Review of Rope (1948) by Serkan S — 10 Nov 2009

Sandwiched between two lackluster films, "The Paradine Case (1947)" & "Under Capricorn (1949)", it is one of Hitchcock's most stage-like, monotonous and static films. But, all Hitchcock films have a kind of inexplicable charm, always introducing technical and cinematic achievements. In this sense, "Rope" was a wonderful experiment in its time and still throws additional light on Hitch's creative spirit. Filmed entirely on a single set, the movie was shot in 10-minutes takes which was the maximum amount of film that fit into one reel. All camera moves were planned in advance and actors moved around within tracking shots in a flashy choreography of dialogue and action, all occured in real time. With the help of good cutting, the film seems as if it was shot all in one take.

But this cool technique was hampered by poor buildup of mystery and suspense. The film tells a murder story where two "elitist" college chums Brandon and Philip, influenced with Nietzsche's philosophy of "the Superman" or "Ubermensch", kill a friend just for the thrill of it. They hide the corpse in a wooden chest and celebrate their "deed" with a dinner party just after the murder. To demonstrate their "superiority", the perpetrators invite the victim's relatives and friends over the dinner and serve the meal over the chest in which the body is concealed. Then, the crescendo begins with a psychological cat-and-mouse game between the killers and overly skeptic Rupert Cadell (James Stewart), who is the killer's schoolmaster as well as their role-model.

The biggest problem of "Rope" is that as a murder mystery, it is not all that gripping. Just like "Rear Window" Hitch's intent was to trap the audience in a single room and make them experience the same emotions as the characters on the screen, but eventually he fails to do so. The story is single-layered and lacks any emotional base. The relationships between the characters are ill-defined. The arguments on morality and sociology of crime are half-baked and poorly-constructed. From the very moment Cadell enters the room, he becomes suspicious about something going awry and his suspicions increase till the climax without a plausible revelation. All these negativities undermine the film's effectiveness and make "Rope" a mediocre picture in Hitchcock's filmography.