ALFRED HITCHCOCK – ROPE
Widely considered one of the greatest directors of the first half of the 20th century, Alfred Hitchcock loved his own work so much that he perfected the art of the cameo, making blink-and-you’ll-miss-them appearances in 39 of his own films.
By 1948 Hitchcock was already a seasoned director, with 39 films under his belt, and Rope would mark the first collaboration between the portly director and Jimmy Stewart. Hitchcock and Stewart would go on to work together on Rear Window in 1954, Vertigo in 1985 and The Man Who Knew Too Much in 1956.
This would be his first foray into color cinema but he would later describe Rope an “experiment that didn’t work out.” Wildly ambitious in its concept, Hitchcock wanted to present the film as if it was one continuous shot in real time.
Although a grand idea, the technical limitations of the day coupled with the pressure of trying to accomplish such a groundbreaking narrative trick ultimately left Hitchcock less than impressed with his final product, one he wanted to distance himself from. Jimmy Stewart would later admit he felt he was miscast as the professor.
