Review of Rope (1948) by Keith M — 31 Aug 2009

ROPE (1948).

Dir. Alfred Hitchcock.

Cast. John Dall, James Stewart, Farley GrangerBefore Jean-Luc Godard's experimentation and after Sergei Eisenstein's, Alfred Hitchcock made Rope, an experimental film made of long shots cut together to look as if the entire film was made in one take. Sure he wasnt the first to experiment, and Eisenstein isnt the only one who did it before him, and many people after and before Godard also did, but those are principal players and I consider Rope an experimentation on editing.The film begins with two man strangling another one and then hiding the body in a chest just before some guests arrive for a dinner party. All shot in real time, though it is impossible for an evening to end that fast, the characters, one will be nervous and the other one arrogant, going as far as displaying the rope they used to kill the man, are hoping to spend the evening without anyone noticing of their scheme, cause thats what thrills them.The editing is all in the way the camera moves and where it stops. With virtually no score, Hitchcock builds suspense out of performances and dialogues. One conversation goes as far as questioning the morality of the act the characters committed, with ambiguous results, but a clear answer later on. Because it was made in the 40's, the acting is a bit theatrical, but solid nonetheless. James Stewart stands out of the lot, as the character who comes to suspect the two men. An interesting piece from the master of suspense is the least I could say.