Rope Review

Rope

1948:

 

[1]Rope, 1948

Rope, Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is a film about two men, Brandon Shaw (John Dall) and Phillip Morgan (Farley Granger), who strangle their "inferior" classmate and hide his body in a chest in their apartment. Soon after the murder they hold a dinner party in their apartment, as means to challenge the "perfection" of their crime they had just committed.

Rope is a great film which, when at its peak, will have the majority of people bracing themselves while sunk down into their seats; the amount of tension the film brings, along with some quite unexpected outcomes, is quite great. What gives this film even more gratitude is not just the acting however, but also the way it was made.



[2] Phillip, Rupert & Brandon. (1948)

[1]This film’s notoriety comes from how Hitch shot it, opting for a stage-like feeling, making the audience feeling like they’re watching a play by not cutting often and when he does he tries to hide the edits. (Quint, 2009)

The most famous feature about Rope is that it is (arguably) made with NO CUTS (with an exception of the one you see at the very start moving from the street to the murder scene). Hitchcock refused to include any intentional cuts, the only time cuts were made was when the film reel had to be changed over; this problem cant be avoided. These cuts were disguised by zooming into somebody's back for a couple of seconds them coming out again, this was when the reel would be changed. The film is also only shot from a few angles all on the same side of the room, this makes it feel like they are on a set. Among the different camera shot used, the longshots are the most impactful in portraying emotion. The use of the longshot down the hall when the maid is clearing up for example is very good at creating a high level of tension, it leaves us open to a bunch of outcomes expecially since they made sure to have the chest in the shot as it was slowly being stripped. Another good use of the longshot was when Brandon went to fetch some wine from the fridge. He is talking to the maid, convincing her that wine was fit for the occasion, but the shot used imposes that it is an arkward situation, almost like an "arkward silence' displayed through a camera.



[3] Phillip & Brandon at the dining table, (1948)

[2]The man they kill in this opening scene is a friend of theirs who has never done them any wrong. But these two are fucking crazy and just want to pull of a murder. (Quint, 2009)
 As for the story, it is very simple and short. Because of this we dont really get to understand what the actual plot of the film is about, for example why these guys decided to murder David and what they planned to do in after the crime. This part of the story that we sit and watch is great, but still doesnt make complete sense in the long run. The reason given for the crime is that Brandon and Phillip were inspired by a theory taught to them by one of their college professors that murder isn’t inherently wrong, but is only reserved for those who are special. That society’s rules are for the inferior. Because this is their only reason behind the murder it leads us to believe that these chaps must have a screw loose, and are even more crazy for believing they could show off about it straight afterwards by holding a dinner party, in celebration, involving the victims parents!



[4] Brandon on the couch, (1948)

  [3]Rope's final scene is one of the finest, most elegant Hitchcock ever shot. Night has fallen outside the apartment, and garish neon lights (flashing red and green) flood in as Rupert makes the discovery of David's corpse. (Muir, 2008)

This is a great scene as it is here you could say that things get "wrapped up", we see how the story is resolved. There is a big debate between the three of them which ends with Rupert feeling almost equally as responsible. He fires shots from the gun he wrestled off of Brandon out of the window and awaits the police. As we hear the sirens getting louder and louder, the flashing neon lights outside shine on their faces. This is very effective because the neons somewhat replicate the police lights and it feels like the film has suddenly fast forwarded to show them after already being caught, hence their miserable states.

Overall, Rope is a great film open to a wide variety of viewers.

Illustration List:

[1] Alfred Hitchcock (1948), Rope [electronic print] Available at: http://hitchcock.tv/mov/rope/rope.html

[2] Alfred Hitchcock (1948), Phillip, Rupert & Brandon [electronic print] Available at: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/42051 

 [3] Alfred Hitchcock (1948), Phillip & Brandon at the dining table [electronic print] Available at: http://somecamerunning.typepad.com/some_came_running/2008/11/milk-the-boys-in-the-band-and-teh-gay-agenda-in-cinema.html

[4] Alfred Hitchcock (1948),  Brandon on the couch [electronic print] Available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/awkwardboyhero/4861777275/

Bibliography:

[1] Quint (August 14, 2009), A Movie A Week: ROPE (1948) You're quite a goodchicken strangler as I recall. In: Ain't It Cool News [online] Available at: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/42051

[2] Quint (August 14, 2009), A Movie A Week: ROPE (1948) You're quite a goodchicken strangler as I recall. In: Ain't It Cool News [online] Available at: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/42051

[3] Muir, John Kenneth (September 07, 2008), Cult Movie Review: Rope (1948). In: John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Film/TV [online] Available at: http://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision.blogspot.com/2008/09/cult-movie-review-rope-1948.html