Analyzing Alfred Hitchcock's Rope

To commemorate the month of October, I will be analyzing 6 of the “Master of Suspense’s” films.

Alfred Hitchcock is an acclaimed director for a reason. He almost always tries some new tactic with his films, making each of them a different piece to study.

“Rope” follows two sociopathic killers named Philip and Brandon that commit “a perfect murder” on their friend right before a dinner party. They proceed to stuff his body into a trunk, which is set in the middle of the party room, and leave it there while the guests arrive.

The oldest film in my series of studies is most well known as Hitchcock’s ‘one take’ movie. It’s almost entirely concealed to be one continuous shot, with the exception of a few barely noticeable hard cuts. This isn’t just an interesting gimmick; it actually lends the film a unique credit: it’s incredibly play-like. Both the smooth editing and angling of the shots make it feel like we’re watching a play unfold on stage.

Not only that, but the film managed to be quite edgy for its time, as the underlying homosexual relationship between Philip and Brandon is quite obvious. Though it may seem out of place now, think back to how homosexuality was handled back when it was first released.

There’s also some incredible visual and auditory cues as well. For example, in a tense conversation between two people, a metronome is set and one character begins to play the piano. As the conversation becomes more stressful and uncomfortable, the metronome and piano become more out of sync. This style of filmmaking allows for a truly unsettling scene.

Though Alfred Hitchcock himself called “Rope” a “failed experiment,” it remains one of my favorites of his. The tense atmosphere, little nuances, and play-like style of filming all allow for one of the most immersive films I have ever watched.