People..please, no more telling me I misunderstood the Football Factory, if one more person even thi...
People..please, no more telling me I misunderstood the Football Factory, if one more person even thinks about saying it..I'm 32, I've got GCSE's in pottery..I understand sh*t British films just fine <flounces off in flurry of petticoats>
Member since:27.07.2000
Reviews:170
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Hitchcocks great folly of 1948, 'Rope' is admirable in its aims but rather lacking in what it delivers. For Hitch, each film was a new technical challenge, much like his plot MacGuffins, his films also had to hinge around some form of gimmick or innovation.
'Rope' plays practically in real time, and is composed of a series of 8 minute takes, which when added together equal a rather stagey and sometimes clumsy 80 minute vague retelling of the Leopold and Loebe murder case.
Why 8 minutes? Well, because a camera in 1948 could only hold enough stock for 8 minutes of footage, and in his desire to present an entire evening without cuts, Hitchock has to engineer a cut at the end of every reel. Usually a person or object passing by the camera, blocking the light, and allowing for the action to pick straight back up again. Ambitious? Yes. Worthwhile? Probably not.
In attempting to create drama by letting events unfold in real time before our eyes, Hitchcock has also managed to limit the movement of both camera and cast, and ultimately what we end up with is a rather static and uninvolving movie. Robbed of his trademark visual flair, you have to rely on the cast, and well, for once, all is not well in the world of Hitchcock.
The
story tells of two students, Brandon Shaw and Phillip Morgan, also lovers, who plot the death of a classmate mainly for the thrill, but also as a sidenote to prove their superiority, showing him to be of lesser importance, and showing them to be capable of the perfect crime. They hang what scant justification they have for the murder on the words of a respected tutor, Rupert Cadell, who teaches Nietzsche and muses on the theory of the super race.
To bring yet more exhilaration they organise a dinner party, inviting the victims family, fiance, and their tutor who they believe will admire their handiwork. The icing on this poisonous dessert is that the body of the victim, David Kentley, shall be present throughout the evening. Hidden in a trunk, beneath a table cloth, and with food served from on top.
There are just three ways in which they may be discovered, first they must rely on their own nerves, and Mr Shaw is rather more unstable, neurotic and prone to panic than Mr Morgan. Secondly, they must hope that Cadell remains ignorant to the occasional evil and twisted clues that they drop throughout the evening. Last 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 the lead, and making his Hitchcock debut. Stewart himself was 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 Cedric Hardwicke, and Constance Collier, dinner guest and family to the late David Kentley.
The script both sparkles and stumbles, and often misudges the tone, forgetting what we are witnessing, and the climax is arrived at a little too easily.
Where 'Rope' really shines is in how it looks, and the knowledge of how it was made. Every wall, prop and piece of furniture in the set that makes up the young couples apartment was designed to slide, lift and break away to allow for the movement of the camera. The cast were drilled and rehearsed 'to death' to ensure nothing would spoil the 8 minute sequences. Day becomes night before our eyes as the fantastic cityscape minature, outside the apartment windows, slowly lights up and the skies shift from blue to pink to red and then darkness. Smoke and steam billow from chimneys, neon lights flash on and off, and clouds drift across the sky. It's a technical wonder, and half the fun comes from knowing what is going on behind the camera.
What goes on in front of it may be less engaging, but 'Rope' is still worthy viewing. When it all gells it's a teasing vision of what could have been, but a restrictive set, endless rehearsal and camera drills, and long mentally draining 8 minute takes made for an unhappy and uncohesive picture.
A triumph of set design, and beautifully shot in technicolour by Joseph Valentine 'Rope' is a forgotten Hitchcock, lacking in all the other ingredients you would expect from the master of suspense. Now on DVD there is no better time to give the film a try, coming armed with a fascinating documentary, art gallery, a trailer compilation and 4 page booklet.
The restored transfer is wonderful, and the previously impressive studio sunset is now rendered beautifully. Sound comes in a restored mono mix, and being a vintage production the picture is in a 4:3 ratio, ie. fullscreen.
The Hitchcock collection are available in a buy 1 get one free promotion at the moment. My copy is from the first wave of releases 2 years ago. The current crop come in very vivid 2 colour packaging, and the spines come together to spell the diretors name. With my mix and match collection I have a nasty feeling I'll end up with 'Fred Cock' on my shelves.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
If you were to write in paying categories I s'pose you could be A Rich Cock, but back to the point. I've never seen this, and can't think why. I think I'll have to have a look at it as I'm always amazed by the complexity of the sets on what many consider to be 'earlier' films...Steve
emmorticia 27.05.2003 22:16
Excellent - I've never actually heard of this, but it sounds like it's worth a look! Em x
starsally 24.05.2003 18:00
I wanted to see this a while ago then got sidetracked prob as I never saw it... not sure if I will... maybe if I have nothing else to do some time! Sal x
Advantages: Good for those pushed for time; mostly well instructed Disadvantages: Cardio Box difficult to follow initially; not really challenging enough
Advantages: Wrestler vs Boxer, Heartbreak Kid vs Nature Boy, Celebs and Wrestling. Disadvantages: Light failure in a smaller card match womens match - 5 seconds max.
May 14th, 2003
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