shadow_blade-89459 "Rope" (1948) is a timeless crime drama that will keep you on you on edge. The film is about murder and the play of superior versus inferior intellect. This film is portrayed from the perspective of Brandon, played by John Dall, and Phillip, played by Farley Granger, in their pursuit of the perfect crime. I initially found the pacing of this film to be a little slow, much like many films of that era, but as the film moved forward everything began to find make sense. The viewer is drawn in by the opening scene, and then there is a minor lull, but as the guest began to show, the viewer slides more to the edge of their seat. I am normally very skeptical of older movies, but this film is outstandingly well pieced together.The point of this film can easily be missed if the viewer isn't self-aware. I feel like the point of this film is to show the viewer that regardless of wealth or intellect, no one should be allowed to treat others poorly, especially murdering those that are deemed inferior. Alfred Hitchcock is well known for his thrillers and this film is no different. It had me constantly wondering if someone had figured it out through the entire film, particularly Rupert, played by James Stewart. While I don't wish to give away the finale, the payoff is more than deserving of those that think to highly of themselves. I can officially deem this film as an oldie, but goodie and is worth a view more than once.

Coventry I've seen enough Hitchcock movies by now to determine for myself which ones are worth seeking out and which ones I shouldn't bother with. As brilliant as they may be labelled by critics and fans all around the world, I really can't get into Hitch's espionage or 'wrong-man-condemned' thrillers. I also find his more polished thrillers extremely boring, unrealistic and overrated, like "Vertigo" and "Rear Window". I'm primarily a horror fanatic, and thus love the nasty Hitchcock films the most, like "Psycho" and "Frenzy", but I'm also deeply intrigued by the more unorthodox and twisted tales of murder that the Master of Suspense brought forward, like "Strangers of a Train" or "Dial M for Murder". I made a shortlist of Hitchcock movies that I still want to see, and it only contains a few titles like "I Confess", "Stage Fright" and "Shadow of a Doubt". But at the top of that shortlist stood "Rope" because, as a fan of true crime stories, I really wanted to see Hitchcock's interpretation of the infamous and peculiar "Loeb-Leopold" murder case. "Rope" isn't a faithful re-enactment of the facts, and neither was the stage play on which Hume Cronym's screenplay is based, but the murderers' motives and behavior are certainly inspired by the shocking true facts. And it is a shocking case, mind you, and "Rope" faced a lot of controversy and the risk of being banned upon its release in 1948."Rope" is the story of two vain elite students, Brandon and Philip, who are so convinced of their own intellectual superiority that they insist on demonstrating the perfect murder can be committed. They select an inferior - according to their standards - victim, their college buddy David, and strangle him in cold blood with the titular rope. Strengthened by the belief they can get away with absolutely everything now, they subsequently hide the body in a chest in the living room and decorate it as a buffet for the party they are organizing that same evening! To complete the narcissism of their act, Brandon invites the victims' parents and fiancé as well as the university professor who always gave colorful lectures on how murder should be a work of art. During the "party", whilst literally all the guests are wondering why David isn't showing up, Philip grows increasingly paranoid about getting caught, while Brandon becomes more ruthless in dropping perverse clues about what they did. Professor Rupert Cadell (James Stewart) is the first guest to suspect poor David's real whereabouts. Seventy years after its release, "Rope" principally and mainly just gets remembered for being one of Alfred Hitchcock's most experimental films in terms of editing, settings and cinematography. It's certainly true that the Master accomplished a series of remarkable cinematic elements here. "Rope" exists only of 8-10 long and uncut takes (approximately 10-12 minutes per scene), the entire film takes place in only one décor (like a stage play), our director plays a lot with shadows and neon-light effects in his very first color film and there are several strange but extremely efficient POV camera angles (like when the maid clears the diner buffet while the rest of the group is having an off-screen discussion). All good, but please don't forget that "Rope" first and foremost has a brilliant script and literally oozes with genuine suspense from start to finish.

Kirpianuscus To say about a Hitchcock film it is impessive represents normal thing. but "Rope" is more than impressive. impecable performances, clouds of words, tension, an admirable James Steward and the great work of John Dall and Farley Granger. more than a remarkable film, it is a chess game. and this does it a perfect social and psychological fresco. because its subject is simple and large, a puzzle from love, Nietzsche/ Raskolnikov an basic values of humanity. a film like a warning, after 70 years more significant . because it gives, in the soliloquy of Rupert, the precise map of our society.

gkeith_1 Spoilers. Observations. Opinions.Saw it for Constance Collier. She was an early twentieth renowned stage actress who was quite nice looking in those days. I just adore actresses and actors from turn of the twentieth century stage work.In this film, she portrays dowager appearing aunt to David. I thought she would be at the end of the film, figuring out the crime along with Jimmy Stewart -- two acting heavyweights if there ever were such.I was disappointed that she left the scene earlier. During her time in the film, however, she did a great job with her astrology and palm reading. I thought she was going to psych Farley Granger out and get him to tell her everything that happened.Go Jimmy! Come up those stairs with the police. Alas, that did not happen. Jimmy had seen the DK hat, and he decided to sleuth out the culprits.Hitchcock has built the suspense. I liked the Technicolor, even though some complain of its primitiveness. It was spectacular. I will watch it again for the Hitchcock cameo appearances.John Dall portrayed another bad guy in the film, The Corn is Green, starring Bette Davis as his encouraging schoolteacher. In it, he is a backward, illiterate coal mining teenager who grudgingly attends her school. He is insolent and verbally abusive. He is filthy, and has ragged clothes. Later, he cleans up and learns some manners. He is selected to attend an exclusive school elsewhere, because of his mental abilities. I portrayed Miss Moffatt, the teacher, in a play.Dall in Rope portrayed smarmy, wealthy, snooty and calculating Brandon. Brandon is a brat used to getting his own way. He tries to act superior and overpowering.Farley Granger here portrays a nice, dutiful young man who gets roped, pun, into helping with the dastardly crime. He does very good drunk scenes, and his nervousness and panicky scenes are done to perfection.The young woman is very beautiful. The maid/housekeeper is very dutiful, and I was hoped that she, also, would be part of the detection of the crime.Sir Cedric Hardwicke is always excellent. Here, he is intelligent and charming; he has class and good bearing. He shows nervousness about his missing son.