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| Fig 1 - Poster Art |
Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope is a Thriller/ Mystery released in
1948 film that immerses the viewer from the very beginning. The film is famous
for being one of the first films that has been created to give the illusion
that there has been no editing, to give the viewer an experience that is not
normal when in the cinema. “His obsession
with telling a story without resorting to the usual methods of montage, and
without cutting from one shot to another, results in a film of unusual,
fascinating technical facility, whose chilliness almost perfectly suits the
subject” (Vincent Canby, 1984) Many critiques agree with the statement of
Canby, even though the film was seen as an experimental piece by Hitchcock
rather than a ‘proper’ film.
Throughout the film there are hints of cold humour, which
may or may not have been intended to make the film almost a comedy, one scene
where Brandon (John Dall) offers champagne to his guests:
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| Fig 2 - What would you say to some champagne? |
"What would you
say to some champagne?" Brandon asks one of his guests at the post-murder
cocktail party he's giving. "Hello, champagne," says the guest”
There are many other lines throughout the film that resemble
the plain humour, which makes the characters that more interesting allowing you
to connect with them as you can see what class their character is raised in, and what kind of characteristics they
have.
“Rope is a picture
in which material has been created definitely for camera movements. Scenes were
planned for visual strength, which in turn was blended with movement. The
continuous flow of action meant that the eye was occupied constantly. And the
elimination of the conventional shifting camera excites the audience by making
the picture flow smoother and faster.” (Hitchcock 284:1995) This statement from the
director himself, fully explains the reasons for making the film in the style
that he chose. The use of the camera angles helps to build the tension in the
film making the film that much more interesting and intense. The scene where
the maid (Edith Evanson, Mrs. Wilson) begins to move the books
back to chest is one of the most famous scenes in the film, as it lets the
viewer hear the guests talking about the whereabouts of ‘David’ whilst the
camera is focused on Mrs. Wilson as she gradually gets closer and closer to unveiling
the dead body.
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| Fig 3 - Maid and the Chest |
The film seems to be one that has grown with time, as when
it was first released in 1948 it was shunned by audiences and critiques; however
it is now well respected as one of Hitchcock’s memorable films, “Rope is not merely a stunt that is justified
by the extraordinary career that contains it, but one of the movies that makes
that career extraordinary.”(Vincent Canby, 1984)
Release:
1948
Director:
Alfred Hitchcock
Screenplay by:
Arthur Laurents
Produced by:
Sidney Bernstein, Alfred Hitchcock
Genre/subgenre:
Thriller, Mystery
Country:
United States
Cast:
James Stewart, John Dall, Farley Granger, Joan Chandler, Sir Cedric
Hardwicke, Douglas Dick
Bibliography
Hitchcock,
A (1995) Hitchcock on Hitchcock: Selected Writings and Interviews.
USA:University of California Press
List of Illustrations
http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMjE2NjM0MzEwNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwODkxNDU2._V1._SY317_.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhst6OUpHly_cQimvMZgcjUZlx8rDlL2jeSv_r604MKEPt83FIUiT6SJ4zjjnS4lIDlme067V1cpaCJ4YA93EHrIvQ7pRhFJ9rYLqUGp8VYWM7xVfYf_vEUpxb3VuagYLwhRB4KhHE27fY/s1600/Rope+tense+chest+scene.jpg
http://biography4u.com/image-files/the%20rope.jpg
Great stuff, George! :D
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