Review of Rope (1948) by Kieran O — 07 Mar 2011
I need to watch this again and really pay attention. The reason? This movie is comprised for maybe 4 or 5 long takes. The few cuts are mostly done by zooming into the black coat of someone walking by, giving the appearance of a movie shot in one take. I believe the only reason there were breaks is because a reel of film could not hold a full length feature film. It is a great achievement for a great filmmaker.
Of course, such an achievement would be pointless if the movie was crap. Luckily, this being a Hitchcock film, it is not something we have to worry about. Adapted from a play, this is an amazing story about college buddies who feel their supposed superior intellect grants them the privilege to murder (there is a philosophical discussion explaining this). They then host a dinner with family and friends of the victim in order to boost their own egos.
The result is a great suspense film with great acting. The killers are wonderful in their smugness. And it has James Stewart as well. The directing is great. One of Hitchcock's best. It's not unlike watching a play, which adds a great level of intimacy and really ramps up the suspense.
Highly recommended.
This review of Rope (1948) was written by Kieran O on 07 Mar 2011.
Rope has generally received very positive reviews.
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