Delayed Reaction: Rope

The Pitch: Two men flaunt the murder they just committed by throwing a dinner party at the scene of the crime.

We sure love tracking shots these days. It makes sense. With all the technology out there and our obsession with edits, there's something honest about an actor being on camera the whole time. It certainly added to the discussion that got Birdman an Oscar win. Cary Joji Fukunaga has an Emmy because of a tracking shot in True Detective. "Charlie Work" was the most talked about episode of It's Always Sunny that season. Tracking shots aren't new though. In fact, they used to be necessary to an extent. Before everything was digital, it required a lot more work to cut scenes together, so directors would hold a shot for a lot longer.

Of course, leave it to Alfred Hitchcock to take it a step further. Rope isn't all one shot, but it's edited like one and has some very long shots. I think that "gimmick" sells it short though. It's just a good movie. Even traditionally shot, it would be entertaining. Perhaps not quite as tense. The limited confines are perfect for the story. The paces zips right along. The film is loaded with subtext. It's designed as a stage play but manages to work well as a film, which is really hard to do. The acting is a little, big, let's say. It works for the film though. I like Jimmy Stewart in particular, partly because he's the only actor I recognized.

It's not perfect and it isn't Hitchcock's most dazzling work. That says more about the overall quality of his work than it does about this film.

Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend