Rope (DVD)

Rope (DVD)

Production Year: 1948 - Thriller - Director: Alfred Hitchcock - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring: James Stewart, John Dall, Farley Granger, Cedric Hardwicke, Constance Collier, Douglas Dick, Edith Evanson, Reese Witherspoon more

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Based on the famous Leopold and Loeb murder case (from which two other films, COMPULSION and SWOON, were also derived), ROPE both challenges and terrifies the audience. Alfred...
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Rope [DVD] [1948] Rope [DVD] [1948]
An experimental film masquerading as a standard Hollywood thriller. The plot ofRopeis ... more
simple and based on a successful stage play: two
young men (John Dall and Farley Granger) commit
murder, more or less as an intellectual exercise.
They hide the body in their large apartment, then
throw a dinner party. Will the body be discovered?
Director Alfred Hitchcock, fascinated by the
possibilities of the long-take style, decided to
shoot this story as though it were happening in
one long, uninterrupted shot. Since the camera can
only hold one 10-minute reel at a time, Hitchcock
had to be creative when it came time to change
reels, disguising the switches as the camera
passed behind someone's back or moved behind a
lamp. In later years Hitchcock wrote off the
approach as misguided, andRopemay not be one of
Hitchcock's top movies, but it's still a
nail-biter. They don't call him the Master of
Suspense for nothing. James Stewart, as a
suspicious professor, marks his first starring
role for Hitchcock, a collaboration that would
lead to the masterpiecesRear WindowandVertigo.
--Robert Horton
£ 2.28

Postage & Packaging£1.21
AvailabilityUsually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
amazon dvd
Rope [DVD] [1948]
An experimental film masquerading as a standard Hollywood thriller. The plot ofRopeis ... more
simple and based on a successful stage play: two
young men (John Dall and Farley Granger) commit
murder, more or less as an intellectual exercise.
They hide the body in their large apartment, then
throw a dinner party. Will the body be discovered?
Director Alfred Hitchcock, fascinated by the
possibilities of the long-take style, decided to
shoot this story as though it were happening in
one long, uninterrupted shot. Since the camera can
only hold one 10-minute reel at a time, Hitchcock
had to be creative when it came time to change
reels, disguising the switches as the camera
passed behind someone's back or moved behind a
lamp. In later years Hitchcock wrote off the
approach as misguided, and Rope may not be one of
Hitchcock's top movies, but it's still a
nail-biter. They don't call him the Master of
Suspense for nothing. James Stewart, as a
suspicious professor, marks his first starring
role for Hitchcock, a collaboration that would
lead to the masterpiecesRear WindowandVertigo.
--Robert Horton, Amazon.com
£ 4.17

Postage & Packaging£1.21
AvailabilityUsually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
amazon dvd
Rope [DVD] [1948] Rope [DVD] [1948]
An experimental film masquerading as a standard Hollywood thriller. The plot ofRopeis ... more
simple and based on a successful stage play: two
young men (John Dall and Farley Granger) commit
murder, more or less as an intellectual exercise.
They hide the body in their large apartment, then
throw a dinner party. Will the body be discovered?
Director Alfred Hitchcock, fascinated by the
possibilities of the long-take style, decided to
shoot this story as though it were happening in
one long, uninterrupted shot. Since the camera can
only hold one 10-minute reel at a time, Hitchcock
had to be creative when it came time to change
reels, disguising the switches as the camera
passed behind someone's back or moved behind a
lamp. In later years Hitchcock wrote off the
approach as misguided, andRopemay not be one of
Hitchcock's top movies, but it's still a
nail-biter. They don't call him the Master of
Suspense for nothing. James Stewart, as a
suspicious professor, marks his first starring
role for Hitchcock, a collaboration that would
lead to the masterpiecesRear WindowandVertigo.
--Robert Horton
£ 4.68

Postage & PackagingFree!
AvailabilityUsually dispatched within 6 to 11 days...
amazon marketplace dvd
Rope Dart instructional DVD Rope Dart instructional DVD
Traditional rope dart Instructional DVD, with break down of each technique with fast and ... more
slow motion English sub-titles
£ 2.99

Postage & Packaging£4.39
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amazon sports
Rope Dvd - (james Stewart)
eBay offers you smart deals and the widest selection, ranging from the everyday basics to ... more
things that are as unique as yourself. With
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£ 6.79

