Analysis of Rope

Rope is a psychological thriller. It was changed in a Patrick Hamilton's Play which appeared in 1929. The play is based upon real life murderers Leopold and Leob who killed an innocent man to see how it felt. The case became very famous in America. It was linked to the ideas of Nietzsche and his notion of Superman a morally superior being. Nietzsche's ideas influenced Hitler and the rise of the Nazis. This film was made in 1948 and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The best aspect about this film is the editing. Hitchcock wanted to film story as one continuous take so that it would be like watching a play. However, before digital, film came in 10 minutes rolls. Hitchcock had to compromise and each unedited scene was 10 minutes long. Using this editing technique creates a feeling of claustrophobia. The actors and audience are both "trapped" in the film. The trunk with the body present throughout the scene add tension. Most thrillers use devices such as Suspense. This is when we constantly wait for the body to be discovered. Finally a cliffhanger was used at the end of the film with Rupert Cadell as we dont know if he would killed by Brandon and Phillip.