Another Netflix picture (since we rarely get anything worthwhile at the theater here, and when we do it's never convenient for me... sigh). Was on a Hitchcock kick on my Netflix queue and came up to this one, which I actually hadn't seen before. So here you go: Rope.
Summary: Two preppy spoiled brats (college age) kill a classmate, really just to show that they can commit the Perfect Murder. They stow his body away in a trunk in their apartment and proceed to have a dinner party in the same room, with the victim's nearest and dearest in attendance. One of the dinner guests was a former teacher to all the boys, and starts realizing something is amiss, triggering a cat-and-mouse game among the men.
This seems to me one of Hitch's lesser known movies, and I could kinda see why, but at the same time, there was a lot that I really liked about it. It wasn't exotic locales or anything like "To Catch a Thief" or "The Man Who Knew Too Much" and it wasn't edge-of-your-seat suspense like "Psycho" but it was good nonetheless. It was a little slower than some of his other movies, too, but still interesting to watch the dinner party play out, knowing that there was something disastrous to be found and wondering when it would happen.
This one was really interesting visually, too. The story originated as a stage play, and so Hitchcock set about the project as Filming a Play. Which meant it was all one shot, no breaks or anything. In reality, it was filmed as 1 take per reel and then spliced together, so that meant about 10 minutes a take. Still impressive! It does have a few shots where you can tell that they were splicing reels - shots zooming in and then out on a door or on someone's back. Nothing irritating, just noticeable if you think about it. And like any good Hitchcock, there are just some great shots. My favorite was watching one of the killers in the kitchen through the swinging door. Just a great bit of camera work.
Jimmy Stewart was kinda miscast here, I do have to say. I dunno, he just didn't seem the type to have crazy ideas about justifying murder. And there was definitely a sexual spin that the script could have taken concerning the boys and their former instructor, which just doesn't really fit Jimmy Stewart. Not that he did a bad job in the part or anything, just that he didn't really seem to fit the role.
One comment in the extras from the screenwriter was that they originally didn't intend to shoot the murder. The whole movie was supposed to progress with the viewer not knowing at all if the murder had even taken place! The audience would have seen the whole cat-and-mouse without knowing how much the boys' bravado was actually covering up. I honestly REALLY wish they'd taken that route. That would have been such a good twist on the movie. But, I'm not a filmmaker...
Oh, and one last bit of trivia - Hitch's appearance. There's actually supposedly 2 in this movie. If you look at the signs outside the window of the apartment where the whole play takes place, one of them is the stylized caricature of Hitchcock. You know, the one that's all round lines, that was the picture in the opening to the Hitchcock Hour? Well, it's that but in neon lights :) They said in the extras, though, that Hitch wasn't comfortable with the cameo being just the sign, so he's one of the pedestrians walking the street outside of the apartment during the opening credits.
Overall: 4.5 of 5. Not one of his best, but still a very good Hitchcock. Certainly shelf-worthy.
This seems to me one of Hitch's lesser known movies, and I could kinda see why, but at the same time, there was a lot that I really liked about it. It wasn't exotic locales or anything like "To Catch a Thief" or "The Man Who Knew Too Much" and it wasn't edge-of-your-seat suspense like "Psycho" but it was good nonetheless. It was a little slower than some of his other movies, too, but still interesting to watch the dinner party play out, knowing that there was something disastrous to be found and wondering when it would happen.
This one was really interesting visually, too. The story originated as a stage play, and so Hitchcock set about the project as Filming a Play. Which meant it was all one shot, no breaks or anything. In reality, it was filmed as 1 take per reel and then spliced together, so that meant about 10 minutes a take. Still impressive! It does have a few shots where you can tell that they were splicing reels - shots zooming in and then out on a door or on someone's back. Nothing irritating, just noticeable if you think about it. And like any good Hitchcock, there are just some great shots. My favorite was watching one of the killers in the kitchen through the swinging door. Just a great bit of camera work.
Jimmy Stewart was kinda miscast here, I do have to say. I dunno, he just didn't seem the type to have crazy ideas about justifying murder. And there was definitely a sexual spin that the script could have taken concerning the boys and their former instructor, which just doesn't really fit Jimmy Stewart. Not that he did a bad job in the part or anything, just that he didn't really seem to fit the role.
One comment in the extras from the screenwriter was that they originally didn't intend to shoot the murder. The whole movie was supposed to progress with the viewer not knowing at all if the murder had even taken place! The audience would have seen the whole cat-and-mouse without knowing how much the boys' bravado was actually covering up. I honestly REALLY wish they'd taken that route. That would have been such a good twist on the movie. But, I'm not a filmmaker...
Oh, and one last bit of trivia - Hitch's appearance. There's actually supposedly 2 in this movie. If you look at the signs outside the window of the apartment where the whole play takes place, one of them is the stylized caricature of Hitchcock. You know, the one that's all round lines, that was the picture in the opening to the Hitchcock Hour? Well, it's that but in neon lights :) They said in the extras, though, that Hitch wasn't comfortable with the cameo being just the sign, so he's one of the pedestrians walking the street outside of the apartment during the opening credits.
Overall: 4.5 of 5. Not one of his best, but still a very good Hitchcock. Certainly shelf-worthy.
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