Review of Rope (1948) by Greg B — 29 Jul 2008

I haven't seen a movie that has blown me away like this in a long time. Hitchcock's idea was to make this film in one continuous shot. Unfortunately, this was not possible at the time because the cameras back then only held about ten minutes worth of film. In an act of pure ingenuity, Hitchcock used a technique that made it seem as though this was only one shot. About every ten minutes, your attention is directed to an intimate object for about two or three seconds and then back to the story. This is the point at which the film is cut and reloaded into the camera. The editing is done to make this transition seamless and the audio track never cuts, giving the impression that it was one camera movement.

The acting in this film is fantastic. I have always maintained that Jimmy Stewart has the most powerful screen presence in all of film. His characters demand attention, simply by virtue of his demeanor. What makes this film great however, are the subtleties portrayed by his character. Keep in mind; it is not until the very end of this film, that he actually vocalizes what he has been thinking. But we are all very aware of exactly what is going on in his head from the moment his first suspicions arise.

I canâ??t really say enough about this one, Iâ??ve only seen a handful of Hitchcock and none have ever disappointed me. But this is the one so far, stands out above the rest. It pulled me in from the first scene and kept me thinking about it several days later.