Rope 1948 Review

Alfred Hitchcock, the director often crowned movie histories ‘Master of Suspense’, directed ‘Rope’ in 1948, featuring different methods of film to create a psychological thriller showcasing the famous creation of tension he’s so remembered for.

One central aspect that forms suspense throughout ‘Rope’ is the use of a ‘one shot camera’. During the era, ‘Rope’ was shot, however, technology had not advanced to the point where one film reel could hold an entire feature length film. Because of this, six clever transitions are carried out to mask the switching of the reels, for example, zooming into an object then zooming back out or having an actor walk in front of the camera so the entire screen goes black for a few seconds.
Regardless of these cuts in the film, the use of one long moving shot assists in the creation of tension by forming a more immersive scene.

As there are no sharp jump cuts, but smooth panning instead where no details are missed, the camera is always making the point of focus clear for the reader. The reason as to why the film is so iconic in its use of suspense is because it is able to hold the viewers' attention by consistently building pressure and tension which is a common factor that Alfred Hitchcock likes the include in all of his films:

“Now, this brings us to suspense, which is the most powerful means of holding onto the viewers’ attention. It can either be the suspense of the situation or the suspense that makes the public ask itself, “what will happen next?””

This relates to the film ‘Rope’ as we know from the very beginning that the two main characters are guilty of murder. It’s not a question of ‘whodunit’ rather ‘when will they get found out?’ This is a great way of creating tension because this then makes the audience start to focus on more intricate details and interactions almost through the eyes of killers; with the same caution and anxiety the murderers are feeling in the situation. 

Hitchcock utilizes the camera in many ways in order to create a suspenseful atmosphere. By zooming in on an object of importance, Hitchcock is showing the audience the area of focus whereas some of the characters won’t even realise the significance of this object, e.g. the rope as the murder weapon  being used to tie up books that one of the dinner guests ends up innocently carrying away from the scene of the crime.
The audience then feels the tension as they can guess what will happen next, whereas the characters can’t, e.g. the fact that Brandon hides a gun in his pocket.

The use of the still camera creates long dragged out scenes which add to an immersive, claustrophobic atmosphere for the viewers. With the camera being set in one spot, the audience is able to notice small details that may be otherwise overlooked if the use of a panning camera or jump cuts where used.
An example of this is when the maid is clearly clearing away plates from the bookcase the body is currently being hidden in and starts to bring books back to the case, visually communicating that she will soon be opening the chest to put the books back inside.

This technique is effective because the audience can guess what’s going to happen but the characters can’t.

“In the usual form of suspense, it is indispensable that the public is made perfectly aware of all the facts involved. Otherwise, there is no suspense.”

 This also illustrates Hitchcock’s style of storytelling, as he infamously always lets the audience know what’s happening within his films; there is no room for confusion.

Hitchcock not only uses the camera to create suspense but also in his use of foreshadowing. There are multiple examples of foreshadowing throughout the film’s dialogue, for example when David’s Aunt reads Phillip’s palm, she says: “These hands will bring you fame.” This could have been insinuating Phillip’s skill in playing the piano, but the audience knows the real reason will be because of the murder he committed.

D.A Miller writes about an interview between Hitchcock and Francios Truffaut. In the interview, Hitchcock gives a brief description of the story:

“All the action takes place on a summer evening in a New York apartment. Two young homosexuals strangle a school friend just for the thrill of it and conceal his body in a chest in the very room in which his parents and fiancée are expected for a cocktail party.”

The film Rope was also based off of a true story, the Leopold and Loeb case.

“On September 10, 1924, Nathan Freudenthal Leopold, Jr. (November 19, 1904–August 29, 1971), and Richard Albert Loeb (June 11, 1905–January 28, 1936) were convicted of the kidnapping and murder of 14-year-old Robert “Bobby” Franks.” Leopold and Loeb were lovers. And it should be mentioned that due to the time period that the film was released, and censorship laws, the protagonist’s of Rope’s sexualities are never confirmed, but heavily hinted at throughout the film.

D.A Miller then points out that the homosexual themes of the film are never outwardly confirmed, rather subtly suggested through the means of subtext.

“For all the announced succinctness, one word here appears almost sumptuously extraneous: homosexual. Every other element in the summary is furnished on the direct evidence of what we hear or see in the film. Yet in this sense, the homosexuality of the protagonists, never either visually displayed (with a kiss) or verbally disclosed (by a declaration), is simply not in the story at all.”

As a summary, the film, ‘Rope’ is filled with suspense and subtext. Although Hitchcock makes the imperative aspects of the film obvious and wants the audience to have information, there are still underlying themes that require reading between the lines in order to understand e.g the homoerotic subtext. The use of continuous camera shots, zooming into objects, people, and sometimes not moving at all, aids in creating a suspenseful atmosphere. Paired with clever script writing, filled with foreshadowing, the film is a good example of a classic psychological thriller.


References and image sources:

http://eprints.glos.ac.uk/4107/

http://posturemag.com/online/homosexuality-in-hitchcocks-rope/

https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=NnE_sPb3XBQC&oi=fnd&pg=PA63&dq=alfred+hitchcock+suspense&ots=C_8MMFfuOR&sig=4qK3Uqjj8nW_qP35aH1ZV8HBTN8#v=onepage&q=alfred%20hitchcock%20suspense&f=false

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http://creofire.com/rope-1948-analysis/

http://creofire.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Rope4.jpg


http://decider.com/2014/08/11/alfred-hitchcock-gay-strangers-on-a-train-and-rope/