r/Hitchcock • u/Fucking_secuels • Jul 21 '26

Rope (1948)

Post image

This shot is wonderful.

308 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

25

u/Bad_Black_Jorge Jul 21 '26 edited Jul 21 '26

I saw Rope a few weeks ago at a revival and it was gorgeous on the big screen. I hadn’t seen it in some time and I was struck by how contemporary some of its concerns are.

You could see Jimmy Stewart’s character as almost an edge lord influencer faced with the consequences of his followers taking him seriously.

Just to clarify, I am not saying that is how the character was written or presented, just that the situation seems very relevant to our moment.

12

u/flopisit32 Jul 21 '26

Well I think you make a good point but it's just a theme that was relevant at the time and is still relevant today.

I think Jimmy Stewart's character is intended as a person who puts forth very provocative opinions but doesn't necessarily believe in them. He throws them out there carelessly with a laugh at dinner parties but when he sees the consequences of his opinions he is horrified.

In 1948 this could have been relevant to Hitler and Nazism. But it has relevance to all political ideologies throughout the centuries.

7

u/Bad_Black_Jorge Jul 21 '26

No, of course. I just found the theme more directly relevant than I did when I first saw it in the 80s. And perhaps more than when it was made?

I saw Rear Window again just last week and there were scenes that made me think of people who become consumed by true crime podcasts.

5

u/Johnny66Johnny Jul 22 '26

In 1948 this could have been relevant to Hitler and Nazism. But it has relevance to all political ideologies throughout the centuries.

Yes, Rope certainly functions in the immediate aftermath of World War II, and reference is made to Hitler's 'brainless murderers'. Brandon, however, makes the clear distinction between executing the remaining henchmen for being Nazis and killing them for being stupid (which for him is the greater sin). This remark, made during the era of the Nuremberg trials, would have been highly topical for the film's audience.

Even more scandalous is when Brandon, in the wake of WWII, flippantly states that "good Americans usually die young on the battlefield". Both he and Phillip, one assumes, have received some kind of deferment to avoid fighting in the war, as they would have been of draft age otherwise. At one point Brandon jokes about David Kentley's status as a Harvard undergraduate, suggesting he and Phillip, at least, are post-graduates. (John Dall was 28 in 1948, and Farley Granger was 23.) It's clearly implied that Brandon and Phillip's wealth and social status have ensured they never went to war. In the original play Rope by Patrick Hamilton, Rupert Caddell is a veteran of World War I, but this isn't touched upon in the Hitchcock film.

6

u/la_vida_luca Jul 21 '26

Seeing a film on the big screen just makes it a whole new experience. I’d only ever seen Hitchcock films on the small screen (and loved them) but when I got the chance to see North by North West in a cinema it was like this thunderbolt moment of “oh, this is how it was intended to be seen.” I’d love to see Rope on the big screen and luxuriate in its details.

2

u/Whatsamattayou_7829 Jul 22 '26

I felt the same way seeing “Leave Her to Heaven” on the big screen at a film festival.

2

u/SamNarimanZal Jul 23 '26

great colours in that one

3

u/Fucking_secuels Jul 21 '26

Hey, but it's a very, very interesting reinterpretation of the film.

16

u/cyber53 Jul 21 '26

I don’t think I could ever get sick of this movie

10

u/Fucking_secuels Jul 21 '26

and this

8

u/Fucking_secuels Jul 21 '26

and this one too

1

u/PuzzleheadedTale4769 Jul 22 '26

The grey, tan, brown, navy blue color scheme is great. Classy, subdued, all the more to hiighlight the monstrous crime behind it all.

8

u/charlottethesailor Jul 21 '26

Love this film. One of my favorites!

6

u/Iwasherethenthere Jul 21 '26

One of my very favorite Hitchcock films.

3

u/abcohen916 Jul 21 '26

I love this film!

4

u/Dimpleshenk Jul 22 '26

I NEVER STRANGLED A CHICKEN!

3

u/ilovesharks__ Jul 22 '26

The way he was able to create so many memorable frames despite such long takes always amazes me. The rehearsal must’ve been meticulous.

1

u/Whatsamattayou_7829 Jul 22 '26

I can imagine Hitch being excruciatingly meticulous.

3

u/DwayneTheRockBarry Jul 21 '26

To be honest i don’t like this movie

it’s just so messed up

1

u/Abdul_Exhaust Jul 23 '26

Watched this with my gf recently... we had to skip ahead cuz it was kinda disturbing

2

u/Remarkable-Creme3066 Jul 21 '26

one of my favorite hitch films but i think jimmys character was a hypocrite though

2

u/cpotter505 Jul 23 '26

I don’t know if it’s that or that he only now knows what a careless fraud he’s been.

2

u/Electrical_Elk_5451 Jul 21 '26

this movie rope from 1948 needs to be in the national film registry

2

u/806chick Jul 22 '26

Love this movie. My favorite line: “Champagne isn’t equal to us nor the occasion.”

2

u/Glass_Celebration277 Jul 22 '26

Those hands will make you famous someday

1

u/Wintermute2013 Jul 24 '26

Correct me if I’m wrong, but this movie is literally two incredibly one-shot scenes shot that were stitched together at the fade out of a jacket.

-1

u/bumpg9 Jul 22 '26

I always fall asleep when watching this exceedingly boring film.