“If you haven’t seen Alfred Hitchcock’s film, ‘Rope’, you haven’t seen one of his most acclaimed works—and one of his first masterpieces,” says Joe Stinson, Creative Director for the Cape May Film Society and the region’s favorite Hollywood actor/screenwriter. Stinson, who is presenting the series “Hitchcock: Origins of Suspense,” says some of Hitchcock’s work he plans to show are as masterful as they are rare. “You don’t get to see these projects on the big screen, and almost never get the background on how influential this work is to Hitchcock’s career,” he says.
“Rope” will screen Monday, October 6 at 7:00 p.m. at Beach Theatre and continues on October 13 at 7:00 p.m. at Beach Theatre as well.
In “Rope,” two young men strangle who they consider to be an “inferior” classmate, hide his body in their apartment, and invite his friends and family to a dinner party as a means to challenge the “perfection” of their crime. “Amazingly,” says Stinson, “the film was shot in ten takes, ranging in length from about four to just over ten minutes (the maximum amount of film that a camera magazine or projector reel could hold back then). At the end of the takes, the film alternates between having the camera zoom into a dark object, totally blacking out the lens/screen, and making a conventional cut. There are other facts about the film, but it’s the story’s intensity and Stewart’s performance that make this film a classic.”
On October 13, the series will conclude with two television episodes of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” both directed by Hitchcock and truly showed the master at work. “So many of Hitchcock’s films have become staples for film lovers everywhere,” says Stinson. “This is a rare chance to see the beginnings of some of the trademark techniques and gain some insights into his filmmaking genius.”
The Cape May Film Society hosts the Cape May Film Festival, which is New Jersey’s premiere film festival dedicated to the support and presentation of creative, challenging, groundbreaking, film/video works by New Jersey filmmakers. The Society is also the region’s leading educational and cultural resource for youth and adult learners interested in all facets of the cinematic experience.
Cape May – Last week I witnessed a woman helping a man who seemed to be having difficulty getting up in the water. the next thing I saw was she also was injured. My Uber ride was there to take me to the…
