I was just about to chime in on this: Strangers on a Train is tip-top Hitchcock, and Robert Walker's performance is a prime candidate for best acting ever seen in a Hitchcock movie.
@@henryellow Great. Since you are also, I assume, doing North by Northwest, you can show you are more attentive than the average YT reactor. Early on in NbNw, something happens to Cary Grant that every reactor I've watched has missed why it happened. Perhaps you'll be the first to catch it. 😀
@@DelGuy03The plot gets too weird for the villain for me. And Hitchcock's daughter isn't at her best. I prefer Shadow of a Doubt or The Wrong Man. Great acting all round in both. Powerful tight films.
Certainly one of my favorite Hitchcock films particularly in its execution of long takes and its blocking because it feels that form of filming has thematic relevance in that the camera itself is like a rope encircling winding it's way around the set witnessing chosen moments. There is by the way film about the actual Leopold and Loeb case called Compulsion (1959) although it's considered "fictionalized" but does follow the actual pretty closely and is considered a top-notch film. Really looking forward to the next Hitchcock films you are watching. Very curious about which ones they are.
That's an interesting way to look at it. To view the camera movement akin to a snaking rope. Someone else mentioned Compulsion (1959) too. I'll add it to my movies list 👍 Well, you can check out my channel community to find out 😊 I announced it there.
Phillip joined Brandon because like Leopold and Loeb, they were homosexual lovers. Not surprisingly, that isn't something the film makes explicit or obvious. If you are interested, there is a movie called Compulsion that is much more closely based on the L&L case than Rope. It was free on YT not too long ago but I'm not sure if it still is. It has some good moments but isn't nearly as good a movie as Rope. Oh, the phone call near the end was likely from a doorman at their apartment and, obviously, Rupert knew they were still home. I'll add that there used to be something called pay phones and they were often outside apartment buildings like the one in Rope. 😉 Rope is a great movie for many reasons, but John Dall's performance as Brandon is the high point for me.
That's what I thought too, after reading the story on Leopold and Loeb. I was assuming that someone was calling them from their home phone. But if it's Rupert (or someone using the payphone right outside), then yes they would see their apartment lights switched on. He sure played the role of a self centered, I'm-superior-than-anyone-else person very well 👍🏻 facial expressions on point too.
Yes, "Rope" was loosely based on the Leopold and Loeb murder, and that in the movie, Brandon and Phillip are lovers. Hitchcock was intentional about including the gay subtext, though he referred to the subtext as "it." I have no doubt he was most creative about getting the gay subtext past the censors to the audience (this was 1948, after all). The suspense certainly comes in when the truth will come out. Fun fact: in real life, John Dall (Brandon) was gay, and Farley Granger (Phillip) was bi. I have been enjoying your reactions and perspective on the Hitchcock films. Thank you for doing them!
Great reaction, Henry. I think Brandon was a sociopath. No conscience, no sense of empathy or pity. I especially liked and agree with your take on needing a conscience. Many serial killers were/are sociopaths, like Ted Bundy, although his motive was different. He did it out of a need for power over another; a desire to possess and control. Brandon appears to do it out of a sense of superiority - "I'm superior and can perform the perfect murder - let's use an inferior creature as part of my experiment." Truly reprehensible.
People who commit crimes usually do it to get something. For example, people rob to get money. Some serial killers commit murder because it makes them feel a certain way they wouldn't normally be able to feel. When Rupert mentioned, "there's always been something deep inside me that would never let me do it," I believe he was referring to his conscience. Some people may have negative/destructive/intrusive thoughts, what stops them from acting upon those thoughts? Willpower is limited, so when it fails, I believe conscience or deep-rooted principles become the safety net that catches those thoughts. Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing! 😊
I've always considered Rope the serious version of an old farce, Arcenic and Old Lace. The 1944 movie based on a successful stage play stars Carry Grant, and was directed by Frank Capra. When I have commented about this before, anybody who's seen both gets why I make the comparison and thinks it's as funny as I do. I wll only tell you Arsenic and Old Lace score around 80% on most consensus rating sites.😎
My only complaint is Jimmy Stewart being cast. Even he thought it was ... disappointing. But the technical aspects, the plot and the rest of the cast make it one of my favorite Bottle Movies.
Totally random thoughts (I've seen this movie through the decades, since I was a teenager about 35 years ago): I think John Dall is fantastic here and a highlight--so charming and creepy (especially when the mask finally comes off and he says fiendishly "Go ahead and look! I hope you like what you see!"). If he left any mark as an actor, it was certainly here on this film. I find Jimmy Stewart just miscast here (though he puts in as good of an effort as he could)--would've been better to get a suave, debonair, cool-voiced English actor for the intellectual professor (I think George Saunders, James Mason, or Ray Milland...someone like that. Maybe even Laurence Olivier would've been interesting to see). I also always had a fondness in this movie for the NYC skyline backdrop and its progression from day to night (even if it's rather clearly a set design rather than realistic), and how they slyly snuck in Hitchcock's signature profile in red neon. I enjoy seeing Sir Cedric Hardwicke in modern garb playing an everyday concerned father (used to thinking of him in period pieces or Shakespearean roles!) and adding that touch of humanity when he stands up to Brandon and Rupert's noxious philosophy about murder as a right. Another nice and modern (for the time) touch is the harmonically askew Poulenc piano piece that plays throughout.
John Dall plays his character well. Charming, arrogant, hidden contempt for the inferiors, and a superior air about him. You can definitely "feel" his character. The "day to night" background, and then the flashing neon sign from the side window is very nice 👍. It enhances the "real-time" experience. Thanks for sharing! 😊
"Rope" is another one of Hitchcock's experiments, but that doesn't detract from its greatness. It's an incredibly well-made psychological thriller. The acting, by a fantastic cast, is absolutely superb. As I said, a great film. That said, it's not one of my favorite Hitchcock films. It's a little too dark for my tastes. Having David's father essentially eat off his son's casket is pretty disturbing. The film is based on a play about the infamous Loeb-Leopold murder case. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, students at the University of Chicago, kidnapped and murdered 14-year-old Bobby Franks, who was Loeb's second cousin. Both Leopold and Loeb were extremely intelligent young men. Like the Brandon and Philip in the film, they subscribed to the rather aristocratic Nietzschean philosophy of the Übermensch or superior man. Nazism, anarchism, eugenics, nihilism etc. have bases in this philosophical construct which was an attack on what Nietzche probably would have termed bourgeois morality. Unfortunately, you still see aspects of Nietzsche's ideas present amongst today's elites. Leopold and Loeb are commonly believed to have been in a homosexual relationship at the time. Nietzsche's philosophy and homosexuality are obviously elements in Hitchcock's film. Brandon and Philip are certainly a gay couple, and the suggestion is that Rupert is also homosexual. After killing David, Brandon even smokes a cigarette, which is suggestive of the sex act. The film's most experimental aspect is that it simulates one-continuous-take. Of course, there were a few disguised edits because the film in the camera had to be changed. This one-take aspect of the film creates the illusion that the film occurs in real time. The lack of music also contributes to the film's atmosphere of deadly realism. Also, the actors really had to know their lines and blocking, and there was a lot of dialogue. I don't think most film actors today could do roles like these. Hitchcock certainly wasn't promoting Nietzsche in "Rope," far from it. The film is really an indictment of Nietzsche and a reaction to WW II. Brandon, who styles himself as intellectually superior, categories David, the victim, as an inferior, someone who merely occupies space. Not even human, really. This despite the fact that David was apparently a good student. For Brandon, murder is a privilege of the superior man. Good and evil, right and wrong are inventions for the inferior man because he needs them. The superior man is a substitute for God in this system. Brandon even equates killing (uncreation) with creation. In the film, Harry Kentley, David's father, identifies Brandon's worldview as being in agreement with Nietzsche and his theory of the Übermensch. Brandon agrees, and Kentley observes: "So did Hitler." Of course, this all begs the question of who decides who is superior and who is inferior? Nietzscheanism fundamentally undermines human dignity. Although Rupert eventually disavows his Nietzscheanism, he can't evade his culpability for the murder. He was still a party to it. Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil!
Oh yes, at the end I did briefly read up on the Loeb-Leopold case. I am impressed with the continuous take. The actors only had a short time to rest and gather their thoughts when the camera reels were changed. The entire filming took less than a month! Who decides who is inferior and who is superior? The truth is, the one wielding the most power decides. That's how the Holocaust happened. We can only hope such a thing does not happen again... Thanks for sharing! 😊
Hitch *really* enjoyed strangling. No judgement...but he clearly did. Speaking of strangling: Frenzy (1972) is likely not on your list. It's not Hitch's best, and it's underseen...so maybe not worth a reaction? The R-rating was new then, and Hitch _used_ that freedom (movie's disturbing). The film is good, not great - but it has my *favorite* shot in _any_ movie, ever. So there's that.
You got me curious. I'm trying to remember a particular shot from the film. The only one that I can recall is the slow, quiet camera retreat after they enter the apartment. Which was pretty effective. Going quiet and then moving out into the noisy city that is just going about it's daily routine. While we know what is going on behind that closed door...
@@AceMoonshot You got it (aced the moon shot? 🤗). Sure: Kane's upward perspective, Altman's pan, Catch-22's plane crash, Manchurian's garden party, Contact's mirror, Jonathan Demme and PT Anderson's everything... But that slow pull back in Frenzy (2 shots spliced together actually) gives me goosebumps as the pedestrians walk on, oblivious to the oblivion behind a simple, closed door they walk past each day...
Don't underrate Frenzy, it is excellent. It makes my top 10 for Hitchcock, which is very high praise. Plus, it has perhaps the funniest sub-plot in any Hitchcock film.
You did another excellent review. Look forward to more of your reviews and reactions of other Hitchcock movies.
There's more to come! 😉
Another favorite of mine. Great reaction.
A captivating movie, and happy to see that it got you too. Great reaction.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it 😊
Looking forward to more Hitch, hoping Strangers on a Train is on your list!
I strongly second Strangers! The British cut of SoaT is better, but not necessary and I think it's kinda hard to find at this point.
I was just about to chime in on this: Strangers on a Train is tip-top Hitchcock, and Robert Walker's performance is a prime candidate for best acting ever seen in a Hitchcock movie.
Yes, Stranger on a Train is on my list 😉
@@henryellow Great. Since you are also, I assume, doing North by Northwest, you can show you are more attentive than the average YT reactor. Early on in NbNw, something happens to Cary Grant that every reactor I've watched has missed why it happened. Perhaps you'll be the first to catch it. 😀
@@DelGuy03The plot gets too weird for the villain for me. And Hitchcock's daughter isn't at her best.
I prefer Shadow of a Doubt or The Wrong Man. Great acting all round in both. Powerful tight films.
Certainly one of my favorite Hitchcock films particularly in its execution of long takes and its blocking because it feels that form of filming has thematic relevance in that the camera itself is like a rope encircling winding it's way around the set witnessing chosen moments. There is by the way film about the actual Leopold and Loeb case called Compulsion (1959) although it's considered "fictionalized" but does follow the actual pretty closely and is considered a top-notch film. Really looking forward to the next Hitchcock films you are watching. Very curious about which ones they are.
That's an interesting way to look at it. To view the camera movement akin to a snaking rope.
Someone else mentioned Compulsion (1959) too. I'll add it to my movies list 👍
Well, you can check out my channel community to find out 😊 I announced it there.
Phillip joined Brandon because like Leopold and Loeb, they were homosexual lovers. Not surprisingly, that isn't something the film makes explicit or obvious. If you are interested, there is a movie called Compulsion that is much more closely based on the L&L case than Rope. It was free on YT not too long ago but I'm not sure if it still is. It has some good moments but isn't nearly as good a movie as Rope.
Oh, the phone call near the end was likely from a doorman at their apartment and, obviously, Rupert knew they were still home. I'll add that there used to be something called pay phones and they were often outside apartment buildings like the one in Rope. 😉
Rope is a great movie for many reasons, but John Dall's performance as Brandon is the high point for me.
That's what I thought too, after reading the story on Leopold and Loeb.
I was assuming that someone was calling them from their home phone. But if it's Rupert (or someone using the payphone right outside), then yes they would see their apartment lights switched on.
He sure played the role of a self centered, I'm-superior-than-anyone-else person very well 👍🏻 facial expressions on point too.
Yes, "Rope" was loosely based on the Leopold and Loeb murder, and that in the movie, Brandon and Phillip are lovers. Hitchcock was intentional about including the gay subtext, though he referred to the subtext as "it." I have no doubt he was most creative about getting the gay subtext past the censors to the audience (this was 1948, after all). The suspense certainly comes in when the truth will come out.
Fun fact: in real life, John Dall (Brandon) was gay, and Farley Granger (Phillip) was bi.
