by Jill Felix

Created on: July 12, 2009

A Film Review: Alfred Hitchcock's Rope (1948)

Cinema/film industry has become a very conspicuous form of mass entertainment. The extent of cinema's popularity, influence, and proliferation has been phenomenal. Artistic expression and development via technological expediency has made it an unequaled facet of visual/fine arts since the inception of the 20th century. The immemorial film cadre by iconic British filmmaker/producer, Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (August 13, 1899 - April 29, 1980) exudes an indelible influence on the cinema/film industry - past and present. With more than fifty feature films to his credit and a career spanning six decades, Hitchcock was a leading pioneer in suspense/ psychological films. With his trademark cameo appearances in his films, Hitchcock's use of other cinematic devises included suspense, ordinary person/wrong man/wrong woman paradigm, sexuality, audience as voyeur, the charming sociopath, blonde women, and the MacGuffin technique (narrative revolves around a minor detail).

Hitchcock's U.S. directorial debut as well as prolific career in Hollywood commenced in 1940 with the classic psychological thriller, Rebecca. Diverse in nature, Hitchcock's films of the 1940's ranged from courtroom/suspense/murder dramas, romances, to comedies. Rope was released August 23, 1948. Its distinguished ensemble cast included legendary/popular actor, James Stewart, and newcomers - John Dall and Farley Granger. The adapted screenplay, based on Patrick Hamilton's (English playwright/novelist) play of the same name, was written by Hume Cronyn and Arthur Laurents. The real life-murder in 1924 of fourteen-year old Bobby Franks by two wealthy University of Chicago students, Leopold and Loeb - obsessed with committing the perfect crime without consequences - served as the thematic impetus for the play/film. According to acclaimed film critic, Roger Ebert, "Alfred Hitchcock called 'Rope' an 'experiment that didn't work out,' and he was happy to see it kept out of release for most of three decades. He was correct that it didn't work out, but 'Rope' remains one of the most interesting experiments ever attempted by a major director working with big box-office names, and it's worth seeing (Ebert)."

Dall (Brandon Shaw) and Granger (Phillip Morgan) play two young brilliant aesthetics who at the onset of the movie murder their fellow classmate, David Kentley (Dick Hogan), in their apartment. As an arrogant and celebratory display of their

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