Movie Notes: Rope

February 18th, 2009

= 4 stars

Starring James Stewart, John Dall, Farley Granger
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Synopsis

Brandon (John Dall) and Philip (Farley Granger) murder a man and hide the body in a large chest in their apartment living room. That evening they have a dinner party, inviting the victim’s parents and friends. One of the guests, Rupert (James Stewart) becomes suspicious.

The Good

• Interesting subtext that the two male perpetrators of the crime are implied to be a couple. Since the film dates from the late 40s, their relationship is never explicitly said, only hinted at.
• The entire story is told in as few takes as possible, on one set. This occasionally makes for almost unbearable tension, as events occur in “real time” and no plot developments will take place elsewhere — if something nefarious happens, odds are we’ll see it.
• Some truly inspired moments — the camera settles on a chest where we know a dead body is hidden — but several characters don’t, flashing lights through the window as the film builds to a climax, and a macabre sense of humor underlying the party conversation.
• James Stewart, the rock-solid presence in so many Hitchcock films, is reliable as ever.

The Bad

• As with many older movies, it took some time to get into the slower groove and feel. The single set and lack of cuts means a heavy reliance on dialogue. Definitely not as visually exciting as today’s jump-cut happy films.

Conclusion

I don’t consider Rope among Hitchcock’s best, but it shows his experimental side and ability to leverage simple film techniques to heighten the telling of a story. The single-take results in a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere, like sand escaping an hourglass.

IMDB: Rope
Wikipedia: Rope
Rotten Tomatoes: Rope 97%