Rope (1948)

To say about a Hitchcock film it is impessive represents normal thing. but "Rope" is more than impressive. impecable performances, clouds of words, tension, an admirable James Steward and the great work of John Dall and Farley Granger. more than a remarkable film, it is a chess game. and this does it a perfect social and psychological fresco. because its subject is simple and large, a puzzle from love, Nietzsche/ Raskolnikov an basic values of humanity. a film like a warning, after 70 years more significant . because it gives, in the soliloquy of Rupert, the precise map of our society.

"Rope" is rightfully an essential Alfred Hitchcock thriller based on the play by the same name. When two young men murder a fellow university student, they invite friends and family of the departed over to challenge anyone's intellect to suspect their heinous deed. Boasting incredible technical achievements and strong performances by the cast, "Rope" is a well made and solid thriller anyone can enjoy. Seeing the 1948 release, the color and visual elements are beautifully constructed which makes the drag much more bearable. When I say drag, I refer to the lack of cuts which could anger some viewers. This technique is what makes "Rope" so memorable; there are indeed cuts in the film but the flow is made to be like a stage play. It's continuous and what cuts there are are very minimal and hidden. This allows Hitchcock to direct your focus where he wants you to focus while maintaining a continuous and performing environment.This is a solidly recommended Hitchcock film that deserves to be seen by anyone looking to learn how to build tension in film. In a setting where it could've been nearly impossible, Hitchcock manages to create and build a tense environment throughout by directing his talented cast to some truly compelling performances. While it may not stand as his best or even one of his best, it's definitely a good one.

You know the quote about Actors being cattle. Hitchcock corrected saying he never said that actors were cattle what he said was that actors "should be treated" like cattle. Great actors give perfect performances in Hitchcok films. Think of Grant and Bergman in Notorious, Cotten in Shadow Of A Doubt not to mention Anthony Perkins in Psycho. Often the improbabilities of the plot become totally credible by the credibility of the performances. Here, John Dall and Farley Granger act and act to outrageously that it's impossible to believe they can get away with it for more than five minutes. Their characters are impossible to warm up to like it happened with Anthony Perkins in Psycho or with Colin Firth in Apartment Zero, no matter how sickly those characters are you can't help connect with their humanity. Hitchcock in Rope seemed much more taken by the technical wizardry and it is unquestionably fun to watch. So Rope provided me with superficial pleasures and sometimes that's enough.

The entire film takes place in a fancy New York City apartment where there is a small party with a handful of guests. In essence, the party is a kind of odd, coming-out party for two murderers who had just killed an acquaintance they believed to be "inferior" and therefore not worthy of his life. The movie is considered one of Hitchcock's lesser films, nevertheless, it is still very good. If you are not accustomed to the movies of pre-1960, the first thing you will notice about Rope is that the strangulation of the murder victim in the first minute of the film is decidedly non-graphic and really kind of fakey in an overly tame sort of way. Contemporary film would have made the scene violent and explicit. Another observation is that if the viewer gives it any thought, the two murderers really have no actual use for their crime, which was conceived to display their ability to commit the perfect crime. To whom do they boast of their crime? They speak of it, they are discovered and it fails to be a perfect crime. Minor technicalities, I guess.I liked the performances of John Dahl and Farley Granger, particularly John Dahl. He is sophisticated, intelligent and smugly evil. Granger's performance is good too as the frightened accomplice. Jimmy Stewart is the older man whose intellect is admired by the murderers. I wonder if this movie paved the way for Stewart to play in a number of later Hitchcock films.Anyway, I recommend the film for those who are interested in dialogue surrounding a curious but tense situation, with minimal physical action. If there is a desire for car chases or massive explosions, the viewer will be disappointed.