‎Rope (1948) directed by Alfred Hitchcock • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

Rope

1948 Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

It begins with a shriek… It ends with a shot!

Two young men strangle their "inferior" classmate, hide his body in their apartment, and invite his friends and family to a dinner party as a means to challenge the "perfection" of their crime.

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

81 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by brat pitt ★★★★ 4

what’s up with dudes who went to harvard and accusing their friends of chicken cruelty
Review by CinemaClown ★★★★★ 18

One of the most innovative films of its time, Alfred Hitchcock's Rope introduces a number of filmmaking experiments which, even today, remain widely unexplored in the world of cinema. It is an immensely captivating tale of two men who strangle one of their acquaintances, hide his body in their apartment, and then throw a party to determine the perfection of their crime.

Filmed in a manner that gives the illusion of being shot in a single take, the biggest strength of this film is how effortlessly it manages to engage the viewers in its expertly crafted plot & sustain the tension throughout its runtime even when the audience is aware of how the movie will end. The direction by Hitchcock is…
Review by Arielrocks5 ★★★★½ 20

I often forget how much I love stage. Something about the twisty nature and slow burn pace of most shows kicks in a certain tension not seen in reading or watching.

Filmed stage is harder to pull off, due to how much you want to replicate that feeling while also remaining cinematic enough to justify your own existence. I don't mind most attempts feeling like filmed stage, due to my own bias, but I can see how it could be an issue for some.

However, I think Hitchcock had the best idea when it came to filming a stage show and turning into a movie; by attempting to film it all in one take. Granted, at the time (and even…
Review by Aaron Locke ★★★★ 5

This is so gay. I mean, this is SO gay. Maybe you think you know how gay this is. Maybe you thought, "Oh, this is a lil gay" or "Oh, I'm sensing some undertones of homo-eroticism." Except you were wrong because Rope is perhaps the gayest movie in the history of gay movies and I loved every single second of it.

Oh yeah, good long takes, too.
Review by Those Eyebrows ★★★★ 1

We only ever see the "S" on that huge blinking neon sign outside but I'm pretty sure the rest of it reads "-U-B-T-E-X-T."
Review by Esteban Gonzalez ★★★★ 9

“I've always wished for more artistic talent. Well, murder can be an art, too. The power to kill can be just as satisfying as the power to create.”

With the aftermaths of the effects of World War II, Patrick Hamilton’s play seemed like the perfect choice for Alfred Hitchcock’s next film. A plot which centers on two highly intellectual men that decide to commit the perfect murder. The victim being one of their classmates who they consider to be inferior to them. This concept of superiority is handled pretty heavily as there are several discussions about it through the film, and it is easy to compare it to Hitler’s ideal of the superior Nazi race. Rope isn’t subtle at all,…

Recent reviews

Review by Paixão Herbert ★★★★

plano sequência foda
Review by Thomas ★★★★½

This movie shows once again what a brilliant and visionary director Alfred Hitchcock was. It takes place at only one location (similar to “Rear Window” or “12 Angry Men”) and was filmed in a way that makes it seem like the whole movie is one continuous shot (most cuts are masked), which gives the film the feeling of a stage play (it is actually based on one). I would never have thought that a movie about a dinner party could be so damn suspenseful, but I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Writing, directing, cinematography, and acting are all top notch. John Dall and Farley Granger complement each other perfectly and James Stewart also delivers a great performance. Especially his final monologue is fantastic.
“Rope” is a timeless classic and one of my favorite Hitchcock movies.
Review by Pete Majarich ★★★★

Alfred Hitchock at his suspenseful best. He once wrote that “five people at a table is not a story, but put five people at a table with a bomb underneath it is”. This is that theory embodied and brought to life.
Review by Blake ★★★★★

Story and acting are as spectacular as ever. As to be expected in a Hitchcock film. But the whole hook of the film is that it looks like it was filmed all in one take to emulate the stage play it’s based off of. Meaning no sudden cuts. Nowadays, it’s easer to see the invisible cut that have been used to give the illusion of a one take film. (Example being the camera zooming in to a characters jacket till the screen is black and zooming out from the same jacket.) However, this doesn’t detract from the overall quality of the film in my opinion. If your not actively trying to find the cuts like I was then you’ll probably…
Review by Ale Quintana ★★½

Interesting and tense all the way till the end.
Review by Bourbon_Jedi ★★★½

This movie is worth it for the one scene that focuses on the maid while the main conversation is going on off screen. It’s a long glorious take that ratchets up the tension.
Review by ymski ★★★★½

One room, a really simple story, and a whole lot of fucking suspense.
Review by Dave Randall ★★★

I bet theater kids love this
Review by Jake ★★★★½

Utterly fantastic. Hitchcock’s directing here is top of the line, wish more movies were shot the way this was. James Stewart is always good, but Farley Granger & John Dall are great, love the dialogue and how foreshadowing and hinty it is. I also really liked the set design, just how the apartment was set up gave the movie that extra touch.

My third Hitchcock is definitely my 2nd favorite of his behind Psycho, definitely going to make it a priority to see more of his work this year.