‘We all do strange things in our childhood...’
The one shot movie is often a dubious concept. If you’re concentrating so much on filming everything in one shot, how can you possibly also devote enough attention to the other micro elements of cinema? Is it a gimmick? Is it adding anything to the story? When the director is Alfred Hitchcock, it’s usually safe to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Having said all that, Rope isn’t a one shot movie. But by utilising clever editing techniques, Hitchcock tricks us into thinking that it is. Indeed, the crew were so committed to the concept that at one point, the camera dolly ran over and broke a cameraman’s foot, but to keep filming going, he was gagged and dragged off set. That’s Hitchcock folks…
In an extraordinary act of hubris, two men attempt to prove that they can literally get away with murder. Brandon (John Dall), the more commanding of the pair, drives their fiendish plot with his nervous partner Phillip (Farley Granger) always on the edge of giving the game away. Not content with murdering someone, the two men decide to host a dinner party with the corpse still hidden in the room. On top of that, Brandon acts like a dick to everybody the whole time also. Unfortunately, they haven’t reckoned with Rupert (James Stewart), an old college buddy of the pair with similarly ghoulish tastes.
Hitchcock’s first colour film was hugely influential in demonstrating the power of editing and what can be achieved with a one room setup. At just over 80 minutes, Rope never outstays its welcome, and despite Jimmy Stewart considering himself to be miscast here in later years, I loved him throughout just as I love him in pretty much everything he appears. I enjoyed seeing Stewart play a character with more of an edge than his usual everyman. Elsewhere, both Granger and Dall are incredibly entertaining and it is their nervous energy that helps to ensure that the tension reaches fever pitch by the time the unstoppable conclusion rolls around.
Rope isn’t Hitchcock’s best film, but in terms of pure entertainment it’s right up there and its skinny running time ensures that it serves as a wonderful introduction to the Master of Suspense for the uninitiated.