Rope Film Review

7/29/2019 Rope Film Review

1/5

RopeDir. Alfred Hitchcock, (1948)


2/5

Film Review Storytelling & Commission

RopeDirector: Alfred Hitchcock

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 2

Alfred Hitchcocks Ropeis a 1948 American thriller film that was based on the 1929

Patrick Hamilton play which shares the same name. The play was inspired by the

real-life murder of a 14 year old boy by two University students, Leopold and Loeb,

whose desire it was to perform the perfect murder.

Ropemarked Hitchcocks first Technicolor film and became notable for taking place

in real time, being edited in a way which gave the illusion that the production was afilmed as one continuous shot. Critic McCarthy gives an opinion stating that;

Rope is Hitchcock's underrated classic that contains some of the most unique

filmmaking of its time.(McCarthy, 2008)

In agreement with McCarthy, Hitchcocks Rope possesses the creative and unique

blend of filmmaking techniques that later lead to him becoming a pioneer within the

suspense and psychological genres, and arguably becoming the most influential

filmmaker of all time. These techniques are first introduced within the films

opening, providing the audience with a narrative, a genre and set of questions whichcreate suspense. As the film progresses said techniques aid in developing this

tension, almost giving off a perspective that allows viewers to feel as if they are a

character present at the murder.

Hitchcocks camera techniques develop this perspective which feels like a first-

person experience by the way in which they suggest a personal attachment to the

drama in which you are observing as a spectator. Throughout the film, the camera

follows the two main characters religiously, making the story a personal incident that

grants an audience the ability to the share the experiences that are on screen.


3/5

This connection between film and audience is more of a self-induced judgement, as

perhaps to some it seems that Hitchcocks primary focus is to develop a continuously

moving film that builds on tension and storytelling, unpacking the perfect murder

and how the transgression deviates. Canby believes that;

Hitchcock is less concerned with the characters and their moral dilemmas than with

how they look, sound and move, and with the overall spectacle of how a perfect

crime goes wrong.(Canby, 1984)

In a sense, Canbys statement can be interpreted in a way that reflects the success of

Ropedue to Hitchcocks filming conventions. Canby implies that the camera work

debatably projects the unfolding of the overall spectacle of how a perfect crime

does wrong to audiences purely as part of the storytelling, however, the characters

and moral dilemmas are additionally expressed in a way which portrays a concern

that Hitchcock perhaps developed on. Throughout the film, the continuous camera

movement constitutes the cinematography in a way that feels as if audiences areonly briefly meant to be introduced to supporting characters. This aspect appears to

be developed on purpose, perhaps placing a viewer in a position where theyre

meant to experience meaningless conversation while have the suspense build due to

the knowledge of the hidden body.

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There is also a subtlety throughout rope regarding different areas of interest. As the

story unfolds there are numerous hints that relate back to the inciting incident which

avertedly result in an effective and unique method of storytelling. A better example

of the subtle conventions all through Rope is the way environments surrounding

change. Wisniewski observes that;

In the space of the films running time, the New York skyline goes from sunny bright

to evening dark, a subtle visual cue that makes us feel like weve watched an evening

go by(Wisniewski, 2012)

Without immediately noticing, the impact of the slowly fading daylight provides

audiences with a rough time which is perceived as a visual cue to suggest the

passing of time and in contrast with the cinematography and the editing style helps

to give the production the feel of experiencing a whole evening. Additionally, the

way the entire film takes place within the same environment brings the troubles and

events close to home, arguably suggesting to viewers that the film is meant to be a

personal experience.


4/5

The conventions that gave Hitchcock the persona of being the master of suspense

and thriller are present within Rope, having a tense narrative and inventive

cinematography that effectively compliments the characters and the universal

experience that is perceived by audiences. Even though Ropeis considered to be an

experiment on Hitchcocks part, the film still contains the traditional elements which

allowed his work to become notable, and later influential.


5/5

Review Bibliography

References

McCarthy, K (2008) available at: www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rope/ [accessed

online on 16 January 2013].

Canby, V (1984) available at: www.nytimes.com;

www.nytimes.com/library/film/060384hitch-rope-reflection.html[accessed online on

18 January 2013].

Wisniewski, C (2012) available at: www.imdb.com;

www.reverseshot.com/article/rope [accessed online on 22 January 2013].

Illustrations

Figure 1: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/8e/Rope2.jpg/220px-

Rope2.jpg

Figure 2: https://reader009.{domain}/reader009/html5/0412/5ace56313e6ab/5ace563465df3.jpg

Figure 3: https://reader009.{domain}/reader009/html5/0412/5ace56313e6ab/5ace5634cb7d4.jpg?w=4

Figure 4: http://m0vie.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/rope2.jpg?w=468

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