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James Stewart, John Dall, Farley Granger, Cedric Hardwicke, Constance Collier ... see more see more... , Joan Chandler , Douglas Dick , Edith Evanson , Dick Hogan

Rope, Alfred Hitchcock's first color film, was adapted from Patrick Hamilton's stage play Rope's End by no less than Hume Cronyn. Loosely inspired by the Leopold-Loeb case, the plot concerns two impli... read more read more...citly homosexual college chums, played by Farley Granger and John Dall. Their heads filled with Nietzschean philosophy by their kindly professor James Stewart, Granger and Dall kill a third friend just for the thrill of it. The boys hide the body in an antique chest in the middle of their posh apartment, then perversely arrange to hold a dinner party around the chest, inviting the victim's family, friends and fiancee (Joan Chandler), as well as their intellectual role-model Stewart. As the guests wander obliviously around the sealed chest, the killers make snippy, veiled comments about their deed--never going so far as to reveal the existence of the body nor their involvement in the murder. As all the guests file out, however, professor Stewart begins to suspect that something is amiss. In Rope, Hitchcock attempted the daunting technical challenge of filming the entire picture in one long, seemingly uninterrupted take. Actually, there are several edits in the movie: since a reel of film was divided into two ten-minute minireels back in 1948, the internal reel-breaks are "fudged" by having a dark object briefly obscure the camera lens, sustaining the illusion that no editing has taken place. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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89% liked it

36,808 ratings

Critics

97% liked it

32 critics

PG, 1 hr. 20 min.

Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock

Release Date: August 23, 1948

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DVD Release Date: March 6, 2001

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Stats: 2,564 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,564)

  • flixsterman
    October 6, 2012
    flixsterman
    Thinly veiled homosexuality and strange editing techniques underscore the off-kilter atmosphere of this Hitchcock gem.
  • paulkoh110
    May 19, 2012
    paulkoh110
    A film that was well ahead of its time. The main character can only be described as Dexter and Don draper on steroids. Its a well crafted story that grabs your attention every second.
  • UniversalDreamer
    April 25, 2012
    UniversalDreamer
    There's more than what meets the eye going on here as Hitchcock plays a game of cat and mouse with us as the targets. Two arrogant killers tempt fate by throwing a dinner party literally right over the body of their victim. Excellent dialogue and technical brilliance aid in the... read more sensation of a roller coaster ride gone wrong. Cary Grant and Montgomery Cliff were approached to star in this previously but turned it down ... ?
  • imrealgod
    January 16, 2012
    imrealgod
    It's way too loosely based on the Leopold-Loeb case. But that doesn't make the movie any less interesting. I felt it a bit slow at the beginning, but soon I found myself enjoying the party. Hitchcock's touch of Psycho is apparent here. Or is it only me? One way or another, John D... read moreall is incredibly superb as Brandon. The dialogues are so well-written that they succeed to linger in your memory. The thrills and chills, accompanied with humor, were excellent, and it'd have made for a perfect murder had Hitchcock not stepped back on Rupert's character. That was the only disappointing factor in this otherwise perfect entertainer.

