Perpetual Movement: Alfred Hitchcock's Rope (SUNY series, Horizons of Cinema)

__Offers both a production history and a close analysis, with a chapter for each of the film's eleven shots.__ The first book-length study in English of Alfred Hitchcock's __Rope__ (1948), __Perpetual Movement__ offers both a production history that draws extensively upon little-known archival materials, including set drawings and drafts of the screenplay, and a close examination of the film in which Neil Badmington analyzes each of __Rope__'s eleven shots. Writing in an accessible and engaging style, Badmington explores the film's treatment of space, sound, editing, sexuality, source material, design, intertexuality, narrative, and music. He looks at Hitchcock's struggle with censorship while planning, shooting, and distributing the film. __Perpetual Movement__ also addresses __Rope__'s reception and legacy, explaining why the film's unusual qualities provide such lasting appeal for viewers. Contents 8 List of Illustrations 10 Acknowledgments 12 Note on Archival Sources 14 Introduction Entangled 16 Why? 17 Perpetual Movement(s) 21 A Whole Book? 23 Rope Guide I 24 Rope Guide II 26 Form 29 1 Operation Rope 34 Transatlantic 34 Source(s) 35 Adaptation 37 Production #358; or, Rehearsing the Camera 41 Release 47 Outside the Apartment, David’s Rope 48 2 Inside 52 A Playful Little Prank 52 Leaning into the Afternoon; or, Innuendoing to the Converted 55 Inside, Looking Out 59 “S” Marks the Spot 60 Distance, Harvard, Princeton 61 Other Rooms and a Choice of Words 63 The Case of the Canted Candle 65 Making a Masterpiece 66 3 Entrances, Elsewheres 68 Cut to the Quick 68 Downright Peculiar 69 An Ordinary Household Article 71 Cometh the Kenneth 73 4 In the Bedroom 78 From Art to Artifice 78 A New Young American Primitive 83 From Brandon to Kenneth to David 84 “David!” 85 The Curious Case of Dick Hogan 88 C’est SA 91 A Room of One’s Own? 92 5 Just Plain Something 98 Rupert, Special Pâté, Special Access 99 Cassone 101 The Legend of the Mistletoe Bough 102 Another Strand: That New Thing with Bergman 104 Lazarus and the Chicken 106 6 Miss Sashweight of the Blunt Instrument Department 108 The Art of Murder according to Rupert Cadell 108 Framing of Frames 112 7 From OR to “We” 116 Just Desserts 116 OR 118 “We” 120 Like the Grave 122 That Thing 124 8 Two Small Fugitives from a Bowl of Alphabet Soup 128 The First Bedroom 128 Lifting and Lowering the Lid 129 Reduco Redux 131 From Decay to DK 134 From DK to P and Q; or, the Smile of the Satisfied Host 135 9 Faking Freud 138 On the Case 138 All Except One Guest 141 When It Happened 143 10 Cat and Mouse 148 Return of the Rope 148 He Knows, He Knows, He Knows, He Knows 151 11 Arrest Indicated 154 Up Close and Personal 154 Opening the Window 158 Reworking Poulenc 161 Postscript 164 Notes 168 Bibliography 206 Index 218 Offers both a production history and a close analysis, with a chapter for each of the film's eleven shots. The first book-length study in English of Alfred Hitchcock's Rope (1948), Perpetual Movement offers both a production history that draws extensively upon little-known archival materials, including set drawings and drafts of the screenplay, and a close examination of the film in which Neil Badmington analyzes each of Rope 's eleven shots. Writing in an accessible and engaging style, Badmington explores the film's treatment of space, sound, editing, sexuality, source material, design, intertexuality, narrative, and music. He looks at Hitchcock's struggle with censorship while planning, shooting, and distributing the film. Perpetual Movement also addresses Rope 's reception and legacy, explaining why the film's unusual qualities provide such lasting appeal for viewers. "The first book-length study in English of Alfred Hitchcock's Rope (1948), Perpetual Movement offers both a production history that draws extensively upon little-known archival materials, including set drawings and drafts of the screenplay, and a close examination of the film in which Neil Badmington analyzes each of Rope's eleven shots. Writing in an accessible and engaging style, Badmington explores the film's treatment of space, sound, editing, sexuality, source material, design, intertexuality, narrative, and music. He looks at Hitchcock's struggle with censorship while planning, shooting, and distributing the film. Perpetual Movement also addresses Rope's reception and legacy, explaining why the film's unusual qualities provide such lasting appeal for viewers." -- Provided by publisher