Rope (1948) | |
| Director(s) | Alfred Hitchcock |
| Producer(s) | Sidney Bernstein (uncredited), Alfred Hitchcock (uncredited) |
| Top Genres | Crime, Drama, Film Noir, Mystery, Romance, Thriller/Suspense |
| Top Topics | |
Featured Cast:
Rope Overview:
Rope (1948) was a Crime - Mystery Film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and produced by Alfred Hitchcock and Sidney Bernstein.
SYNOPSIS
This is one of the most famous technical achievements in movie history, a Hitchcock mystery that seems to unfold in a single, continuous shot (though there are two brief reverse-angle shots). The story of a thrill killing (based on the 1924 Leopold and Loeb murder) takes place as two pseudo-intellectuals (Granger and Dall) murder a friend and then host a dinner party. The guests include the victim's father (Hardwicke), his fiancee (Chandler), and Stewart, a professor whose lectures on Nietzsche inspired their deed. Dall toys with the guests, daring them to uncover the secret of the body that he's hidden in the chest from which they serve dinner. To his chagrin, Stewart begins to understand Dall's taunts. The technical challenge appealed to Hitchcock's formidable production-planning skills. The set consisted of wild walls that could move out of the camera's path, and the set-dressing had to move silently as well. As night falls, the light had to change both on the set and on the carefully rendered Manhattan skyline that serves as a backdrop. Hitchcock organized a massive army of technicians and crew, and the resulting film (which Hitchcock referred to as a "stunt") consists of eight apparently seamless 10-minute takes.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
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BlogHub Articles:
Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope starring James Stewart, John Dall, and Farley Granger
By Stephen Reginald on Jul 11, 2024 From Classic Movie ManAlfred Hitchcock’s Rope starring James Stewart, John Dall, and Farley Granger Rope (1948) is an American crime thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart, John Dall, and Farley Granger. Other members of the cast include Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Constance Collier, Dougla... Read full article
Book Review: Perpetual Movement – Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Rope’
By Devon Powell on Aug 7, 2021 From Hitchcock MasterPublisher: State University of New York Press Release Date: July 2021 ?I wondered while planning this book if I should divide Rope into hundreds of brief fragments for examination. I quickly realized, however, that Hitchcock?s film? has a textual form that suggests a convenient way in which to separ... Read full article
Noir Nook: Ripped from the Headlines ? Rope (1948)
By Karen Burroughs Hannsberry on Jul 10, 2019 From Classic Movie Hub BlogNoir Nook: Ripped from the Headlines ? Rope (1948) Rope is a 1948 feature directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart, John Dall, and Farley Granger. It may not be necessarily categorized as film noir, but it is undeniably imbued with a feeling of trepidation and inevitable doom that ... Read full article
5 things I love about Rope (1948)
By Carol Martinheira on Mar 31, 2018 From The Old Hollywood Garden5 things I love about Rope (1948) On March 31, 2018March 31, 2018 By CarolIn Uncategorized I adore Rope. I know that feels like a rather insipid statement, but it?s Hitchcock, so there?s not a whole lot left to say. I blame film students. So instead I?ll just randomly ... Read full article
Murder by Rope (1936)
By John Grant on Mar 3, 2018 From NoirishUK / 63 minutes / bw / Ambassador Film Productions, British & Dominions Film Corporation Dir: George Pearson Scr: Ralph Neale Story: Ralph Neale Cine: Ernest Palmer Cast: D.A. Clarke-Smith, Sunday Wilshin, Wilfred Hyde-White (i.e., Wilfrid Hyde-White), Dorothy Hamilton, Constance Godridge, Guy B... Read full article
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Quotes from
Janet Walker: Well, now, you don't really approve of murder, Rupert? If I may?
Rupert Cadell: You may... and I do. Think of the problems it would solve: unemployment, poverty, standing in line for theatre tickets...
Phillip Morgan: Rupert only publishes books HE likes... usually philosophy.
Janet Walker: Oh. Small print, big words, no sales.
Brandon Shaw: Rupert's extremely radical. Do you know that he selects his books on the assumption that people not only can read but actually can think?
Rupert Cadell: By what right do you dare to say that there's a superior few to which you belong?
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Facts about
Alfred Hitchcock's inspiration for the long takes came from a BBC Television broadcast of "Rope" in 1939. The producer, Dallas Bower, decided on the technique in order to keep the murder chest constantly in shot.
Although the film lasts 80 minutes and is supposed to be in "real time", the time frame it covers is actually longer - a little more than 100 minutes. This is accomplished by speeding up the action: the formal dinner lasts only 20 minutes, the sun sets too quickly and so on. The September 2002 issue of Scientific American contains a complete analysis of this technique (and the effect it has on the viewers, who actually feel as if they watched a 100-minutes movie).
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