Rope (1948)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Written by Arthur Laurents
Starring Jimmy Stewart, John Dall, Farley Granger, Sir Cedric Hardwicke
Release Date September 25th, 1948
Published June 10th, 2024
Director Alfred Hitchcock enjoys a good thought experiment. Take an average man, place him in a situation and watch him use his wits to get him out of it. The plots become a series of mini puzzles that the main character has to solve before the story can progress and the main character can make their escape. Usually, these puzzles are spread over the course of an adventure whether across a city, a country or the globe. But, for his 1948 film Rope, Hitchcock decided to create a puzzle for himself as a director.
Adapting a script by Arthur Laurents, Hitchcock creates a series of traps for himself. How will he navigate a thriller set entirely in one location with none of the trappings of his globe trotting adventures. He also has no spies, detectives, or dangerous women to push the story forward. Instead, he has only a lavish apartment building and a gathering of intellectuals. Oh, and a murder. It wouldn't be Hitchcock if there weren't a murder to get the ball rolling.
Find my full length review at Geeks.Media, linked here.
