(Fig.1)
Alfred Hitchcock's camera shots can make the film seem like one big take so he made their no visible cuts. It was choreographed with 10 minute takes and so was the screenplay so that the main focus is where the drama needed it. Because Hitchcock was basing the film on a play called the Leopard-Loeb Murder. He had to think about the space he was using even more and although he used such a space we never really questioned what was happening."the killing taking place inside obscured by drawn curtains shows not just the directors awareness of the small space separating life and death, but also how much of it he is allowed to show." (Croce et al.,2018 ) The camera positioning and usage plays a huge role on what we as an audience see and understand and the themes of brutality and sexuality. Which you could argue is another reason why he shows very little intimate scenes, he merely hints the context.
(Fig.2)
Here you can see the pull focus technique which is the switch between the domestic dinner party and the chest which holds the body inside. This is a classic thriller technique this can help Hitchcock's tension build until he is to release it when its more unexpected later. Also the use of the Foreground with the chest. He also used the things that were happening in this long take to change the film reel for example "These breaks he usually accomplishes by having the camera appear to pan across someone's back, during which dark close-ups the film reel is changed." (NYtimes.com,2018)
Bibliography:
(Fig 3)
The theme of theatricality comes into play and even though Hitchcock went against his montage/cut editing in this film he managed to keep people on edge when the maid is ever so slowly taking book by book off the chest.
"Prop men constantly had to move the furniture and other props out of the way of the large camera, and then ensure they were replaced in the correct location. A team of sound men and camera operators kept the camera and microphones in constant motion." ( Horror Cult Films,2018 )
Croce, F., Henderson, E., Bowen, C., Bowen, C., Camp, A., Seitz, M. and Henderson, E. (2018). Rope | Film Review | Slant Magazine. [online] Slant Magazine. Available at: https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/rope
Horror Cult Films. (2018). HITCHCOCK MASTER OF SUSPENSE #34: ROPE [1948] | Horror Cult Films. [online] Available at: http://horrorcultfilms.co.uk/2014/05/hitchcock-master-or-suspense-34-rope-1948/ [Accessed 27 Jan. 2018].
Nytimes.com. (2018). 'Rope': A Stunt to Behold. [online] Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/library/film/060384hitch-rope-reflection.html [Accessed 27 Jan. 2018].
Figure List
[Accessed 26 Jan. 2018].
Anon, (2018). [image] Available at: http://prettycleverfilms.com/files/2013/09/HItchcockRope-300x225.jpg [Accessed 26 Jan. 2018].
Anon, (2018). [image] Available at: https://incessantpadding.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/rope2.jpg [Accessed 26 Jan. 2018].
Lisathatcher.files.wordpress.com. (2018). Cite a Website - Cite This For Me. [online] Available at: https://lisathatcher.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/rope-tense-chest-scene.jpg [Accessed 26 Jan. 2018].
Hi Georgia!
ReplyDeleteGood to see this review, with no GIFs and a sensible choice of images :)
A couple of points - once you have introduced the director etc., in this case Alfred Hitchcock, you should just refer to him by his surname... so not like this, 'Because Alfred was basing the film on a play', but as you have done here - '...this can help Hitchcock's tension build.'
The film was actually based on the book, called 'Rope' and the subsequent play, which was also called 'Rope', all of which might have been influenced by the Leopard-Loeb murder case.
In your bibliography, you don't need to specify which quote the reference refers to - you have already done this job by putting the name and date after the quote. You should separate your images out into a seperate Illustrations List, and just list them Figure 1 etc. Have another look at the referencing guide here, for full details of how to reference the images -
http://www.uca.ac.uk/library/academic-support/harvard-referencing/
ok thanks
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