Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writer: Hume Cronyn
Screenplay: Arthur Laurents
Editor: William Zigler
Cast:
James Stewart as Rupert Cadell
John Dall as Brandon Shaw
Farley Granger as Phillip Morgan
Joan Chandler as Janet Walker
Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Mr. Henry Kentley
Constance Collier as Mrs. Anita Atwater
Douglas Dick as Kenneth Lawrence
Edith Evanson as Mrs. Wilson
Rope is Alfred Hitchcock's critically acclaimed 1948 80 minute roller coaster about two (possibly homosexual) friends who try to commit the perfect murder 'for the sake of the arts'. The film is based on the 1929 play of the same name, which in turn is inspired by the true events of the murder of 14 year old Bobby Franks carried out by Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb.
This film is what I would call an quintessential thriller as it contains all the main conventions of a thriller.
The film begins with the introduction of three classmates; Phillip Morgan, Brandon Shaw and David Kentley. Phillip and Brandon are aesthetes who commit the murder of their friend David as an manoeuvre to prove superiority, in their apartment. This excites audiences as they are immediately drawn into action, They then proceed to hide the body in a wooden chest and host a dinner party inviting most of David's family and including; his best friend, Kenneth, Kenneth's former lover, Janet, who is now David's fiance and former headteacher; Rupert, all of whom are unaware of the events that have taken place. To make matters even more dramatically ironic, Phillip and Brandon decide to have food and drink served on the wooden chest instead of the norm dinner table.
In the end, Phillip and Brandon's crime is uncovered by their Rupert, when maid Mrs. Wilson accidentally hands him David's monogrammed hat when he leaves the party.
This film is known for its long shots. Every shot in the film is roughly 7 - 10 minutes and cuts are only separated by the panning or tracking of an object. For example one of the shots cut with a man's jacket blocking the entire camera. Although this is so, in the last 20 minutes the cuts are explicitly unmasked. Here is a table of all the shots with a description of how they cut:
This film is what I would call an quintessential thriller as it contains all the main conventions of a thriller.
The film begins with the introduction of three classmates; Phillip Morgan, Brandon Shaw and David Kentley. Phillip and Brandon are aesthetes who commit the murder of their friend David as an manoeuvre to prove superiority, in their apartment. This excites audiences as they are immediately drawn into action, They then proceed to hide the body in a wooden chest and host a dinner party inviting most of David's family and including; his best friend, Kenneth, Kenneth's former lover, Janet, who is now David's fiance and former headteacher; Rupert, all of whom are unaware of the events that have taken place. To make matters even more dramatically ironic, Phillip and Brandon decide to have food and drink served on the wooden chest instead of the norm dinner table.
In the end, Phillip and Brandon's crime is uncovered by their Rupert, when maid Mrs. Wilson accidentally hands him David's monogrammed hat when he leaves the party.
This film is known for its long shots. Every shot in the film is roughly 7 - 10 minutes and cuts are only separated by the panning or tracking of an object. For example one of the shots cut with a man's jacket blocking the entire camera. Although this is so, in the last 20 minutes the cuts are explicitly unmasked. Here is a table of all the shots with a description of how they cut:
| Segment | Length | Time-code | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 09:34 | 00:02:30 | Close-up (CU), strangulation | Blackout on Brandon's back |
| 2 | 07:51 | 00:11:59 | Black, pan off Brandon's back | CU Kenneth: "What do you mean?" |
| 3 | 07:18 | 00:19:45 | Unmasked cut, men crossing to Janet | Blackout on Kenneth's back |
| 4 | 07:08 | 00:27:15 | Black, pan off Kenneth's back | CU Phillip: "That's a lie." |
| 5 | 09:57 | 00:34:34 | Unmasked cut, CU Rupert | Blackout on Brandon's back |
| 6 | 07:33 | 00:44:21 | Black, pan off Brandon's back | Three shot |
| 7 | 07:46 | 00:51:56 | Unmasked cut, Mrs. Wilson: "Excuse me, sir." | Blackout on Brandon |
| 8 | 10:06 | 00:59:44 | Black, pan off Brandon | CU Brandon's hand in gun pocket |
| 9 | 04:37 | 01:09:51 | Unmasked cut, CU Rupert | Blackout on lid of chest |
| 10 | 05:38 | 01:14:35 | Black, pan up from lid of chest | End of film |
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