The Rope

[Flimmy]

Opinions on Jimmie Stewart the The Rope…?

He deals with murder, the greatest moral evil, in a fashion fit for studio, during a time of the National Legion of Decency.

 

[Portofino]

Opinions on Jimmie Stewart the The Rope…?

He deals with murder, the greatest moral evil, in a fashion fit for studio, during a time of the National Legion of Decency.

I liked Hitchcock’s “Rope”, starring Jimmy Stewart (at least, from what I can remember of it). I recall that it was based on the Leopold and Loeb murders, a true-life account of two young men (at least one of whom had a genius IQ) who convinced themselves – presumably through their reading of Nietzsche – that they were above ordinary societal conceptions of right and wrong. I believe they murdered a young boy. There’s also an obvious parallel with Raskolnikov of Crime and Punishment, who believed that great men – like Napoleon – were beyond good and evil and were entitled to commit murder.

I found that the film gave voice not merely to the Nietzschean protagonists (the two boys) but also to the dissenting, more “Christian” viewpoint – if you will – of the inherent dignity and worth of every person. I think Stewart ultimately came around to this more humanistic viewpoint, despite his having articulated or toyed with these Nietzschean ideas himself, in his role as a professor that wanted to play devil’s advocate (not suspecting that any of his students would actually draw such bold conclusions from his words, let alone act on them). I also recall the girlfriend of the boy that is killed articulating more traditional humanistic values, about what John Paul II would call the “inherent worth and dignity of every human being.”

Overall, I found it to be a good film in the sense of being thought-provoking, well-made, and emotionally poignant (though this last is not generally a priority, for Hitchcock). It also is celebrated for its extensive use of the “long take” (minimal cutting or editing). Hitchcock challenged himself to shoot virtually the entire movie in an extended long take, such that – stylistically – it was considered a “feat” of sorts.

 

[Bonnie]

Rope was loosely based on the Leopold and Loeb murder years earlier. It deals well with guilt and murder for fun - something that still happens.

Don’t know what - if anything - the National Legion of Decency has to do with it.

 

[PaulGH]

*Rope *is one of my favorite Hitchcock movies, and I love his movies. It is very dark, but very well made. The entire movie is one continuous scene, with no breaks to show elapsed time or a change of location. I highly recommend it. It’s not for kids though!

 

[Bonnie]

The entire movie is one continuous scene, with no breaks to show elapsed time or a change of location.

All in real time, like High Noon. That’s another great movie!

 

[Flimmy]

Don’t know what - if anything - the National Legion of Decency has to do with it.

Probably nothing.

I found the actors to be supportive of each other, as they might be on a stage in front of an audience, perhaps what actors do regardless, though maybe more so given the nature of the “long-take.” Whatever it was, it was a neat added… element.