Rope, 1948

Figure 1. Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rope' is a thriller based on the play by Patrick Hamilton. The film begins with the murder of David Kentley. Brandon and Phillip kill their ex-classmate using a strand of rope before hiding the body inside an antique chest, situated in the centre of their apartment. The pair aim to prove their superiority by committing the 'perfect murder' and Brandon proceeds to throw a dinner party, the guest list including David's father and fiancee. With their guests soon arriving, Brandon decides to move the party into the living room, using the chest as a table. Throughout the film, the audience can see Brandon taking risks, trying to prove his own brilliance and superiority, from purposefully inviting two former lovers and ultimately to discussing murder while a body lies hidden in the room. Another guest is Rupert Cadell, the boys prep-school housemaster. Brandon and Rupert discuss the theory that the former had introduced years ago, that a murder is not a crime, but a privilege that only superior members of society can commit. The audience realises this theory led to the carefully planned, coolly executed "thrill" murder of their long-time friend, David Kentley, whose impeccably dressed, still-warm body they've just hidden in an antique chest

that occupies a prominent place in their living room. (Canby, 1984) In the film's climax, it is Rupert who discovers the body and reports the murderous pair to the police.

Figure 2.

Due to the theatre origins of the story, Hitchcock aimed to recreate a sense of a staged production in the film. Throughout the picture, the camera never crosses over an imaginary line down the centre of the apartment, only moving across the scene, as if that line is where edge of the stage would be and therefore the audience would only be able to see the apartment from one side. Hitchcock was interested in seeing whether he could find a cinematic equivalent to the play, which takes place in the actual length of time of the story. To do this, he decided to shoot it in what would appear to be one long, continuous "take," without cutaways or any other breaks in the action, though in fact there would have to be a disguised break every 10 minutes, which was as much film as the camera could contain... These breaks he usually accomplishes by having the camera appear to pan across someone's back, during which dark close-ups the film reel is changed. (Canby, 1984) This has the effect of putting the audience on the edge of the action and therefore, just like the characters, are unable to control or predict what happens. While the film does begin outside the apartment, panning through the window to where the murder is taking place, once the audience is inside the apartment, they can't leave. The character's cannot escape or leave behind what they did, just like the audience, both Brandon and Phillip cannot leave the apartment, as free men, after the murder.

Far from just "recording a play," the suffocating long takes enforce ethical contemplation by refusing the relief of a cut (which, in the director's voyeuristic world, would have amounted to looking the other away). (Croce, 2006) The lack of 'relief ' helps to build tension, as the audience is waiting for the pair to get caught out as Brandon flirts with danger and Phillip becomes more and more distressed. Throughout the party the audience is waiting for the chest to be opened, for example as the housekeeper clears the plates away she comes dangerous close to finding the body, putting the audience on the edge of their seats. Yet there is a feeling of disappointment when she doesn't. The audience never actually get to see inside the chest and it acts as a barrier between them and the action, but the contents of the chest isn't what builds the tension, its the anticipation of waiting for the murderers to get caught.

Figure 3.

There is an underlying, and controversial for the time of production, theme of homosexuality. The Rope is inspired by the Leopold and Loeb murders, in which two wealthy homosexual University of Chicago students brutally murder the 14-year-old Bobby Franks in 1924. They did it for the thrill of

committing "the perfect murder" and to prove their theory that it is acceptable for certain superior people in society, people like them, to murder their inferiors. (Schwartz, 2008) Due to it's existing in the subtext, 'Rope' made its way past the Production Code.

Overall, Hitchcock created a suspenseful and exciting film, that despite the single set and seemingly nonexisting editing, is an enjoyable and rich cinematic experience.

Illustration List
Figure 1. Rope film poster 1948 At: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm339843072/tt0040746?ref_=tt_ov_i Figure 2. Still from Rope 1948 At: http://cinebeats.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/rope.jpg Figure 3. Still from Rope 1948 At: http://image.toutlecine.com/photos/c/o/r/corde-1948-04-g.jpg

Bibliography
Canby, V Rope: A Stunt to Behold 1984 At: http://www.nytimes.com/library/film/060384hitch-ropereflection.html Croce, F Rope Movie Review 2006 At: http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/rope/2231 Schwartz, D Rope Review 2008 At: http://homepages.sover.net/~ozus/rope.htm