Rope (1948) FULL WATCH ALONG w/Coby
Added 2024-02-21 19:00:03 +0000 UTCMore Hitchcock! More James Stewart! More Coby!
Comments
Coby, have you seen The Talented Mr Ripley (1999)? Has a very Hitchcockian feel, based on Patricia Highsmith novel (like Strangers on a Train). I think you'd enjoy it.
JM63
2024-02-29 13:24:35 +0000 UTCThe homosexual undertone of this film is so stark that the subtext is nearly text! And that was Hitchcock's intention. Brandon and Phillip are meant to be (closeted) lovers, and their murder of David an almost sexual act--Brandon needing a spoke right afterwards, the almost orgasmic way he described feeling David go "limp." John Dall (Brandon) was widely believed to be gay, and Farley Granger (Phillip) was bisexual, and the screenwriter was also gay. The only hiccup is James Stewart. In the original play, their schoolmaster is meant to be an older gay man who groomed the boys both philosophically and sexually. But the vibe of Stewart's acting is so heterosexual and his performance so lacking in that layer that it basically removes it as a story element. The whole movie is also a technology experiment. Hitchcock wanted to see how close he could get to making a movie that appeared as a single take with no edits or cuts. But camera technology at that time only allowed filming for up to 20 minutes, afterwards the reel need to be changed out. So the whole movie was filmed in about five segments, with those incredibly long takes. The actors had to all be perfectly synchronized, and the cameras (huge, heavy, lumbering machines) would be wheeled to follow them around the apartment, with crew members having to move furniture and false walls out of their way. It was a lot of work, and it's why the camera zooms in and out of people's backs; those are the cuts, and they're intended to be seamless. Two more little tidbits. Everyone is making such a big deal about serving champagne because this is taking place just after World War II, and champagne was still a luxury commodity that had been rationed during the war. The gun originally had six bullets: one was fired into the ground when Phillip and Rupert were struggling for it, then Rupert fired three shots outside the window to alert the authorities. He consciously kept two bullets left in the barrel in case he had to shoot Brandan and Phillip. This is top 5 Hitchcock for me, and I'm glad you enjoyed it, and am even happier that you're continuing with his work!
Hunter DeRensis
2024-02-24 05:22:15 +0000 UTC