I have been enjoying your reactions and perspective on the Hitchcock films. Thank you for doing them!
I frequently suggest reactors react to this movie. i’m glad you reacted to it.
"Superior" individuals wouldn't go around murdering people.
Great reaction, Henry. I think Brandon was a sociopath. No conscience, no sense of empathy or pity. I especially liked and agree with your take on needing a conscience. Many serial killers were/are sociopaths, like Ted Bundy, although his motive was different. He did it out of a need for power over another; a desire to possess and control. Brandon appears to do it out of a sense of superiority - "I'm superior and can perform the perfect murder - let's use an inferior creature as part of my experiment." Truly reprehensible.
People who commit crimes usually do it to get something. For example, people rob to get money.
Some serial killers commit murder because it makes them feel a certain way they wouldn't normally be able to feel. When Rupert mentioned, "there's always been something deep inside me that would never let me do it," I believe he was referring to his conscience.
Some people may have negative/destructive/intrusive thoughts, what stops them from acting upon those thoughts? Willpower is limited, so when it fails, I believe conscience or deep-rooted principles become the safety net that catches those thoughts.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing! 😊
@@henryellow Well said, Henry!
💛💛💛
Other movies based on the Leopold and Loeb case include (but are not limited to) _Compulsion_ and _Swoon._
I've always considered Rope the serious version of an old farce, Arcenic and Old Lace. The 1944 movie based on a successful stage play stars Carry Grant, and was directed by Frank Capra. When I have commented about this before, anybody who's seen both gets why I make the comparison and thinks it's as funny as I do. I wll only tell you Arsenic and Old Lace score around 80% on most consensus rating sites.😎
As far as the murderers, I think they were more arrogant than psychotic.
For more Hitchcock try Dial M For Murder.
Brandon is arrogant, that's true.
Oh yes, I have Dial M For Murder in my list too. I'll watch it in the future 😉
My only complaint is Jimmy Stewart being cast. Even he thought it was ... disappointing.
But the technical aspects, the plot and the rest of the cast make it one of my favorite Bottle Movies.
He isn't bad at all, but Rupert isn't a typical Jimmy Stewart type character.
@@anrun I didn't see anything wrong with him.
Totally random thoughts (I've seen this movie through the decades, since I was a teenager about 35 years ago):
I think John Dall is fantastic here and a highlight--so charming and creepy (especially when the mask finally comes off and he says fiendishly "Go ahead and look! I hope you like what you see!"). If he left any mark as an actor, it was certainly here on this film. I find Jimmy Stewart just miscast here (though he puts in as good of an effort as he could)--would've been better to get a suave, debonair, cool-voiced English actor for the intellectual professor (I think George Saunders, James Mason, or Ray Milland...someone like that. Maybe even Laurence Olivier would've been interesting to see).
I also always had a fondness in this movie for the NYC skyline backdrop and its progression from day to night (even if it's rather clearly a set design rather than realistic), and how they slyly snuck in Hitchcock's signature profile in red neon. I enjoy seeing Sir Cedric Hardwicke in modern garb playing an everyday concerned father (used to thinking of him in period pieces or Shakespearean roles!) and adding that touch of humanity when he stands up to Brandon and Rupert's noxious philosophy about murder as a right. Another nice and modern (for the time) touch is the harmonically askew Poulenc piano piece that plays throughout.
John Dall plays his character well. Charming, arrogant, hidden contempt for the inferiors, and a superior air about him. You can definitely "feel" his character.
The "day to night" background, and then the flashing neon sign from the side window is very nice 👍. It enhances the "real-time" experience.
Thanks for sharing! 😊
The movie may have been made in 10 takes, but it's one, single shot.
Well then, we're basically watching an actual play in (almost) real time! 👏👏👏
I'm fascinated by the Leopold Loeb murder. What bothers me is I can see their point.
They killed a child tho. Not coo!.
Trump?
What point can you see?
I think you should react to the Stepford wives (1972)
Ooh, it's based on Ira Levin's novel, just like Rosemary's Baby. Sure, I'll add it to my list.
Thanks for your suggestion! 😊
"Rope" is another one of Hitchcock's experiments, but that doesn't detract from its greatness. It's an incredibly well-made psychological thriller. The acting, by a fantastic cast, is absolutely superb. As I said, a great film. That said, it's not one of my favorite Hitchcock films. It's a little too dark for my tastes. Having David's father essentially eat off his son's casket is pretty disturbing.
The film is based on a play about the infamous Loeb-Leopold murder case. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, students at the University of Chicago, kidnapped and murdered 14-year-old Bobby Franks, who was Loeb's second cousin. Both Leopold and Loeb were extremely intelligent young men. Like the Brandon and Philip in the film, they subscribed to the rather aristocratic Nietzschean philosophy of the Übermensch or superior man. Nazism, anarchism, eugenics, nihilism etc. have bases in this philosophical construct which was an attack on what Nietzche probably would have termed bourgeois morality. Unfortunately, you still see aspects of Nietzsche's ideas present amongst today's elites. Leopold and Loeb are commonly believed to have been in a homosexual relationship at the time. Nietzsche's philosophy and homosexuality are obviously elements in Hitchcock's film. Brandon and Philip are certainly a gay couple, and the suggestion is that Rupert is also homosexual. After killing David, Brandon even smokes a cigarette, which is suggestive of the sex act.
The film's most experimental aspect is that it simulates one-continuous-take. Of course, there were a few disguised edits because the film in the camera had to be changed. This one-take aspect of the film creates the illusion that the film occurs in real time. The lack of music also contributes to the film's atmosphere of deadly realism. Also, the actors really had to know their lines and blocking, and there was a lot of dialogue. I don't think most film actors today could do roles like these.
Hitchcock certainly wasn't promoting Nietzsche in "Rope," far from it. The film is really an indictment of Nietzsche and a reaction to WW II. Brandon, who styles himself as intellectually superior, categories David, the victim, as an inferior, someone who merely occupies space. Not even human, really. This despite the fact that David was apparently a good student. For Brandon, murder is a privilege of the superior man. Good and evil, right and wrong are inventions for the inferior man because he needs them. The superior man is a substitute for God in this system. Brandon even equates killing (uncreation) with creation. In the film, Harry Kentley, David's father, identifies Brandon's worldview as being in agreement with Nietzsche and his theory of the Übermensch. Brandon agrees, and Kentley observes: "So did Hitler." Of course, this all begs the question of who decides who is superior and who is inferior? Nietzscheanism fundamentally undermines human dignity.
Although Rupert eventually disavows his Nietzscheanism, he can't evade his culpability for the murder. He was still a party to it.
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil!
Oh yes, at the end I did briefly read up on the Loeb-Leopold case.
I am impressed with the continuous take. The actors only had a short time to rest and gather their thoughts when the camera reels were changed. The entire filming took less than a month!
Who decides who is inferior and who is superior? The truth is, the one wielding the most power decides. That's how the Holocaust happened. We can only hope such a thing does not happen again...
Thanks for sharing! 😊
Hitch *really* enjoyed strangling. No judgement...but he clearly did.
Speaking of strangling: Frenzy (1972) is likely not on your list. It's not Hitch's best, and it's underseen...so maybe not worth a reaction?
The R-rating was new then, and Hitch _used_ that freedom (movie's disturbing). The film is good, not great - but it has my *favorite* shot in _any_ movie, ever. So there's that.
You got me curious. I'm trying to remember a particular shot from the film. The only one that I can recall is the slow, quiet camera retreat after they enter the apartment. Which was pretty effective. Going quiet and then moving out into the noisy city that is just going about it's daily routine. While we know what is going on behind that closed door...
@@AceMoonshot You got it (aced the moon shot? 🤗).
Sure: Kane's upward perspective, Altman's pan, Catch-22's plane crash, Manchurian's garden party, Contact's mirror, Jonathan Demme and PT Anderson's everything...
But that slow pull back in Frenzy (2 shots spliced together actually) gives me goosebumps as the pedestrians walk on, oblivious to the oblivion behind a simple, closed door they walk past each day...
It’s so lovely.
Don't underrate Frenzy, it is excellent. It makes my top 10 for Hitchcock, which is very high praise. Plus, it has perhaps the funniest sub-plot in any Hitchcock film.
Frenzy (1972) is on my list 👍
It's not on this round's Hitchcock reactions, though.
I'll save it for next time 😉
I love Hitchcock films. Brandon is a narcissistic psychopath imo.
It's a good thing Rupert discovered Brandon's crime before he could rack up more victims.
Well, you are more likely to be killed by someone you know.
Deducing.