Rope

-by Ann Marie

Ever think the perfect murder could be accomplished and no one would notice? Well that's what two classmates thought.

In Alfred Hitchcock's "Rope," the beginning scene shows two classmates, Brandon Shaw (John Dall) and Phillip Morgan (Farley Granger) strangling their friend David Kentley (Dick Hogan) and then placing him into an old chest in the family room. The murder took place before Brandon and Phillip's small party begins. As the guests arrive Brandon becomes more boisterious about the murder. The two classmates have a surprise ending that makes them realize their actions have consequences.

The cast for the film worked well. There were many actors that weren't known right away, with the exception of James Stewart. Stewart was used in many of Hitchcock's films and always works well with the other actors on the screen. Other actors included John Dall, Farely Granger, Kenneth Lawrence and Janet Walker.

"Rope" uses an interesting technique unlike many other films produced by Hitchcock. When shooting this film, the viewer will noticed that the camera moves with the characters as if the viewer is in the room. Also, there is the use of never having the film edited until it the reel runs out, then the camera moves behind one of the characters zooming in on their jacket causing the screen to turn black and then picking back up where the camera left off.

Hitchcock is famous for using one studio with a single scene in his films. In "Rope," Hitchcock keeps the majority of the plot in the family room, the camera does follow into the entry hall, but never moves into the kitchen. This technique helps the viewer understand that the entry hall and family room are important rooms in the film.

There is one other scene that stands out in the film, when Brandon is placing the rope in the kitchen drawer the camera is in a still shot and as the door swings open and close the viewer sees the rope being dropped into the drawer and Brandon's reaction. It is a process that requires timing because of the swinging door and the film being continuously shot without any edits.

Hitchcock demonstrates his talent in story telling and would recommend this film to anyone who is a fan of Hitchcock or his story telling techniques.