"Rope" B-movie

"Rope"(1948) – is the first producer project of Alfred Hitchcock, the first colour film of the legendary director. With such a low budget of 1, 5 million dollars, Hitchcock was saving money on everything. Even the whole film looks like a stage play. (like in theatres)  The full-length movie was filmed with only 9 long shots, and each of them lasted from 4 to 10 minutes.

Hitchcock and his crew had to solve a lot of technical problems. Except for the very first frame, the whole picture is shot in the film set (decorations). The clouds were made of wire and cotton wool. The sound was recorded synchronously right on the set.

This film was realesed just during The Golden Age of Hollywood(1930 - 1950) This period of time when B- movies were not intended for mass distribution, often shown in cinemas in a pair with more popular films. On one hand, B-movie can be highly artistic and aesthetic, like "Rope", but on the other hand, they can be dull, pointless and over the top.

For 30 years  "Rope"  was unpopular and inaccessible to the public and was one of "5 lost Hitchcock movies", it came out of nonexistence only in 1984.

1. The technique of long shots is difficult, so that is why all action takes place only in one apartment generally showing us only three rooms. In such a chambered environment, it is possible to keep the audience in suspense only using small details. "Rope" is watched in one breath.


2. The film is built on the principle of growing tension and suspense, and one of the main characters intentionally creates it, he enjoys the „walking on the razor's edge.”The whole film is a big suspense itself. The audience experience a real horror when they know that at any moment the horrible truth can be revealed, the ticking bomb can explode at any moment. „Hitchcock was not afraid to look into the depths of the human subconscious to understand: The expectation of trouble is much worse than the disaster itself.”


3. Alfred Hitchcock was interested in a very curious theory by Friedrich Nietzsche, that is why, mostly, "Rope" is dedicated to the so-called Nietzsche's „superhumans” and their deeds. In this film „ Alfred Hitchcock brilliantly recreated the psychopathological human nature, deprived of the burden of moral and political experience.” He tried to look into the depths of the consciousness and subconscious of characters, to understand the hidden reasons that push people to commit crimes.


4. Great attention is given to smart and well thought out dialogues.


5. "Rope" is a unique experiment in the cinematography and in the whole history of world cinema.