Rope (1948)

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

Hume Cronyn (adaptation)
Patrick Hamilton (play)
(more)

Release Date:

28 August 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The guest who's dead on time

Plot:

Two young men strangle their "inferior" classmate, hide his body in their apartment, and invite his friends and family to a dinner party as a means to challenge the "perfection" of their crime.

Plot Keywords:

Party | Friend | Chest | Teacher | Apartment

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Dick Hogan	...	David Kentley
John Dall	...	Brandon
Farley Granger	...	Phillip
Edith Evanson	...	Mrs. Wilson
Douglas Dick	...	Kenneth
Joan Chandler	...	Janet
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Mr. Kentley (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Constance Collier	...	Mrs. Atwater
James Stewart	...	Rupert Cadell
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alfred Hitchcock	...	Man Walking in Street After Opening Credits (uncredited)

Directed by
Alfred Hitchcock

Writing credits
Hume Cronyn		(adaptation)
Patrick Hamilton		(play)
Arthur Laurents		(screenplay)
Ben Hecht		uncredited

Produced by
Sidney Bernstein	....	producer (uncredited)
Alfred Hitchcock	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
David Buttolph		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
William V. Skall		(director of photography)
Joseph A. Valentine		(director of photography) (as Joseph Valentine)

Film Editing by
William H. Ziegler

Art Direction by
Perry Ferguson

Set Decoration by
Howard Bristol
Emile Kuri

Makeup Department
Perc Westmore	....	makeup artist
Agnes Flanagan	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Ed Voight	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Fred Ahern	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lowell J. Farrell	....	assistant director
Claude Archer	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Dorothea Holt	....	illustrator (uncredited)
John More	....	props (uncredited)
Joe Trusty	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Al Riggs	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Richard Emmons	....	operator of camera movement
Eddie Fitzgerald	....	operator of camera movement (as Edward Fitzgerald)
Paul Hill	....	operator of camera movement (as Paul G. Hill)
James Potevin	....	lighting technician (as Jim Potevin)
Morris Rosen	....	operator of camera movement
Vic Jones	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Harry Marsh	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
John Miehle	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Harold Noyes	....	grip (uncredited)
Morris Rosen	....	grip (uncredited)
Phil Wagner	....	best boy (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Adrian	....	dress: Miss Chandler's
Marion Dabney	....	wardrobe (uncredited)
Lillian House	....	wardrobe assistant (uncredited)
Leon Roberts	....	wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department
Leo F. Forbstein	....	musical director

Other crew
Robert Brower	....	associate Technicolor color director
Natalie Kalmus	....	Technicolor color director
Dinsmore Alter	....	cloud technical advisor (uncredited)
Charlsie Bryant	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures (presents)
• Transatlantic Pictures (as TRANSATLANTIC PICTURES' production) (as A Transatlantic Pictures Production also)

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1948) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1948) (UK) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (198?) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MCA Home Video (1985) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal Pictures (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Universal Pictures (2001) (Germany) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008) (Greece) (DVD)
• United Artists (1950-1983) (worldwide) (all media)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• The Three Suns  radio sequence by

Also Known As:

"Alfred Hitchcock's Rope" - UK (complete title), USA (complete title)
"La corde" - Belgium (French title), Canada (French title), France
"La soga" - Argentina, Mexico (imdb display title), Spain
"Cocktail für eine Leiche" - Austria, West Germany
"Ölüm Karari" - Turkey (Turkish title) (imdb display title)
"A Corda" - Portugal
"A kötél" - Hungary (imdb display title)
"Cocktail per un cadavere" - Italy (reissue title)
"De koord" - Belgium (Flemish title)
"Festín diabólico" - Argentina
"Festim Diabólico" - Brazil
"I thileia" - Greece (reissue title)
"Köysi" - Finland
"Konopac" - Serbia (imdb display title)
"Lina" - Poland (DVD title)
"Nodo alla gola" - Italy
"O vrohos" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"Rebet" - Denmark
"Reipi" - Iceland (imdb display title)
"Repet" - Norway (imdb display title)
"Repet" - Sweden
"Sznur" - Poland (imdb display title)

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #13027) | USA:PG (TV rating) | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:T | Iceland:L | Brazil:14 | South Korea:18 (2003) | New Zealand:PG | Portugal:(Banned) (original rating) | USA:TV-PG | UK:A (original rating) (passed with cuts) | UK:PG (tv rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:14A (video rating) | Canada:AA (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:11 (re-release) | Sweden:15 (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1988)

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Alfred Hitchcock would later dismiss his experiment with 10 minute takes as being just a stunt.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Brandon is opening the curtains of the long window after killing David, the shadow of an arm can be glimpsed behind the curtain in the upper left corner of the window.

Quotes:

Brandon Shaw:Determined to get drunk, aren't you?
Phillip Morgan:I am drunk.
Brandon Shaw:And just as childish as you were before when you called me a liar.
Phillip Morgan:You had no business telling that story.
Brandon Shaw:Why did you lie anyway?
Phillip Morgan:I had to! Have you ever bothered for just one minute to understand how someone else might feel?
Brandon Shaw:I'm not sentimental if that's what you...
Phillip Morgan:No, that's not what I mean; but it doesn't matter. Nothing matters... except that Mr. Brandon liked the party. Mr. Brandon gave the party. Mr. Brandon had a delightful evening. Well, I had a rotten evening!
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ruang talok 69 (1999)

Soundtrack:

I'm Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover

More Than Just a Technical Achievement

This 1948 Hitchcock film is mostly noted for its technical achievements. Hitchcock filmed this story, about two well-to-do rich kids who decide to commit a murder for the fun of it, as a play. Which, it in fact, originally was, though based in London and not New York. Technical limitations did not enable his original vision of making the entire picture one continuous long shot. Instead it is made up of several 8 minute continuous shots. This was the length of film that fit into one reel. Using some very inventive cutting techniques the film appears as if it was filmed all in one take. This is more impressive when you see the actual size that color film cameras were during this time period. They were absolutely enormous, bigger than a man standing. To move the camera in and around the small stage space, many of the set pieces were set on casters and rolled about to keep out of the way of the camera. Some of the actors were noted in saying that they worried every time they sat down, that there might not be a chair for them to fall into. Another achievement of the film is in terms of lighting. The apartment that the entire film is set in has several large windows overlooking the city. As the movie is more or less uninterrupted from start to finish we see the lighting change as the sun begins to set and night falls. It is a testament to this achievement that upon first viewing you don't really notice the effect. Yet, the filmmakers took great pains to get it to look realistic, staging numerous re-shoots for the final few scenes.

Though the technical achievements are quite wonderful, it is a shame that they have overshadowed what it really a very good bit of suspense. It seems the two high society murderers have planned a dinner party just after the murder. They store the corpse in a wood box that is featured prominently in the midst of the dinner. This creates an excellent mix of suspense and the macabre. Throughout the party the murderers become more unraveled even as they are enjoying their little game.

All of the acting is quite good. The two murderer (John Dall and Farley Granger) do a fine job of playing intellectual, society playboys, with a desire for excitement. It is slightly annoying watching their excited, nervous mannerisms (especially some stuttering by Jon Dall) but it is fitting with the characters. Their former instructor, Rupert Cadell, is played magnificently by the impeccable James Stewart. This is a bit of departure from Stewarts typical roles. Here he is a tough, cynical intellectual. This was his first of four collaborations between Stewart and Hitchock and it is hard to imagine his role as Scottie in Vertigo without having first played in this movie.

The story unravels in typical Hitchock fashion. The suspense is built, then lessoned by some well timed comedy, and then built again to a final crescendo. Hitchcock was excellent as a technical director and allowed his actors the breathing room they needed for fine performances. In the end I left the picture feeling more excited about the superb storytelling than any particular technical achievement. It is a testament to his craft, that Hitchock allows you to leave a picture being enamored with his story over his technical achievements. Some of the greatest effects are those you don't notice because they seem so natural and real.

Alfred Hitchock manages a triumph of technical brilliance and suspense in Rope. It's influence in the technical realm of cinema far outshines any effect the story has on future movies. This is a shame, for the story being told is one of suspense, macabre and excitement.

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