Seems like we're getting back on an even keel with the rating viewings now. Quite liking the new pag...
Seems like we're getting back on an even keel with the rating viewings now. Quite liking the new pages in a way. Thanks for all your rates.
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The plot of this 1948 Hitchcock film, as well as the cinematography, are rather basic and simplisitic in their presentation, which is possibly what makes this excellent dramatic thriller take a bit of a back seat where the director is concerned. Most would associate him with Psycho, or The Birds, or North By Northwest, but this is a fabulous exploration of the human psyche, with the subtleties being the clinches in the brilliance that he so often showed with his films.
Two friends, Brandon Shaw (John Dall) and Phillip Morgan (Farley Granger) kill their inferior classmate from school, hide him in a trunk in the middle of their flat, and then invite their mutual friends and their victim's family round for a party as a test to their perfect crime. It is quite simply the plot, in a nutshell, and it is no more complicated than that. Shot entirely in a studio, with the exception of the opening scene, Hitchcock used a series
of rolling camera shots to film the entire thing, with the shortest section of film being just over 4 minutes, and the longest around the 10 minute mark. This in itself is a testament to the acting skills on show, as it is the subtleties I mentioned before.
The acting is, on the whole, very good. There are a few moments where it seems very much like a film, and not at all like real life, very much like people delivering lines. This, in a way, makes things seems more like a play, as does the studio feel to the film. Our two murderers work excellently together, with Brandon being the dominant Alpha male and Phillip certainly the weaker minded of the two, requiring cajoling and persuasion. There are definite sexual hints between the two of them, and Hitchcock ensures that the two of them act as if they are in a relationship. There is nothing physical or verbal to actually say they care for each other, apart from one bit where Brandon places his hand on Phillip's arm, to calm him down. However, this contact is broken immediately. This is one subtle element that makes the tension that much more noticeable.
The appearance of James Stewart as one of their old school masters provides the extreme tension for the film, for they are sure that if anyone will suss them out, it will be him. I have never seen Stewart in a film before, and I wasn't too impressed by his entrance. However, his screen presence soon becomes apparent, as doing his timing and acting ability. A very good performance. The other players in the film do contribute in doses, mainly with the way Hitchcock examines social interaction, attraction and public perception, but it is the 3 main characters I have mentioned that the film centres around.
Yet the awards for the acting stakes must go to our two leads. Stewart's name may be the one people associate more with the film, but only as a result of his status. The other two are the real stars of the show, and I watched entranced as their emotional states changed throughout the film, all the while Phillip slowly but surely losing the plot, and becoming more nervous about being found out. Brandon attempts to maintain a nonchalant air about him, and for the most part does so, letting a few slips in, and it is how the plot develops quite rapidly, and how nervous you become as a viewer every time anyone goes near the trunk, that makes things so clever.
Hitchcock really is a master of this sort of film. It is the subtleties, the little gestures, the camera shots and zooms, and the glances and characteristics of the players involved, that make the film. He shows us that you don't need huge budgets and glossy special effects to make a riveting film. He did it here using long camera shots, a few actors and a constantly changing background. The scenes through the flat window is one of outside, with city buildings and clouds. That this was a studio filmed piece of art shows how intricate his detail was, that throughout the party, the outside view slowly darkens, progressing with time as it would were it real outside. Fabulous detail.
I caught this on TV last night. I hadn't really heard of it before, and wasn't even really too fussed when I first started watching. But the premise of the film made me curious as to how it was going to work, and once I started watching, I couldn't stop. It was mesmerising. I have seen three or four Hitchcock films, and each one has impressed me greatly. I shall certainly be seeking out more. If you want to buy Rope on DVD, it is available from amazon.co.uk for £4.92, and I would say that this masterclass of presenting a dramatic thriller is well worth having. Recommended!
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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
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