Rope (1948)

 Alfred Hitchcock's "Rope"

Now that Alfred Hitchcock was out from under the thumb of Producer David O. Selznick, he blossomed into a producer of his own. The first picture he produced, "Notorious," was a smash success and allowed Hitchcock the opportunity to learn how to structure his own production. Soon after, he would produce and direct a film that many would consider a failure. 1948's "Rope" was not only a commercial and critical let-down, but even Hitchcock and film's star, Jimmy Stewart, looked back on the picture with a negative gaze. 

The reason for the film's negative reaction was purely due to its experimental nature. Not Bunuel levels of experimental, mind you. Rather, it was something bold for a Hollywood film. The source of this boldness comes from the film's plot taking place in real-time, as well as its seemingly long, continuous take. The entire film plays out like one long, unedited, and unbroken scene. Of course, this is not actually the case, as many shots were stitched together to look like one, singular shot. However, many felt that the entire film rested on this 'gimmick' and detached from the actual story itself. 

The story begins with two men committing a murder right on screen. The murdered body is then thrown into an antique wooden chest. The reason for this murder these two men, Brandon and Phillip, is that they want to prove their 'superiority' and be able to commit the perfect crime without getting caught. The man they've murdered is a former colleague of theirs and they invite his friends and family over for a dinner party so they can commit the crime right under their noses. However, things get bumpy when their former professor arrives, Jimmy Stewart's Rupert. Throughout the party, Rupert begins to suspect that something is afoot. Eventually, he is able to uncover their crime and get the police over. 

The entirety of the film was shot on a single set in a single location: a soundstage designed to look like the inside of the men's apartment. The walls of the set were design on rollers to make it easier for the camera to move throughout the space following along with the various characters. As the camera moved about during filming, prop men would have to come in behind the large technicolor camera and move walls and furniture to accommodate its continued movement. Because of this, the actors' blocking had to be perfectly designed. Scenes were shot in ten minute intervals, which were eventually woven together to make it look like one, long continuous shot. Actor Jimmy Stewart found the entire process exasperating, saying, "The really important thing being rehearsed here is the camera, not the actors!" 

Jimmy Stewart would look back on the film as a failure, believing the long-take design of the film was a detractor from the actual story. He said of the film, "It was worth trying - nobody but Hitch would have tried it. But it really didn't work." Hitchcock himself would later call the film "an experiment that didn't work." Even critics, upon seeing the film, believed the camera tricks and staging to be a gimmicky attempt to film a picture. 'Variety' called the filming techniques a "distracting interest" to "layman audience[s]." 

Despite unanimous accord that "Rope" was a failed experiment, the film has done much more favorably over time. It is often regarded as one of Hitchcock's best films. Despite many considering the camerawork to be distractive from the actual plot, that no longer seems to be the case now that contemporary audiences are quite accustomed to experimental camerawork, including long, one-shot takes. The story is incredibly evocative of post-war American sentiments. After the destruction brought about by the Nazi regime and the spewing of moral superiority over 'less-than' races, many in the culture were grapping with these ideas and their effects. Our protagonists commit their murder over a feeling of being superior beings, believing that murder is an artistic act committed for the sake of demonstrating one's superiority. There is even a scene in the film of a dinner guest arguing with the protagonist, questioning who gets to decide who is superior and who is inferior. Our protagonist learned these types of philosophies from his astute former teacher, Rupert. Rupert believes murder could solve a lot of the world's problems, such as homelessness, unemployment, food disparity, and overpopulation. He believes that there should even be a designated holiday for murder to address these issues. These teaching reflect the cold, mechanical moral philosophy of many thinkers at the time. After the age of industrialism, many intellectuals began to develop a more machinal way of looking at the world. These philosophies were taken to extremes during the war and the fallout was horrifying. This is reflected through the relationship between Rupert and his former student, Brandon. Once Rupert sees that his teaching inspired Brandon to act literally on these ideas, he becomes horrified by his own moral compromise. Once it was demonstrated how dangerous these ideas could be, it was already too late. Post-war America now had to grapple with these ideas and their dangerous effect on a realized environment. Sure, Rupert is able to have Brandon and Phillip arrested, but the damage is already done. The moral decay of our children and students has already taken affect. And there's already a dead body in the trunk. 

Viewer's Notes: 

I had already seen this film once before many years ago. At the time, I was slightly disappointed in the film, overhyping a 'Hitchcock film' in my end. However, when viewing the film this time, I was much more engaged with it. I think this is reflected through the sentiments above. Like many of the people who disregarded the film as 'gimmicky,' I too was too interested in the execution of the camerawork and the 'one-take' style of filmmaking. I too was distracted like most of those who watched the film in 1948. However, on my second viewing, I had already oo-ed and aw-ed at the camerawork enough that I just enjoyed the story far more this time around. Because I was able to soak in the thematic elements of the film, I was able to get more out of it. And because of that, it had so much more emotional weight. Even though I knew what was going to happen already, I felt a knot in my chest when Mrs. Wilson is slowly taking things off of the chest so she can open it. I also felt the thematic devastation of the last scene when Rupert begins to understand the fallout of his own teachings. In a Post-War America, the minds of men and women have already started their descent into moral corruption. "Rope" was a fantastic film, both thematically and visually.