    ADD-IT: On watching again, I feel that I was wrong about Rupert. Taking some details into account, I feel that Rupert didn't really mean what he said. But then his response, "The humor was unintentional" to David father's interruption to their discussion about murder (saying that he did not appreciate the morbid humor) confuses me. His response towards the ending after finding out the reality wasn't convincing enough. Wish they'd a better climax in mind.
  • fb1664868775
    November 13, 2011
    fb1664868775
    A fascinating excersize in film making, Hitchcock's "no-cuts" camerawork is the true star of this one.
  • MovieGeek13
    October 10, 2011
    MovieGeek13
    I think I would have enjoyed being involved in the making of Rope more than I did watching it. Stories like having to gag and drag off a cameraman who's foot is broken from being run over while the shot is still going on, or running to grab a a falling glass without making a soun... read mored are stories that would be great to tell at a party or while having drinks with friends in the backyard.
    Rope creates a real time environment by limiting the amount of cuts made. There are only two obvious cuts in the movie, and the rest are masked to make it look like all the action is being filmed in one continuous shot. Where Hitchcock tries to mask these cuts is painfully obvious and flimsy, but that's because I live in an age of 1080p and digital manipulation; in other words, I'm spoiled. The auteur's choice reflects the fact that two young men have just murdered a man and stuck his body in a book chest, right before the guests arrive. Every minute passed is a minute that body is there, waiting to be discovered. How these two men maneuver their guests to have fun and get out builds a lot of suspense and tension, as one of their guests, Rupert (played by James Stewart) begins to suspect the murder.
    The film is based on a stage play, and the style reflects a theatre setting. What doesn't translate too well is how Rupert suspects the murder and one of the men's overbearing guilt for committing the deed. Maybe on stage it works, but as a film, it feels very contrived, and in the space of a room, far too convenient that the film plays out in the way it does. A major problem, but Rope is still good entertainment. For Hitchcock fans, the artistry on display is worth a look.
  • bbcfloridabound
    July 12, 2011
    bbcfloridabound
    A pretty good Alfred Hitchcock film. You can tell this was at one time a play on stage. About 2 men who living together kill a third man and put his body in a chest, right before giving a party. Will the guess find out. A awesome part played by Jimmy Stewart who figures out why t... read morehese guys are so nervous. Jimmy's eyes in this roll see right through you. Never did see the Cameo by Hitchcock in this movie. A great dram film. 3 1/2 stars.
  • spielberg00
    June 24, 2011
    spielberg00
    Filmed in one shot?! Wow.
  • FilmFanatik
    April 3, 2011
    FilmFanatik
    Two words: utterly brilliant. Hitchcock's first real foray into experimental filmmaking is a masterstroke.
  • FrizzDrop
    January 25, 2011
    FrizzDrop
    One of Hitchcock's more inventive and personal dramas, the story of murder and psychological superiority is tantamount to the serial killer novels written by James Patterson with a swirl of theatricality. Taking place in a singular room and amounting to the time of one evening, t... read morehe obvious adaptation from a play held interest in the mere trivial conversations of the killer's party guests, and the madness with which Dall undergoes to insure his past teacher sees he is in fact a priveleged being. Great performances by Stewart, Granger, and Dall who came through with all the trials and tribulations of a seriously deranged pair and their sleuth adversary.

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Critic Reviews

Bosley Crowther
January 1, 2000
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Apart from the tedium of waiting or someone to open that chest and discover the hidden body which the hosts have tucked away for the sake of a thrill, the unpunctuated flow of image becomes quite mono... Full Review

Vincent Canby
January 1, 2000
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Rope is not merely a stunt that is justified by the extraordinary career that contains it, but one of the movies that makes that career extraordinary. Full Review

Kevin McCarthy
August 2, 2008
Kevin McCarthy, BDK Reviews

Rope is Hitchock's underrated classic that contains some of the most unique filmmaking of it's time. Hitchcock was so far ahead of filmmakers back then and so far ahead of a lot of the filmmakers today.

Dennis Schwartz
March 20, 2008
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Serves only as perverse entertainment. Full Review

Nathaniel Rogers
July 20, 2007
Nathaniel Rogers, Film Experience

An elaborately perverse buffet served up at a pivotal moment in Hitchcock's career Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
June 19, 2006
Fernando F. Croce, Slant Magazine

"A crime for most, a privilege for some" is how Rupert classifies murder, but Hitchcock's eye-am-a-camera technique in Rope is after more than Nazi-superman residue still lurking after WWII. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
October 7, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Hitchcock said it was a stunt, but Rope is a fascinating experiment trying to find the cinematic equivalent to a play, with the camera constantly searching Full Review

Steve Crum
October 23, 2004
Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan

Experimental Hitchcock murder mystery, very stagey

Rich Cline
June 12, 2004
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall

Genius!

Ken Hanke
August 14, 2003
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Hitchcock's 'one take' classic gets better with age.

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    • Rupert Cadell: Did you think you were God, Brandon?
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Rope Trivia

  • Where is the body hidden in Hitchcock's Rope?  Answer »
  • which actor in robin hood prince of theives sang " there was a rich man from nottingham that tried to cross the river, what a dope he tripped on a rope, now look at him shiver" ?  Answer »
  • In Casino Royale, near the ending of the movie James Bond gets tortured with...  Answer »
  • Cary Grant was the original choice for the Jimmy Stewart role in Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rope'  Answer »
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