Week 3 Blog Post: Rope

The new addition of color in Alfred Hitchcock’s film, “Rope”, adds new depth and contrast to the entire film. The film is about Brandon and Philip who kills their friend David for the sole purpose of showing superiority and for the thrill. They have committed their crime right before the dinner party they were hosting and hid David’s dead body inside the chest.  The people that were invited to the party were David’s father, aunt and David himself as well as their other friends Kenneth and Janet. They also invite their ex-school housemaster, Rupert Cadell, who gave Brandon the idea that those that are superior can kill the inferiors. During the party Rupert has suspicion that Brandon and Philip might have done something to David because he was not showing up.  The use of mise-en-scene amplifies the dominant mood of the film. The scene when the housekeeper is beginning to clear the dinner “table” the candles are left on the chest (Time stamp- 50:48). This makes the chest look like a coffin or almost like an altar that is used for sacrificial rituals. It fits the scene because the dead body of David is inside it. Another thing to focus on is David’s aunt costume (Time stamp- 22:50). Her costume almost looks like a funeral outfit that female relatives are supposed to wear but just in different color instead of black. This further emphasizes the mood that David is dead even though the other actors are unaware.  The last item that plays a key role in the film is the hat that the housekeeper accidentally gives to Rupert when he is about to leave. Inside the hat there is the initial D.K. which stands for David Kentley the victim of the murder (Time stamp- 54:03). This leads Rupert to believe that Brandon and Philip are suspects of why David did not arrive to the party.  The manipulation of mise-en-scene by Hitchcock completely establishes the mood he wanted the audience to feel when viewing this film.