Rope (1948)
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VHS Tape Cover Information
Actor: Constance Collier, Douglas Dick, Edith Evanson, Joan Chandler, John DallPrimary Contributor: John Dall
Primary Contributor: Farley Granger
Primary Contributor: James Stewart
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
Running Time: 80 minutes
Release Date: 1992-03-01
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Publisher: Universal Studios
Studio: Universal Studios
VHS Movie Reviews of Rope (1948)
Movie Review: Flawed, but interesting.
Summary: 3 Stars
Rope presents the story of two charmed -- but hardly charming -- prep school "chums" who, in addition to being, for all appearances, lovers, decide to kill someone just because they can. You see, these two perfectly preened dandies fancy themselves the elite and above the law and other nuisances meant for the dullards and nincompoops that comprise the vast majority of humanity. It turns out they've read a little too much Nietzsche at the feet of their prep school idol, Rupert. Yes, Rupert. What's clever and somewhat interesting about the story is how they decide to host a party in the very room where the body is hidden. Not that it's funny or meant for laughs. To the contrary, Rope is meant to be rather serious stuff about a couple of sociopaths.
Rope has the feel of a stage play (it was based on a play), with all but the opening scenes played out on a single set -- an apartment with ever-changing, but fake-looking view of New York. The view gives the scene a surrealistic feel that, overall, is a plus.
For all of that, Rope suffers from the kind of stilted, mannered acting most often encountered in the theater. People don't speak to each so much as deliver lines that often border on speeches. It's melodramatic and cloying, at least to my sensibilities. This is the opposite of the naturalistic acting to which we've become accustomed. There's also something fake and manipulative about the story and its unfolding, even though it was, ostensibly, inspired by the real life case of Leopold and Loeb (to which it bears only a passing resemblance). It's also preachy in its own way, with Jimmy Stewart, as Rupert, transforming before our eyes from an existentialist to a conscience-stricken moralist. While he's given good cause to reevaluate his philosophical views, his performance simply isn't convincing. (It is quaint to note that, back in the day, firing a gun from a New York City apartment window could get the attention of the police.)
This is a weak entry from Hitchcock. Worth seeing, but mainly for what must have been daring subjects at the time.
Summary of Rope (1948)
An experimental film masquerading as a standard Hollywood thriller. The plot of Rope is simple and based on a successful stage play: two young men (John Dall and Farley Granger) commit murder, more or less as an intellectual exercise. They hide the body in their large apartment, then throw a dinner party. Will the body be discovered? Director Alfred Hitchcock, fascinated by the possibilities of the long-take style, decided to shoot this story as though it were happening in one long, uninterrupted shot. Since the camera can only hold one 10-minute reel at a time, Hitchcock had to be creative when it came time to change reels, disguising the switches as the camera passed behind someone's back or moved behind a lamp. In later years Hitchcock wrote off the approach as misguided, and Rope may not be one of Hitchcock's top movies, but it's still a nail-biter. They don't call him the Master of Suspense for nothing. James Stewart, as a suspicious professor, marks his first starring role for Hitchcock, a collaboration that would lead to the masterpieces Rear Window and Vertigo. --Robert HortonDrama VHS Video
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