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| Fig 1. Rope (Poster Art) |
The American crime, thriller film 'Rope' was released in 1948 and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The Film is based on a 1929 play by Patrick Hamilton. The original play was said to be based upon the real - life murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks in 1924 by University of Chicago students Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb.
Rope was the first film that Alfred Hitchcock directed in technicolour. However despite this being a benefit it also had its difficulties:
"Shooting in colour proved problematic, since the action of the film began in daylight and ended at dusk. The skyline backdrop was carefully controlled to reflect the changing hours. The entire film was carefully planned and meticulously executed, like a military operation." (Grimble J, 29/04/16)
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| Fig 2. Rope (film still) |
The film was shot in real time. It consisted of just 10 shots and long takes. This imitated the play itself as it appeared as one continuous sequence.
"With a film that plays out in "real time," time seems less like an abstraction, which gives the impression to the viewer that what they're seeing is real life -- "real" real life." ( Renee V, 04/08/13)
The film is set in one room and in fact suggests to the viewer that they are trapped within the confined space causing a sense of claustrophobia. This alone builds the tension. Further tension is also created because of the way the camera follows the characters creating an eerie suspense.
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| Fig 3. Rope (Film still) |
The suspense and tension is also heightened by the way in which Hitchcock foreshadows events. He does this by panning the camera onto significant objects. This provides information to the viewer about what is likely to happen next.
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| Fig 4. Rope (film still) |
"Even though there is editing, it's often described as a film that plays out in real time. Why? Probably because it's such an immersive piece of filmmaking; the hidden edits and use of handheld cameras follow and track its characters, allowing audiences to experience and react to each situation at the same moment the actors do -- right in the thick of the action." ( Renee V, 04/08/13)
Hitchcock edited the script in such a way that the audience knew that there was a body in the room.
The New York Times wrote: "The novelty of the picture is not in the drama itself, it being a plainly deliberate and rather thin exercise in suspense, but merely in the method which Mr. Hitchcock has used to stretch the intended tension for the length of the little stunt. And, with due regard for his daring (and for that of Transatlantic Films), one must bluntly observe that the method is neither effective nor does it appear that it could be." (Remaining a writer, 07/03/12)
Illustration List
Figure. 1 Rope (poster art) https://technicolordreams70.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/ropeposter.jpg (accessed on 27/01/17)
Figure. 2 Rope (film still) https://thejar.hitchcock.zone/files/gallery/org/4701.jpg
(accessed on 27/01/17)
Figure. 3 Rope (film still) https://sandrafirstruleoffilmclubharris.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/rope.jpg?w=1233&h=929 (accessed on 27/01/17)
Figure. 4 Rope (film still)
https://swoonsandsnarls.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/rope-pic-3.jpg
(accessed on 27/01/17)
Bibliography
Renee V, (08/04/13) Understanding the Hidden editing in Hitchcock's 'Rope' In: No Film School [online] At: URL: http://nofilmschool.com/2013/10/understanding-hidden-editing-in-hitchcocks-rope
(accessed on 27/01/17)
Grimble J, (29/04/16) Why Rope is Alfred Hitchcock’s most audacious masterpiece In: Little White Lies [online] At: URL: /http://lwlies.com/articles/rope-alfred-hitchcock-masterpiece/ (accessed on 27/01/17)
Remaining a writer, (07/03/12) Does Alfred Hitchcock’s Theory of Suspense & Tension Actually Work? In: Remaining a writer [online] At: URL: http://remainingawriter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/does-alfred-hitchcocks-theory-of.html
(accessed on 27/01/17)Rope (1948), Film
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