Rope (1948)

“Murder is or should be an art.”

            Alfred Hitchcock through his film did make murder look like an art. His murders were like plays. They started off as perfect ideas, acted out as dramas, and unfolded like tragedies upon the murderer. Hitchcock’s 1948 film Rope is based off a play and feels like a play caught on camera.

            The film begins with two friends Brandon Shaw and Phillip Morgan (Farley Granger) strangling their friend David Kentley to death with a piece of rope. They place David’s body in a chest in the living room. Brandon feels excited about what they have done, killing someone just for the danger of committing the perfect crime. Phillip struggles with how he feels. It is very obvious that Brandon dominates Phillip into getting him to doing and thinking anything he wants him to.

            To make the crime even more of a perfection and even more dangerous and thrilling Brandon throws a party. He has invited David’s parents and girlfriend and even their old school house master Rupert Crandell (James Stewart). Brandon even has the food served on the chest where David’s body has been placed. When David’s father and aunt arrive at the party Phillip becomes so nervous he breaks a glass in his hand.

            Phillip’s nerves run to the extreme throughout the party. Brandon has to tell him to relax and put him in his place from time to time. Rupert takes notice of these exchanges. To get more out of the boys he talks about his philosophy of murder and how it should be an art and done by inferior people.

            Eventually everyone begins to worry about David not showing up. His mother calls the father and says she is frightfully worried David may have gotten hurt and wants him to call the police. Everyone leaves including Rupert. The maid hands him a hat but it is not his. The initials on the inside are DK. Brandon relaxes a little bit once the party has all left including the maid. Phillip just becomes more agitated and drinks more to try to calm his nerves. Rupert comes back citing a forgotten cigarette case. Now Brandon has cause for alarm. His perfect plan is coming apart.

            Whenever Rope is discussed one of the first bits of trivia you will no doubt read is how there are homosexual undertones between Brandon and Phillip. Maybe there is but I did not see their relationship that way. I see Brandon as always having been a manipulative person. When they were younger Brandon saw that Phillip was not as strong in character as he was and just how easily he could get Phillip to do whatever he wanted. Brandon has a dominant, superior personality. He tries to manipulate everyone and everything around him. He thinks he is clever which is why he killed David. When David is killed it is not Brandon who does the actual killing it is Phillip. There was probably no way Brandon was going to be the one to do the actual killing that is what Phillip the weaker one is for. I find Brandon Shaw to be one of the creepiest film characters. He knew exactly what he was doing the entire time, he was dominating and manipulative, and he was insane.

            I have had Rope on DVD for years. I remember watching the film on TCM a few years ago and absolutely loving it. Even when I rewatched it on DVD I thought it was great. Watching it now I think it is a good film but not one of Hitchcock’s best. To me there is no great tension like the director’s other films unless you count the tension between Brandon and Phillip or Phillip’s building nervous tension throughout the film. I liked how it was filmed in real time. There are no quick edits just close ups of the back of a jacket or an object where the film had to be changed out. The filming style was not bad I liked how it felt like a play but it just does not feel like a typical Alfred Hitchcock film. Sometimes I like it when a director or actor or actress does a film or role outside of their typical ones but with Hitchcock his typical formula and style never got old. Rope is not one of the first Alfred Hitchcock films I would recommend seeing. Only watch it if you are familiar with his other films. 

Small Town Girl (1936)

“Really love him. Will ya?”

            Ever feel like your life was stuck in a rut and all you wanted to do was escape and start a new life? For the past few years I have definitely had the feeling my life has been stuck like every time I try to move forward I get pushed back further. My life in very routine which sometimes is good because I have ADD and anxiety but sometimes the routine gets old. I long to travel and dream of moving somewhere on my own. Sometimes I even dream of finding a nice guy that can take me away from everything… but let’s not spread that dream of mine around I am not that kind of a girl to talk about romantic feelings. I also have a feeling that I was meant to be more than I am. Maybe everyone has those feelings but lately those feelings have been very strong. The 1936 film Small Town Girl was perfect for me to watch with a main character who wanted more out of life.

            Every year thousands of people come driving through Kay Brannan’s (Janet Gaynor) hometown for the Harvard vs. Yale football game. She stands outside her family’s store watching all the cars drive by and even lets some boys sweet talk her as they wait in heavy traffic. Kay walks back to the store after walking down the street. She is frustrated with her life she feels there is something more and that she is just stuck. She has a boyfriend named Elmer (James Stewart) who is predictable in every way. Kay lives at home with her parents and her sister and brother-in-law. Every night they have the same conversations at dinner and even the same foods depending on the day of the week.

            That night Kay has enough of her family and of Elmer and goes for a walk. She is almost hit by a car as she crosses the street. The car is driven by a young man named Bob Dakin (Robert Taylor). He stops the car and apologizes. He sees Kay is pretty and starts flirting with her. He is trying to get to a tavern and asks Kay for directions but he does not pay attention he just stares at her. Bob has Kay go with him to the tavern. She does not want to go in an first but he begs her to come in and have some fun.

