Rope Essay Questions

What is unique about the narrative structure of Rope?

Perhaps one of the most notable elements of the structure of the plot of the film is that it starts by revealing the murderers. While many suspense films or films about murder reserve the revelation of the murderer until the end (or at least a ways into the plot), in Rope the viewer is aligned with the murderers from the start. It is hardly a "whodunit." Rather, the viewer spends the entire film wondering if anyone will discover the dead body hidden in the chest. The suspense of this quandary is only heightened by the fact that all of the action takes place in one evening, in real time. The film never cuts away to other scenes or characters, and the viewer waits to see if Brandon and Phillip will get away with their plot.

What does Rupert Cadell realize at the end of the film?

By the end of the film, Rupert Cadell discovers David Kentley's dead body inside the chest, confirming his suspicions that Brandon and Phillip murdered their friend. Beyond the literal discovery of the body, however, Cadell also sees the problems with his own philosophical interest in murder. While Cadell spends much of the party explaining the virtues of murder, and the Nietzschean ideal of the superman, to the perverse delight of some (Janet and Mrs. Atwater) and the horror of others (Mr. Kentley), he sees the error of his thinking when he realizes that his students have made literal what to him was an abstract idea. When he sees Brandon and Phillip's deed, he realizes that no man can decide the fate of another. In the abstract, Nietzsche's figure of the superman was compelling, but in practice, it is horrific and evil.

What are the key differences between Phillip and Brandon?

While the two murderers are aligned in their deed, their temperaments are markedly different. Where Brandon is smooth, unflappable, and detached, Phillip is anxious, worried, and insecure. While Brandon is initially thrilled and exhilarated by their murder of David Kentley, it makes Phillip uneasy, and he seems to go along with Brandon's schemes halfheartedly. Not only is Brandon remorseless about the murder, but he also peppers the entire dinner party with hints at their crime, most of which go completely unnoticed. His ability to lie borders on the sociopathic. Phillip, on the other hand, is erratically nervous for the entire evening, drinks excessively, and becomes revealingly emotional as the dinner progresses. In many ways, the two men are opposites; Brandon is completely dominant and cold-blooded, while Phillip is emotional and unable to tell a lie.

What is unique about the way that the movie was filmed?

The film is notable for the fact that it was shot as though it is one continuous take. While there are cuts in the film, they are shot in such a way as to make it seem like there is no interruption to the action. When Hitchcock wanted to cut, he would pan the camera to the back of a character's shirt or into a piece of furniture, shrouding the lens in darkness, but continuing to play the sound so as to suggest a fluid continuity. While the result is a bit awkward at times, it does give the narrative impression of the plot unfolding in real time. Another innovation in the way that the film was shot is the fact that a number of the set pieces and walls were on rollers so that they could be moved to enable for the movement of the camera and the unusually long takes. The result is a highly stylized and at times theatrical setting for the suspense.

Discuss the importance of art in the film.

At the beginning of the film, Brandon laments that fact that he has no artistic talents, but that committing the perfect murder feels like the way that he can make up for that fact. Murder, to him, is a kind of creative act. He says, "...Murder can be an art, too. The power to kill can be just as satisfying as the power to create." From his skewed perspective, murder is not destructive, but one that is on par with creative power. All of the perverse touches that Brandon puts on the evening—tying the books up with the murderous rope, setting up David's girlfriend with Kenneth, making indirect jokes about David's absence—are touches that he believes make the murder all the more "artful." Phillip, on the other hand, has an artistic talent; he is an accomplished pianist. Because he has an artistic and creative outlet, he does not have the same drive that Brandon does to complete the "perfect murder," and their deed makes him all the more uneasy. Indeed, even at the end of the film, when the cops are on their way, all Phillip can think to do is sit down at the piano and play.