Rope (1948)

Simply A Masterpiece

One of my all time favorites.

Excellent but underrated film

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

Most of Hitchcock's movies are entertaining, tense and clever. I too had never seen Rope, until now. This one doesn't fit the bill and is most unsatisfactory. There is no plot, only a rambling of talking and most boring to watch.All I can say at the end: 'Well at least I've seen it', and forget that it spoiled my evening.

Rope directed by Alfred Hitchcock is a crime fiction film... And that's all you need to know, because this movie is GREAT. I went in completely unaware of the story or film making style. Experiencing the plot unfold right from the start, as well as understanding the incredible filmmaking and cinematography, left me in awe. I was so impressed by this film. I was genuinely entertained for the entire runtime. The dialogue is so compelling, due to how it progresses and builds with intensity, leading to moments which are truly riveting. From the very first shot I was completely invested. Every performance is outstanding and very authentic. There isn't a single distraction which detaches you from Hitchcock's fictional world. I highly recommend Rope. It's a movie experience which is unlike no other. It's nothing but a combination of incredible talent, so therefore I give Rope a 9.

Rope - what can I say about this film? It is perfect in many ways and even though it was filmed many years ago, it is still very impressive and interesting as if it was shot today. Full of suspense, philosophical, touching, very human and very smart. The actors are superb!!! the camera work - genius. A very tasty candy for film lovers.don't miss this masterpiece.

Despite his artistry, his achievements and his legacy, Alfred Hitchcock at a basic level was nothing but a mischievous kid who loved messing with his audience by making them involuntary participants in his films. In 'Rear Window', he managed to tap into the voyeuristic elements of a human psyche and made the audience a voyeur along with the protagonist 'Jeff'. In 'Rope', he manages to make the audience curious and maybe even a bit excited about the prospect of watching a crime go unnoticed and watching murderers remain uncaught. The character of Brandon is nothing but Hitchcock himself. It is stated time and time again, that the murder and the subsequent party in the film was arranged meticulously by Brandon because of the 'thrill' of it, the 'excitement' of it. Hitchcock is doing the same thing with this film from a technical standpoint. The screenplay is adapted from a play and Hitchcock stages the film pretty much like a play. 'Rope' is founded on the gimmick of making the whole film look like a long unbroken shot. Hitchcock is hiding the cuts and is reveling in the excitement of challenging the viewers to find the hidden cuts.'Rope' is also like the cinematic equivalent of 'Rear Window' due to the setting. Both films use the element of claustrophobia. The interiors of the apartment in 'Rope' could easily be one of the rooms/apartments that 'Jeff' was keeping an eye on in 'Rear Window'. There were various sections of the society that were captured in the little rooms and apartments that 'Jeff' was watching, this one could be the room that represents the upper class 'intellectual' section. 'Rope' certainly does make a commentary on the pretentiousness of some members of the rich upper class. Brandon keeps spouting Nietzschean philosophies to justify his right to murder as a 'superior' being. The closed-up, claustrophobic nature of the setting also visually underlines how isolated these people are with the rest of the society completely cut off, something which gets addressed in the final moments.Having said all that, the social commentary is secondary in the narrative. A complaint is made by people that 'Rope' is an example of style over substance and I think it's valid. It pretty much throughout remains a cinematic gimmick, an experiment, more so than anything else. We don't get the dark, multi-layered character studies that we got in 'Vertigo' and 'Psycho'. However I'll be lying if I say I didn't have a blast watching the film. I fully participated in Hitchcock's mischief, his hidden cuts, his careful placement of camera to raise tension, his cheeky visual foreshadowing, etc. It's an experiment of style over substance, but when it's none other than Hitchcock doing the experiment, it becomes fun, enjoyable and something that you have to admire.