the master himself. Hitchcock successfully recreates the theatrical experience for the big screen. The set of Rope looks a bit fake and washed out and even the colour cinematography has a washed out feel to it, this all being part of the charm of course. The actors strand in unnatural positions when talking, avoiding having their back facing the audience when speaking; unnatural for real life that is, normal for the warped reality of a stage play. Above all, the entire movie takes place in real time through a series of ten minute takes and all this happens while there is a dead body in the room.

The characters played by Farley Granger and John Doll, as well as their teacher (James Stewart), hold a Nazi-like ideology that murder is “an art a few superior beings should be allowed to practice”, rather than those such as say, people who are Harvard undergraduates. The character’s discussion on the justification for murder is chilling as they make it sound scarily convincing. Rope is based a true story from the 1920’s and adapted into a play in 1929 although it’s clear the movie is set during the period it was made due to the fashions and the mentioning of movie stars from the era. It does seem unlikely in the aftermath of the atrocities during the Second World War that people would be so openly discussing such fascist ideas which were more common in the United States during the 20’s and 30’s.

The movie is about homosexuality although I didn’t catch onto this. I’m not the best person when it comes to identifying gay characters unless they’re really gay (hey sisters!). I’ve heard criticism of Stewart being miscast in the role as he apparently doesn’t make a convincing gay character thus the homosexual love triangle from the play is not present in the film. Judging the film on its own merits however Rope is a major step in his evolution as an actor, away from his gawky roles he was known for up until this point. His breakdown at the end is one of the acting highlights of his career and gives me the chills watching it.

Rope is a 1948 Alfred Hitchcock movie mainly noted for its technical accomplishments. This highly-charged thriller is based on both a real life murder case and a play by Englishman Patrick Hamilton (entitled Rope's End). The entire film is therefore set in one single apartment and told in real time. Hitchcock had originally wanted the entire film to be one continuous shot, but technical limitations at the time didn't permit this goal to be achieved. Instead the film is composed of several lengthy 10-minute tracking shots. With the application of inventive editing techniques, many of the shots are seamlessly cut together. The concept is admirable, especially if one considers the size of film cameras employed to lens the film. They were large and bulky, and it was difficult to create a smooth flow as the camera moved through the single set. Moving the camera proved a total nightmare, and it shows at times with some of the most obvious camera movements one will ever see. Considering the difficulty of the task, Hitch handled the camera movements well enough.

Unfortunately, Rope is largely remembered as a moderately unsuccessful cinematic experiment. In hindsight, Hitchcock himself even regarded the movie as a "nonsensical stunt". Rope is very much Hitchcock in experimental mode and this is displayed on the film's sleeve. Many still regard this film as one of Hitchcock's biggest blunders, while others (such as myself) consider this one of Hitchcock's best. Needless to say, views are largely mixed on the matter.

Another factor to take into consider is the lack of a true Hitchcockian plot. He dispenses the film's key element in the opening scene. A murder takes place, and then the audiences wonders whether the murderers will get caught. This may not seem very intense to some, but to me the duration of the film was nail-biting and suspenseful. The mystery of whether the killers will get caught is the momentum that powers the proceedings. It's hardly a thrilling premise, however the performances and the technical achievements are what make this film such a winner.

In the opening sequence, a murder unfolds in the New York apartment of Brandon Shaw (Dall) and Phillip Morgan (Granger). The two men are sociopaths who have taken the Nietzschean teachings of prep school mentor Rupert Cadell (James Stewart) too seriously. They murder Harvard undergraduate friend David Kentley (Hogan) in cold blood to prove their existential superiority, referring to their victim as an inferior human being who's "merely occupying space". Furthermore, the murder was also for a sheer thrill. They hide the body in a trunk in the middle of their apartment. To celebrate their triumph over common morality, and to arrogantly test the perfection of their crime, they hold a party with a buffet served atop the trunk concealing David's corpse. For the party the pair invite the victim's parents, members of his family, and even his fiancée. In addition they also invite Rupert Cadell himself. As the party progresses, concerns about the non-appearance of David heighten, and Rupert begins to suspect foul play.