For 1948, I wanted to write about yet another Alfred Hitchcock movie- Rope.
My classic movie diary articles so far:
1940: Rebecca
1941: Citizen Kane
1942: There Was A Father
1943: The Ox-Bow Incident
1944: Laura
1945: Brief Encounter
1946: It's A Wonderful Life
1947: Monsieur Verdoux
Writing about Rope feels oddly topical given the critical acclaim that director Sam Mendes' war story 1917 received during last year's award season- in large part due to its stunning use of what seems like a single unbroken shot to tell its story, a technique that Hitchcock also experimented with for Rope.
The story of the film centers around two young men, Brandon Shaw and Phillip Morgan, who commit the 'perfect' murder, hiding the body in a chest and then arranging a dinner party, the food laid out on the very same chest containing their dead friend.
1917 opened up conversation surrounding the use of a single shot, and whether it was immersive or distracting (you can read my thoughts about this in my review of the movie). Interestingly, at the time of its release, Rope was met with mixed reviews, some of which also criticised the cinematography. For example, the Monthly Film Bulletin found that 'continual movement within a confined space, although more fluid, is slower and more tiring to watch than a film which has been edited by the conventional method'. This feels strangely similar to many opinions on 1917. Even Hitchcock himself as well as star James Stewart stated that it was an experiment that did not work.
I generally like the use of the above technique and here I found it an enjoyable though not remarkable way of telling this story. What I think is more significant is the fact that this is a 'one location' movie, like 12 Angry Men, Buried, Locke or Hitchcock's own Lifeboat. The claustrophobic setting means that the characters are practically on top of each other, always within reach of the elephant in the room: the body in the chest.
I recently watched Dial M for Murder, a 1954 Hitchcock movie, which I loved for the way it makes us simultaneously root for both the villain and the hero. We almost don't want the criminal to get caught because we have heard their meticulous and rather thrilling plan to get away with murder and we want to see it play out. The same is true with Rope; there's a conflict in the audience's mind as to whether we actually want the murderers to get caught. And that makes the film incredibly dynamic to watch, even if you take away the achievement of its single shot storytelling.
Rope may not stand up against my personal favourites in Hitchcock's filmography- but as with many of his stories, this is a highly watchable and gripping thriller, and the technical achievement of its long takes is not to be overlooked.
Thanks for reading this article on 1948's Rope. Another film from this year that I really enjoyed was Bicycle Thieves, and would highly recommend that as well. Follow me on social media to find out what film I watch for the last year of the 1940's.