Rope - Alfred Hitchcock 1948 Film Review

Rope

In 1948, Alfred Hitchcock released his audacious film ''Rope''.  It seems like the film was purposely filmed so that the camera acted as a gateway in order to allow the views to be immersed into the story as though they were sitting in a theater to see a play. It's like there are no cuts, the change the frames, the fluid motions, as if telling the tale of a sadistic murder was such a easy thing. Roger Ebert quotes, ''(All of this to prove their) innate superiority (over) a victim who is inferior to them''. (Roger Ebert, 1984). 

This concept is actually mentions within the film, that the people in their situation, of a richer community have the power of God, or the right to judge who lives and who dies. The viewers are never left out, as the film makes them feel like they were invited to the dinner themselves and held there in suspense as the main characters host their party whilst their kill lays dormant in the trunk. As Pamela Hutchinson says in he article, ''[It is] filmed excruciatingly close to real time.'' (The Gaurdian, 2012).  As it makes you feel not like they are watching a screen or a stage, but are in a suit/dress and standing behind the camera watching silently, just as the other character; Rupert, starts to catch on that something is happening. (see fig 2.)

However, it seems as the film progresses, there is little to none in terms of action. The viewer feels too much part of the environment and this is a result that because parts of the film seem a little out of place with the flow. It's as though the viewers find it a little difficult to actually figure out whats going on, how the scene is relevant and how the director wanted the scene to pan out. As stated in the New York Times, ''The punctured flow of the image becomes quite monotonous.''(New York Times, 1948). 

In conclusion ''Rope'' is a ''cluedo'' of  a film and really gets you on the edge of your seat in anticipation whether or not the body of David would be discovered. It has the viewer feeling a little sorry for Philip as he is young and not as sadistic as Brandon. So it doesn't come to a surprise that Philip would act on edge when Rupert begins to figure out something is wrong. This is a really good take on mystery. (see figure 3). 

Fig 3

Bibliography:

Ebert R. (1984) Review: Rope, http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/rope- 1948, (Accessed on 26/01/15). 
Hutchinson P. (2012) My Favorite Hitchcock: Rope, http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2012/jul/27/my-favourite-hitchcock-rope, (Accessed on 26/01/15).
Crowther B. (1948) The Sceen in review: Rope, http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=980DE3D81630E03BBC4F51DFBE668383659EDE, (Accessed on 26/01/15).