Review of Rope (1948) by Matthew D — 15 Mar 2014
Suspenseful to the end!
Alfred Hitchcock develops his uniquely tense directorial style with his 1948 film Rope. It is an enclosed movie all shot in one apartment set. This setting leaves the viewer feeling claustrophobic and uneasy. Rope opens up on a murder, then the rest of the film is figuring out how these murderers will get away with it or not. I find Rope to be an interesting twist on the crime genre.
In regards to Rope's suspense, much of the atmosphere is built up with the lack of cuts. Everything is designed to look like we are watching these events in real time. We watch an entire dinner party take place during Rope. The suspicions and the clueless alike are present. Rope drags a bit towards the end, but the beginning and middle are tremendously nerve racking.
Rope features an intriguing cast. James Stewart is excellent as the ever observant professor. The main characters are Brandon and Phillip. John Dall plays the suave and charming sociopath Brandon. His cocky coolness is unnerving unto itself. He is quite eerie. Then, the uncertain and frantic Phillip is portrayed by the stressed out Farley Granger. The rest of the cast is mostly forgettable as they do not get many lines of dialogue. The main three men are enjoyable at least.
The main flaw to Rope is not it's short running time, but its slow pace. It is so meandering to the end, it may turn off some viewers. I found Rope to be engaging until the finale as it feels more like a slow burn. The suspense is palpable, but it may leave a few audience members bored at times. The lack of cuts to simulate a continuous take may also make Rope feel longer than its meager run time.
Overall, Rope is a fascinating take on the suspense drama genre. The mystery is unique in that we already know who killed the victim, but we get to witness the audacious cover-up instead. Rope is nice to a single watch, but I'm not sure I will return to it frequently. Hitchcock was clearly experimenting and trying new things with Rope.
This review of Rope (1948) was written by Matthew D on 15 Mar 2014.
Rope has generally received very positive reviews.
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