A Nietzschean murder as two privileged young men (possibly lovers) look to satisfy intellectual vanity and innate superiority – and all under the noses of their dinner guests.
An audacious premise by Alfred Hitchcock of the single shot feature as the strangling of David Kentley is the opening moment of Rope. Confident in their arrogance, Phillip (Farley Granger) and the more nervous Brandon (John Dall) arrange the buffet on the very trunk they have hidden the body. And to make things a little more interesting, in addition to their former philosophy professor James Stewart, the two have invited the parents and fiancée of Kentley to their Manhattan soirée.
Adapted from Patrick Hamilton’s stage play, Rope is a provactive, verbally dexterous yet minor entertainment. It’s very staginess – including performances – results in an oddly veiled voyeurism, a laissez-faire disinterest in proceedings.
Rating: 55%
Director: Alfred Hitchcock (The 39 Steps, Torn Curtain)
Writer: Hume Cronyn (Under Capricorn), Arthur Laurents (West Side Story, The Turning Point) – adapted from the stage play by Patrick Hamilton
Main cast: Farley Granger (Strangers on a Train, The Twisted Rope), John Dall (The Corn is Green, Spartacus), James Stewart (Rear Window, It’s a Wonderful Life)
An Opinion or Two 