            After their partying Bob wants to take Kay down to Boston even though he is ridiculously drunk. He gets lost in a town. He comes up with the idea to find the Justice of the Peace to ask for directions. Kay is worried about her family not knowing where she is and wants to go home. Bob comes up with the idea that they should get married when they go see the Justice of the Peace. Kay knows she should not take advantage of Bob in his drunken state but she sees their marriage as her way of getting out of her small town life.

            Back on the road, Bob falls asleep at the wheel and Kay steers the car just in time to keep it from crashing. Both of them fall asleep until the morning. When Bob wakes up he at first does not remember what has happened so Kay helps jog his memory. He looks down at his pocket in his coat and sees the marriage certificate. Bob tells her he has a lawyer friend that can keep the marriage out of the papers but she reminds him that the night before the Justice of the Peace recognized Bob’s name and called the papers.

            Bob brings Kay to his parents’ home in Boston. The father asks if Kay is a friend of
Priscilla, Bob’s fiancé. Bob and Priscilla were supposed to be married in two weeks. Bob walks out of the room and Kay breaks down and tells the parents that they were married the night before. Bob asks his father if he can the whole matter and have the marriage annulled. The father says he has fixed many his problems in the past this time he is not taking any action because it would look like exactly what happened. Bob tells Kay that they will stay married for six months then get divorced. Kay says she will do that because she likes his parents. The press comes to the house. He tells the reporters that he has known Kay for months and that Priscilla was the one who broke their engagement.

            To keep up appearances Bob and Kay go on a honeymoon on his family’s yacht. Priscilla comes to see them off only to take a look at Kay and see that she is not a threat to her and Bob getting back together. Kay is a little hurt because she does really like Bob. The unhappy couple play nice with each other in front of the crew but once the crew are gone they are cold as ice to each other. One night the rough ocean gets the best of Kay and she goes to bed sick as can be. Bob is a doctor and tells her she will feel better if she goes out on deck to get some fresh air. Kay does not want to listen to him so instead she suffers in bed. Bob has enough of her complaining, grabs Kay, and carries her outside. The next day Bob comes down with a cold. Kay tries to help him even though he does not want her help. Kay makes a remedy of hot water and lemons. Bob reluctantly drinks her remedy since he is too sick not to. As she takes care of him Bob tells Kay that he is tired of being  grouch and from then on they are nicer to each other.

            Back in Boston, Bob is always away at the clinic at the hospital. Kay really loves Bob and is upset that he is always away and always talking about Priscilla. They go to a party at the hospital one night. The head doctor of the clinic is there. The doctor is not very nice to Bob to begin with and to make matters worse he sees Bob talking to Priscilla all night instead of being with his wife. That night Bob tells Kay that he is going down to the clinic when he is really going to Priscilla’s. A few hours later the clinic calls looking for Bob. One of his patients, a little boy with a metal plate in his head, is in trouble and needs to be operated on right away. Kay calls at Priscilla’s. The woman just tells Kay that Bob cannot go to the clinic and that she should make an excuse for him. Kay has come to know Bob’s patient and knows the boy would be very let down if Bob was not there for him. She goes to Priscilla’s apartment and drags her husband to the clinic. Bob performs some of the surgery but feels like he does not have what it takes right then and there to complete it.

            In the morning Kay goes to Bob’s father and tells him that she is going back home. She admits it is because Bob is still in love with Priscilla and she cannot compete with that love. The father lets Kay know that he and the mother wished it would have worked out between her and their son. He also tells her that if she ever needs anything to come to them since she has become like a daughter to them.

            Kay goes home and realizes her family is not as bad as she thought they were. They still have the same conversations and still talk the same way and live the same way but she knows how to deal with it. Kay gets the paper for her father and sees headlines on the front page about Bob goes to Reno to get a divorce. She goes out for a walk and crossing the street she is almost hit by a car. It is the same and the same driver. Only this time he could not seem to find his way to Reno.

            Small Town Girl started off well and then just went in a completely different direction. What happened was the character of Bob Dakin became a complete jerk. He was so nasty to Kay. The ending kind of did not make sense to me because the whole time Bob acted like he did not love Kay and then right at the end he comes in like a knight in shining armor wanting her back. I guess you could say he was mean to her because he did not want to fall in love with her but you would never guess he was. Robert Taylor and Janet Gaynor were adorable together. I cannot never get enough of Gaynor in her films she was so adorable. Small Town Girl started off great, as I mentioned. It was as if I was seeing my dream being played out on the screen. I wished it had stayed that way instead it turned into a kind of moral lesson for women of 1936 to not dream so big and to not take advantage of drunken men and marry them or you will have a miserable life. Watch Small Town Girl only if you are a fan of either Janet Gaynor or Robert Taylor. 

The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

“Oh, my Dear Friend, my heart was trembling as I walked into the post office, and there you were, lying in Box 237. I took you out of your envelope and read you, read you right there.”

            In the world we live in today it is very easy to pour your heart out to someone you do not know. We run blogs, Tumblrs, Twitters, Facebooks, and other social media sites. We become “friends” we do not even know but we connect with on a level. In our lives we can feel all alone but on our blogs or whatever we have we can connect to people who have the same interests and passions as we do. We want to be able to talk about movie characters or actors as if we know them personally, we want to talk about our favorite music, movies, books, historical events,  superheroes, shoes, clothes, designers, celebrities, etc. we people who are just as passionate as we are. I think especially we want to know we are not alone in the world in what we like there are others out there just as obsessed and interested.