Postage & Packaging£0.00
Availabilityavailable
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Rope (Hitchcock) DVD Rope (Hitchcock) DVD
James Stewart stars with Farley Granger and John Dall in this highly charged 1948 Alfred ... more
Hitchcock thriller that has intrigued fans because
of its chilling subject  based on a true story 
and its unique 'unedited' cinematic style. 
Granger and Dall are two friends who strangle a
classmate for intellectual thrills and then
proceed to invite his family and mutual friends
for dinner - with the body stuffed inside the
trunk they use for a buffet table. Their former
teacher (Stewart) suspects wrongdoing. Before the
night is over  he finds out how brutally his
students have twisted his own academic theories.
£ 4.99

Postage & Packaging£0.00
Availability3-5 working days
play.com (films)
Velvet Rope Tour-DVD Velvet Rope Tour-DVD
£ 4.93

Postage & Packaging£0.00
AvailabilityUsually dispatched within 3 days...
thehut.com
Rope Dart instructional DVD Rope Dart instructional DVD
Traditional rope dart Instructional DVD, with break down of each technique with fast and ... more
slow motion English sub-titles
£ 2.99

Postage & Packaging£4.39
AvailabilityUsually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
amazon marketplace sports
Janet Jackson - The Velvet Rope Tour [DVD]
Release Date: 2006-06-12, Rating Exempt,
£ 3.38

Postage & Packaging£1.21
AvailabilityUsually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
amazon dvd

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Without Motive
A review by Mattroberts on Rope (DVD)
April 24th, 2004


Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it? Loved it 
Story Outstanding 
Characters / Performances Outstanding 
Special Effects Good 
How does it compare to similar films? Outstanding 

Advantages: Great Story, haunting, Hitchcock's greatest .
Disadvantages: Way too short

Recommend to potential buyers: yes 

Full review

Some consider Psycho to be Hitchcock’s most thought-provoking films. Others believe it’s Rebecca as it’s a romantic thriller and unlike anything he’s ever done. But for me it’s neither of these. For me it always has been and always will be Rope. Rope was one of Hitchcock’s earlier works. Before Psycho and The Birds Hitchcock concentrated more on thriller and darkness than horror. Even though whilst watching Rope it’s blatantly obvious that Rope is a Hitchcock film it’s still rather different to some of his other movies. Rope has a much darker feel. A much more sinister feeling. You have much more feelings and emotions running around inside you whilst watching Rope more so than say The Birds or Psycho. It’s got a better plot as well. Again the plot is dark and sinister. It’s Hitchcock, in my opinion, at his best. He hasn’t done anything as good since, and Rope is his all-time best.

But at the time, he wasn’t totally satisfied. Hitchcock himself never wanted the film to be shown after it being made. He didn’t consider it one of his best works. He found it dull, irritating and worthless. He never wanted it to be seen and wasn’t happy that he was associated with the film after it’s release. I find this shocking because it is, I have no doubt about it, his greatest work. His greatest film. Simply his greatest!

So, what is Rope all about? The plot is rather complicated and we aren’t introduced to it isn’t explained straight away. We’re kept wondering for a long while what the film is about. It begins with two men – Brandon (John Dall) and Philip (Farley Granger) – seen strangling a man. As the credits finish we only see them strangling the man, and as we’re introduced he takes his last breath and we see him collapse. It may possibly be the quickest murders in film history! A death within 5 seconds of the opening of the film, impressive, wouldn’t you say? We then see the two men put the man (who we later learn is called David) into a box. This box is usually a storage box for books, but they coolly put the body in the box. We see from the beginning that one is much cooler about the murder than the other, though. Brandon is much calmer. He likes the idea of having killed someone. Philip on the other hand is sweaty, nervous and doesn’t know what to do with himself. He’s scared. Petrified. Brandon is the complete opposite. We then learn that David was a friend of theirs. A fellow student from when they were in university, in actual fact.

We’re then told that theirs also a party planned for that night. And David’s Father, Aunt, Girlfriend and other friend from university – Rupert (James Stewart) – are invited. Why? To risk themselves of getting caught. What’s the motive of their murder? Well, to see if they can get away with it. It’s madness, I know, but it’s frighteningly compelling. As the guests arrive David is dead. In the box. A father is two feet away from his dead son’s body and he doesn’t even know it. It’s morbid but as I’ve said, so compelling. They even eat the food off the box. The box that David’s body’s in. So, why David, then? Why was David picked to test this experiment out? David hasn’t actually done anything to them. They’re actually friends. They both just wanted to see if they could do it, basically. If they could get away with murder. To see if it’s possible to kill, and risk being caught and be able to get away with it. Is it possible? Well, watch Rope and you’ll get your answer.

Rope was originally broadcasted as a short play in 1939 on British BBC. It was one whole scene and was adapted from the famous play of the same name. After seeing this dramatisation Hitchcock was inspired to follow the same rules. He wished to make the Hollywood version featuring one whole scene with no takes and no breaks. This did cause a problem, though, as back in 1948 the longest possible time you could film on a normal film was 8 minutes. That is why you’ll notice that every 8 minutes or so there’s a close up on the back of a character, or on a handbag or whatever, and the screen blacks out for a split second. It’s simple and so Hitchcock. It was his idea and he dealt with it brilliantly. It isn’t completely obvious, although I did notice it whilst watching it and I hadn’t learnt about how it happened and the reason it happened then. Hitchcock was very fussy about it, though. Everything had to be right. The first filming of the movie took only a few days with all the scenes acted out to the best of the actors’ ability. Being only 80 minutes long this isn’t a surprise, really, and considering there were only 10 cuts and that they filled a whole 8 minutes at a time of acting, it’s possible. But, Hitchcock, after re-watching the film, decided that the lighting in the background wasn’t as good as it could be and called back all the actors, so they had to film out over half of the scenes again. A Perfectionist? More like a nuisance in my opinion, but still great at his work. He, along with Spielberg, is most certainly the most famous directors of our time and this is a must-see just to see his early work.

As I’ve already said, Phillip is much more scared of getting caught than Brandon. Brandon is as cool as a cucumber and we are made to think, often, that he has a screw loose. To kill someone for the hell of it is mad, but to act so cool and risk his freeness as well is insane. In one part of the film he ties up some books to give David’s father with the same rope that he killed David with. It’s atrocious that someone could act like that. Could kill someone and carry on afterwards so innocently and calmly. It’s unbelievable to watch, really. Philip is more believable. He’s scared. Totally. He doesn’t know what to do with himself and acts oddly throughout the night. He’s scared that he’ll get caught, yet Brandon risks more and more to try and get caught because it’s all a game for him. For Philip, though, it’s serious. He’s killed a man. Stopped a life. Not only that, but he’s eating crabs off his grave! He’s eating crabs with his family and girlfriend. The realisation of it all sinks in through the film. He knows what he’s done. And he can’t stand the fact that he’s got to deal with that, whereas Brandon doesn’t. He’s too insane and busy risking his freeness to worry. It’s as if Philip was simply doing it for fun then when it happened he realised it was a mistake. We’ve all done, although I doubt (and hope!) that any of us have gone to the extreme of murdering someone.

I read in a recent review in a magazine, and as it was describing the film it said:
“Scary thriller with James Stewart, about a two homosexuals who kill a man for the fun of it.”
I’ve seen Rope at least four times, and have never noticed or seen any signs that Brandon and Philip are gay. It never crossed my mind and there weren’t any indications even after watching it. I’m intrigued to think why the writer of the play decided to make Philip and Brandon gay. I believe he did it to make audiences believe that Philip didn’t commit murder for the risk and fun of it like Brandon did, but to follow and go with the person he loved. To do what the man he loved wished and desired him to do. It adds to the plot, I think, that the two are gay, and after thinking about it it’s a disappointment that their sexuality, and sexual love for each other isn’t brought out more often in the film.

Why Rope works so well, as well, is because it only has one scene as I’ve already stated. It’s more realistic and gives the viewers much more to think about. They know everything. Absolutely everything that the two men do after a murder. How they deal with it, what they do, what they don’t do. I don’t think it’s ever really been done, and it’s interesting the way it is done. We get to see every possible emotion and I think the advantage of this makes the film that bit more special because we do feel like a fly on the wall. We’re the ones who are seeing – but perhaps shouldn’t be – this murder take place, and these murderers deal with. It adds to the creepiness and the darkness of the film, and Hitchcock totally succeeded in that department.

It is, no doubt, Hitchcock’s best work and is a masterpiece. It’s in colour (so you can’t even claim that black and white films irritate you!) and everyone should see it at least once in his or her lives. It’s only got a PG rating, which I was surprised to see, but I don’t recommend that anyone under 12 watch it. It’s dark and can be extremely scary. Not necessarily the scenes, but the attitudes and the reactions of different characters. The fact that some characters kill for fun is the scary part. That killing for experimental reasons is what makes people happy. It could certainly give a few nightmares, as it’s a disturbing watch and could scare a few children. It’s a haunting psychological thriller that isn’t only insightful into people’s emotions and ways of dealing with things but also its compelling and 80 minutes of entertainment. It’s often shown on TV, or you can buy it for a reasonable price on Amazon. It’s a film that should be in everyone’s collection. It’s a classic. Simply great!


© Matt Roberts 2004

[Rope Trivia:
Did you know…Alfred Hitchcock made an opening romantic scene in Central Park with Joan Chandler (Janet Walker) and Dick Hogan (David Kentley)? The scene was used for the 1948 promotional trailer but deleted in the film. I myself am glad this happened because it would have taken away from the greatness of the beginning of the film. It added much more to the film if we had never met David before his death, his murder. The opening scene set the tone for the rest of the movie.]

 

More Reviews
Lynch Party
Review of Rope (DVD) by dadmancat

Advantages: Technically ambitious
Disadvantages: Stagey, poorly cast

...of all, there is the rope used to strangle Kentley. Constantly in shot, and always conspicuous amongst the dinner party settings. Will it reveal its secrets? So, 'Rope' is stagey and theatrical, every 8 minutes a none too subtle trick will allow for the changing of reels, and the cast are, well...miscast, but for all that, mediocre Hitchcock remains far better viewing than the competition. James Stewart appears in the role of Rupert Cadell, taking ...
...far from fond of the role, and the film. Claiming it to be a particularly difficult and troubled shoot, he looks both disinterested and dispirited onscreen. He struggles to portray a man capable of believing in an Aryan ideal, and only comes to life when displaying outrage at the climax. Farley Granger is his usual hammy wooden self as Phillip Morgan, while John Dall fares better as the twitchy and hen-pecked Brandon. Good support comes from veteran ... Read review

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14.05.2003
They really don't make them like this anymore
Review of Rope (DVD) by englishdavid

Advantages: A wonderful viewing experience
Disadvantages: It's classic Hitchcock - you won't find any bad points!

Rope (1948) was Alfred Hitcock's first film as Director and Producer and was also the first of his movies to be filmed in colour. The film opens quite startlingly as we witness the murder of poor David by two of his fellow academics, Brandon and Phillip. After being strangled with the rope to which the title refers, David's lifeless body is unceremoniously heaved into a large wooden chest in the centre of the apartment in which the entire film unfolds. ...
...charater's backs. If you haven't seen this film before you're in for a complete treat. And if you have seen it before, do yourself a favour and check it out again. "Masterpiece" is a word which is often overused but Rope truly is one. Review also on dooyoo.co.uk ... Read review

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Product details

Actor(s): James Stewart, John Dall, Farley Granger, Cedric Hardwicke, Constance Collier, Reese Witherspoon, Douglas Dick, Edith Evanson

Director(s): Alfred Hitchcock

Genre: Thriller & Mystery - Thriller

Classification: Parental Guidance

Production Year: 1948

Running Time: 1 hour 17 minutes

Video Category: Feature Film

Plot: Two college students murder a classmate in a bizarre experiment. This was Hitchcock's first film as an independent producer and was filmed almost entirely in 'real time' on a single set.

DVD Description

Based on the famous Leopold and Loeb murder case (from which two other films, COMPULSION and SWOON, were also derived), ROPE both challenges and terrifies the audience. Alfred Hitchcock disdained the whodunit crime story, which he felt lacked emotional force, and ROPE shows the director's preference for letting the audience know more than the characters onscreen. The film opens as two young men (Farley Granger and John Dall) strangle a friend just to prove they're intellectually capable of committing the perfect crime. To add to the amusement, they hide the body in a trunk that will serve as the dinner table for a party honoring the deceased. The film hones in on an hour and a half of the party, with the constantly moving camera capturing the changing emotional atmosphere as the guests grow increasingly concerned about the fate of the missing boy. ROPE is a directorial tour de force, blending complex camera movement with intricate staging to present the entire story in near-real time in one location. Notably, the adaptation of the play by Patrick Hamilton was written by perennial Hitchcock actor Hume Cronyn.

Release details

DVD Region: DVD

Studio(s): UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK; UNIVERSAL MUSIC OPERATIONS

Release date: 17/10/2005

No of Discs: 1

Catalogue No: 823 620 6

Barcode: 5050582362060

Production Designer: Perry Ferguson

Screenwriter: Ben Hecht, Arthur Laurents, Hume Cronyn

Cinematographer: Joseph A. Valentine, William V. Skall

Composer: David Buttolph

Producer: Alfred Hitchcock, Sidney Lewis Bernstein, Arthur Laurents

Author: Arthur Laurents, Ben Hecht

Editor: William Ziegler

Art Director: Perry Ferguson

Languages

Main Language: English

Professional reviews

Review: "...One can not understand the truly bold originality of [Hitchcock] without seeing it." (New York Times, p.II:19, 03/06/1984)

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