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Rope, a review by Jon

Rope (1948)
4 out of 5



Farley Granger and John Dall play two friends who have committed an audacious murder in their own apartment, shortly before a party with several friends and relatives of the recently deceased David, who is hidden inside a chest which they have made the centre-piece. Amongst the guests is James Stewart, the moral but unwitting inspiration for the plan.

In Rope, Hitchcock set himself a challenge by using a single set (the apartment) and one camera. He also intended to use one take, but as Achim already mentioned, was limited by 10 minute reels. But you have to look for the joins to spot them and they are very clever. Far from a mere experiment, Rope is a dark little moral tale that’s great fun to watch unfold.

So overall, it feels like a play, though far more dynamic and Hitchcock doesn’t waste a second. The screenplay (by Hume Cronyn) and actors are so good that the story would have worked if the camera was static, but he moves it around like an invisible guest, treating the chest with the body inside like an axis. Every time it is in shot the tension is tightened, none more so than when the maid starts to clear it towards the tail end of the evening.

The screenplay is brilliant at following two broad themes: the murderers getting a thrill from hiding David and the others considering David’s role in their lives and where he could be, subconsciously turning detective between them. The camera works to smoothly switch the emotional focus between the discussions and uses the chest to twist the audience’s perceptions.

Key to this is Rupert (James Stewart in his first Hitchcock role). While there are scenes similar to earlier films like Lifeboat, which overlap dialogue, he is the only one who can join in on both sides, especially as he has the least connection to David. He wonders where he is, but can consider all the evidence rationally, and it’s his own theories Brandon (John Dall) has used as inspiration for the murder; that it is ones moral right to kill someone inferior. So it is he who makes the link between his hosts’ strange behaviour and the possibility of a crime. Rupert is the closest character for the viewer and probably the director himself. While the subject could become pompous, he is a safety net for the audience in more ways than one. He enjoys the idea of murder, but could he actually go that far? Stewart is fantastic, quickly establishing himself as an intelligent, but rather manipulative and mischievous character (the discussion about Grant and Bergman is particularly funny).

The rest of the cast are excellent too, but Granger and Dall are particularly good because they are so different. They sort of represent each other, with Dall enjoying the thrill and Granger falling apart, while only hinting that they share the emotions. Interestingly it is Granger that actually did the throttling.

Rope is an excellent example of cinema and demonstrates how well all the elements can blend. Acting, writing and direction have to balance for a film like this to work. By restricting the action to one set, there’s no room for prevarication or indulgence, yet it is so much fun.

I thought it a nice touch that all the credits were centred on the most important character: David’s friends, David’s Aunt, David’s this, etc.


(From Alfred Hitchcock Marathon on July 20th, 2009)

A Song is Born, a review by GSyren

Title	A Song Is Born (Disc ID: FA89-393F-AFEB-6791)
Director	Howard Hawks
Actors	Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Louis Armstrong
Produced	1948 in United States
Runtime	113 minutes
Audio	English Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles	None
Overview
My thoughts	The fourth and last film of the Goldwyn Years box set, A Song is Born, is the best film of the four. Unlike The Kid from Brooklyn, the musical numbers are well integrated in the script and don't feel forced at all. The script is great, based on a story co-written by Billy Wilder, and the music is performed by some of the best musicians of the time. The film is directed by Howard Hawks, easily the best of the four directors, although Norman Z. McLeod, who directed The Kid from Brooklyn, was no slouch either. Unfortunately, The Kid was one of his weaker efforts. With more moderately talented actors this would still have been a good movie, but Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo lift it up another notch. Oh, Virginia Mayo's smile melts me like butter in sunshine. For me, this film is up there with The Court Jester and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty when it comes to Danny Kaye comedies. Very highly recommended!
My rating

(From Reviews and ramblings by Gunnar on April 16th, 2014)

Pete's Pilots, a review by addicted2dvd

Moonlight


No Such Thing as Vampires
A Hearst College coed with a thing for vampires turns up dead - with two puncture wounds in her neck.

My Thoughts:
This is a show I liked a lot when it originally aired. It is one that just wasn't treated right at the time. You never knew when it was going to be on or not. Making it hard to keep track of. Because of this it got canceled much earlier then it should have. I mean this one won a People's Choice Award for favorite new series. But yet it is canceled because of the ratings? Sorry that don't make much sense to me.

Sure this is a story that has been told over and over again. The vampire that wants to redeem himself. But this one is interesting and had enough new and different views on the vampire legend that made it an entertaining show to watch. His friend is played by Jason Dohring... who played Logan on Veronica Mars. My least favorite character on that series. But on this show... I really liked him on here.

My Rating:

(From Pete's Pilots on May 17th, 2010)