Rope

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Cast: James Stewart, Farley Granger, John Dall, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Joan Chandler, Douglas Dick

Genre: Thriller

Year: 1948

Proving once again as with every single one of his films that he is the 'Master of Suspense', Hitchcock constructs an incredibly suspenseful thriller, with effortless skill and brilliant directing.



Although this is a fairly significant film in Hitchcock's career (being his first ever film in Technicolor, a large feat in the 1940s), 'Rope' is sadly underappreciated and fairly unknown by the general public. Hitchcock is fondly remembered by his famous thrillers such as 'Psycho', 'Vertigo', 'North By Northwest', and 'The Birds', which are of course masterpieces in their own right, but, as with all film directors, he has films which sink below the radar which should have some recognition.
Another element of significance this film has is that it is filmed (or at least edited to look like its filmed) all in one take, similar to that of 2015's 'Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance'. Unfortunately, Hitchcock and leading actor, and frequent star in the director's films, James Stewart, have both admitted to not liking the film. The 'Master of Suspense' himself has stated, "I got this crazy idea, maybe I could do [the whole film] in one shot... when I look back, of course, it's quite nonsensical" (Alfred Hitchcock, 1962), which is in itself disappointing to hear because for the most part, the idea is quite impressive, and most likely a challenge when filmed in 1948. Additionally, although the cuts are fairly obvious some of the time, it is edited in a way that doesn't feel jarring and the continuity is near perfect.

In terms of what the film is about, it follows two murderers, Philip (Granger) and Brandon (Dall) who had recently killed their friend David. To cover up the evidence, they hide his corpse in an empty table in the centre of their apartment to leave there until night when they will take him away. The tension of the film is added when Brandon reveals to Philip that he has invited people over for a dinner party, notably David's parents, his girlfriend, professor and best friend.
Alfred Hitchcock cheekily pushes all tension to the limits with the corpse almost hiding in plain sight, and he constantly teases the audience of one of the guests discovering this crime. There are many scenes when the suspense is ramped up, most noticeably in the agonisingly tense sequence of their maid methodically clearing the table of the food, completely oblivious to the horror which lies within.

The performances are, as usual, excellent. Farley Granger is brilliant as Philip who is slowly going insane from the stress of getting caught by someone and the repercussions this might have. John Dall is charmingly sinister as Brandon, the perfect counter part to Philip, being cunningly nonchalant about the whole situation. Ironically, there are homosexual undertones throughout this film between Brandon and Philip which clearly slipped under the radar for many of the people at the time - this shows Hitchcock's willingness to test the boundaries with his film making and that his films still retain a sense of relevance today.
James Stewart is brilliant as nihilistic professor Rupert Cadell who holds a philosophy about murder which Brandon hopes will sway him to understand their decision. Cadell suggests, "After all, murder is - or should be - an art... And, as such, the privilege of committing it should be reserved for those few who are really superior individuals."
The other supporting actors are good for the most part, although there is an attempt to cause some relationship drama between some of the characters which never fully pays off. It acts more as a desperate grasp at a sub plot within the story and honestly, the film would have probably benefited without such attention to it. But to give Hitchcock his due, he doesn't make this consume the film by any means and tries to stick to the thrilling aspects of it.

On a technical aspect, the camerawork is very good, staying almost exclusively inside this apartment and swiftly floating between the characters. The writing is, for the most part, good - there is some exposition, which is handled relatively well, while characters begin to suspect murder and try to gather evidence.
In terms of cinematography, the shots are anything to behold and are quite mediocre - but then again, this film did not demand it. However, saying that, the very last shot is quite excellent and cleverly done, ending the film on a memorable and impressive note.

Ultimately, 'Rope' is a superb thriller, and should really be recognised as the great film it is. It impresses on almost every level and reinforces the notion that Hitchcock was a 'Master of Suspense' through all his films.

Verdict: 9/10