            In the 1940 film The Shop Around the Corner the two main characters connect to someone they do not know through writing letters (remember when we used to do that?!) to someone. They connect to each other intellectually and spiritually. They pour their hopes, fears, and love to each other.

            The film begins with a young woman walking to a mailbox and through a voiceover we hear what she has written to someone about reading their letters and what they mean to her.

            In town employees for a department store are waiting for the owner Mr. Matuschek (Frank Morgan) to open the store. While waiting Alfred Kralik (James Stewart) his letter from a woman he has been writing. He began writing her after he found an ad she had placed looking for someone to talk to. So far Alfred has gotten four letters from her.

            A young woman named Klara Novak (Margaret Sullavan) comes into the store looking for a job. She really needs one. Alfred thought she needed help as a customer and as soon as he starts talking to her she does not leave him alone. Matuschek comes out from his office. He hears Alfred tell Klara that he (Matuschek) is too busy to come out and talk to her. Matuschek hears Klara selling a cigarette box that plays music whenever it is open. Klara tells the customer the box is a bargain when she is really selling it for three dollars more than it really is. The customer leaves the with the box.

            After a few months Klara and Alfred cannot stand each other. In the mean time Alfred has been sending and receiving letters from the girl he has been writing. He tells his friend at the store that he is thinking about meeting the girl and asking her to marry him. Alfred writes to meet with her and they are supposed to meet later that night. Klara talks to one of the other female employees and says that she has a date that night as well. Unfortunately Matuschek makes everyone stay late because of a poorly dressed window. Alfred has been upset with Matuschek for the past few weeks because the boss has not acknowledged him in any way and the ignoring is bothering him. Alfred talks to Matuschek who is not very nice to him and with this Alfred decides to leave the store. Alfred does not plan on going on his date until his friend talks him into it. Klara is beyond thrilled Matuschek is now sending them home early.

            When everyone leaves a man comes into the store to speak to Matuschek. The man is a private detective who has been watching Mrs. Matuschek. He reports that Mrs. Matuschek was seen with another man a younger man and he is one of the employees at the store. The man’s name is Pirovitch. Matuschek is shocked to hear the name because all this time he believed Alfred was the one going around with his wife because he had been to his house before.

            Alfred has his friend come along on the date. He has his friend look into the café to tell him what the girl looks like. He tells Alfred the girl is Klara from the store. Alfred does not want to go in there and tell her he is the one she has been writing because the two of them have been fighting in the store for the past six months. He goes in but he does not tell Klara he is supposed to be her date. Klara is not happy to see Alfred but he keeps talking to her despite her telling him to go away.

            Matuschek has a breakdown. He was about to kill himself in the store when the delivery boy Pepi stopped him. Matuschek is brought to the hospital. He has Alfred come to explain what had happened. He wants Alfred to come back to be the manager and to fire Pirovitch for what he did. Matuschek has Alfred give himself a much deserved raise.

            Klara is out sick for a few days. When she comes back Alfred is the manager and she thinks it is a joke. She collapses and Alfred brings her home. He finds out she is heartbroken over not having received any letters from her friend in some time. Klara’s aunt comes into the room with a letter. Klara is beyond thrilled and feeling much better. She tells Alfred she will be at work the following day and maybe she will buy the cigarette box for her friend. He tries to talk her out of the box and into getting her friend a wallet so he can have her photo on one side and her letter on the other side.

            The following night Alfred plays with Klara’s head by saying he met the guy she has been writing he had been in the store looking for her. He makes the guy sound terrible and not at all the man she has been writing. He is really making himself look better. Klara is all confused with what Alfred is saying and doing. Finally he reveals he is the one Klara has fallen in love with when he recites a line from one of his letters to her.

            I absolutely loved Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart together in this film. I loved them both individually. Sullavan was adorable. I have only seen her in serious roles before this. She was sweet and adorable and funny. Stewart I am not a huge fan of I normally cannot take him in films but I found myself really liking him in this he was not annoying. You can tell by watching Sullavan and Stewart together that they were great friends they had wonderful chemistry together. Their chemistry was not sexual it was actually love you can see their characters loved each other.

            Ernst Lubitsch directed the film and Samson Raphaelson wrote the story. It is a very touching and sweet story. You can see the care Lubitsch put into directing this. His direction is light and sentimental.

            The Shop Around the Corner is a story I think we all yearn for in our lives. We all long to connect to someone who loves us. We want that stimulating, intellectual, caring connection. We want to be like the simple characters of Klara Novak and Alfred Kralik. Their love and relationship was simple and sweet there was nothing romantic or unrealistic about it. Their love was not impossible. I adored The Shop Around the Corner and everything about from beginning to end. I absolutely, highly suggest seeing The Shop Around the Corner is brilliant and fantastic and makes you hope one day to find your Alfred Kralik or Klara Novak just like they found each other.