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ornamental line

Attractively Sinister

"We agreed there was only one crime we could commit,
that of making a mistake."
Rope (1948)


Points for Reflection

Alfred Hitchcock's Rope (1948)

  1. does the orchestral music which opens the film meld well with the uninterrupted, high angle shot of the street against which the opening credits play?  Does the score help set up, tonally, the second, interior shot?
  2. can you identify the various cuts which take place every ten minutes?  (Hitchcock alternates between shot-reverse cuts, and hidden cuts during which an object totally blocks the camera’s lens for a moment.)
  3. the box-like aspect ratio of Hitchcock’s Rope (1.37:1) requires the actors in a given scene to stand closer to one another than they would if given a wider ratio like CinemaScope’s 2.35:1 (1953).  Does this physical proximity feel appropriate or inappropriate, in light of the film’s subject matter?
  4. how carefully arranged is the mise en scène of Hitchcock’s shots, and does this converge with or diverge from Brandon’s meticulous arrangement of furniture and art in his upscale apartment?
  5. do the specific works of Art in Brandon’s home signal anything about his character and motivation?
  6. Brandon speaks confidently about disposable humans like David who “take up space.”  Does Brandon do much that would disqualify him from being placed in the same category?
  7. watch Brandon as closely as you do Phillip.  Does the former seem to be the master of his situation, to be fully in control?
  8. can we determine what Brandon actually feels and thinks?  Does he appear to believe everything he says?  Is he either a sociopath or psychopath?
  9. it’s also tricky to apply diagnostic labels to fictional characters, but does any particular condition come to mind when contemplating Brandon’s character?
  10. is Brandon consistently correct when drawing conclusions about others?
  11. Brandon believes he and Phillip have planned everything out quite carefully, and wants to emerge from the evening’s party without letting slip anything incriminating.  Does he act accordingly?
  12. why might Brandon have preferred to commit the murder not only during daytime, but under daylight itself—with the curtains open?
  13. Brandon accuses Phillip of getting upset much too easily.  In what ways does Phillip betray his preoccupation with their recent crime?
  14. what kind of cache did smoking apparently gain on screen in the decades between the early 20s and this film?
  15. does Mrs. Wilson unwittingly draw attention to the hidden crime?
  16. in Patrick Hamilton’s play, which inspired the film, Patrick and Brandon were intended to be lovers, akin to the two actual murderers on which the play was based.  Does the film nod to such romantic intimacy?
  17. does Brandon see Phillip as a true partner in crime, or one more set piece in a work of art orchestrated by himself?
  18. late in the film, Phillip asks Brandon if he’s ever stopped to think how someone else might feel. Does the film provide evidence of such an empathic capacity in Brandon?
  19. on what subject is Janet currently writing for Allure, and does the topic of this magazine article come up again?
  20. what is Janet’s history with Brandon?
  21. of what does Janet accuse Brandon, and is her allegation accurate?
  22. on what principle does Rupert select the books he publishes, and does this make him admirable?
  23. is Brandon’s evaluation of Rupert’s character, prior to Rupert’s appearance at the party, a correct one?
  24. why does Rupert wind up the metronome on the piano, and why does he keep touching it?
  25. in a sly wink to the audience, Mrs. Atwater alludes to Hitchcock’s recent film starring Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant, Notorious (1946).  Would that title have worked just as well with this movie?
  26. at what points does the camera refuse to capture Phillip’s or Brandon’s faces, yet somehow manage to still capture their presence in a palpable way?
  27. how does Mr. Kentley respond to Rupert’s observations about murder?
  28. Mr. Kentley asserts that the world is civilized.  Does the film ultimately uphold this claim?
  29. in the final analysis, should we consider Brandon & Phillip equally culpable for the crime they committed?
  30. which characters are not present in the film’s last act, and why?
  31. why does Rupert return to Brandon’s apartment?
  32. does Rupert follow a straight, or crooked, line of enquiry when he returns?
  33. is Rupert guilty of anything?
  34. in Mythologies (1955), semiologist Roland Barthes argues that "colouring the world is always a means of denying it" (94). Do you agree that adding colors makes a work seem less realistic and vital, or could this claim only seem true in the 1950s when only some films were released in full color?


Rope (1948)
one sheet

 



Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu