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Rope

Play trailer Poster for Rope PG 1948 1h 20m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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93% Tomatometer 58 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Just before hosting a dinner party, Phillip Morgan (Farley Granger) and Brandon Shaw (John Dall) strangle a mutual friend to death with a piece of rope, purely as a Nietzsche-inspired philosophical exercise. Hiding the body in a chest upon which they then arrange a buffet dinner, the pair welcome their guests, including the victim's oblivious fiancée (Joan Chandler) and the college professor (James Stewart) whose lectures inadvertently inspired the killing.
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Rope

Rope

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Critics Consensus

As formally audacious as it is narratively brilliant, Rope connects a powerful ensemble in service of a darkly satisfying crime thriller from a master of the genre.

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Critics Reviews

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Keith Uhlich (All (Parentheses)) (Substack) Jun 10, 2022
Hitchcock examines his and his audience’s participatory roles in a centuries-old circuit of art production and reception. —Guest post by Michael Joshua Rowin Go to Full Review TIME Staff TIME Magazine Feb 9, 2019
In photographing the action, Director Hitchcock brought off a tour de force. Go to Full Review David Parkinson Empire Magazine Feb 9, 2019
4/5
The trickery is still distracting, but there are hints in this 1948 film of the perversity that will yield Psycho, Strangers On A Train, Vertigo and Rear Window, so it's a must for Hitch collectors. Go to Full Review Sarah Cartland Caution Spoilers Oct 19, 2025
4/5
An intense and claustrophobic watch. Stewart is both an ambivalent presence and all too human as the prep school teacher of two murderers. Go to Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Sep 27, 2025
3.5/4
This earns my vote as the most underrated of all Hitchcock flicks. Go to Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Aug 31, 2024
3/4
This lesser-celebrated feature by the Master of Suspense remains one of his most fascinating pictures because it aligns with his thematic interests yet deviates from his usual formal methods. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Nico Mar 31, 2026 Beautiful restoration presented the Orinda Theatre See more Lisa Aug 12, 2024 The movie is an oldie but goodie! See more Ben W @Username618 May 30, 2026 I seem to remember that you sort of get the point, and then there's another five minutes of expositional dialogue/ filler. But it is quite short. See more Jacob T @BLCJ101 Jan 11, 2026 rope pleasantly surprised me and even though i started the movie thinking "where are we going here", it actually ended up really gripping me and i became so invested in watching the tale unfold and everything gradually begin to unravel. it's also one of the most unique movies i've scene from a filming perspective, as hitchcock attempted to make the entire thing feel like a "one-take" ordeal. it truly feels like you are in that dinner party with them! See more Alexsander F @Aelxs Sep 19, 2025 Alfred Hitchcock's first color film. - 'Rope' was entirely shot in 10-minute takes, but an editing trick gives the viewer the impression that there were no cuts during filming. See more Marco M @RT83132558 Sep 8, 2025 I've seen this film again, and the wonder remains unchanged. This little gem of cinematic theater is striking for its ability to invert our emotions and make us feel empathy for the murderers and terror for their persecutor. Which is, after all, the thesis of the play. See more Read all reviews
Rope

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Cast & Crew

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Alfred Hitchcock

Director

James Stewart

Rupert Cadell

John Dall

Brandon Shaw

Farley Granger

Phillip Morgan

Joan Chandler

Janet Walker

Cedric Hardwicke

Mr. Kentley (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)

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Rope

Rope (1948) Rope (1948) Rope (1948) Farley Granger, Edith Evanson, Douglas Dick, John Dall, Constance Collier, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Joan Chandler, James Stewart, and Alfred Hitchcock. Director Alfred Hitchcock rehearses his cast as the various technicians look on. James Stewart, John Dall and Farley Granger in Alfred Hitchcock's ROPE. Farley Granger and James Stewart in Alfred Hitchcock's ROPE. Rope (1948) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Just before hosting a dinner party, Phillip Morgan (Farley Granger) and Brandon Shaw (John Dall) strangle a mutual friend to death with a piece of rope, purely as a Nietzsche-inspired philosophical exercise. Hiding the body in a chest upon which they then arrange a buffet dinner, the pair welcome their guests, including the victim's oblivious fiancée (Joan Chandler) and the college professor (James Stewart) whose lectures inadvertently inspired the killing.
Director
Alfred Hitchcock
Producer
Sidney Bernstein, Alfred Hitchcock
Screenwriter
Patrick Hamilton, Hume Cronyn, Arthur Laurents, Ben Hecht
Distributor
Warner Bros., MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Universal Home Entertainment
Production Co
Warner Brothers, Universal Films
Rating
PG
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 24, 1948, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 19, 2016
Runtime
1h 20m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
35mm, Flat (1.37:1)
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