Rope is a 1948 psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring James Stewart, John Dall, and Farley Granger. The film is loosely based on the infamous murder case of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, who killed a 14-year-old boy in 1924 to prove their intellectual superiority.
The film follows Brandon Shaw (Dall) and Phillip Morgan (Granger), two wealthy and intellectual young men who share a Nietzschean philosophy of superiority and believe they are above the law. They decide to carry out the "perfect crime" by murdering their former classmate David Kentley (Dick Hogan) and hiding his body in a chest in their apartment.
To prove their intellectual and moral superiority, Brandon and Phillip decide to host a dinner party immediately after the murder, inviting David's friends and family, including his former teacher Rupert Cadell (Stewart). As the evening progresses, Brandon and Phillip begin to unravel under the pressure of their crime, and Rupert becomes increasingly suspicious of their behavior.
The tension builds to a climactic finale as Rupert confronts Brandon and Phillip, revealing that he has suspected their involvement in the murder all along. As Brandon and Phillip are apprehended by the police, their intellectual arrogance is exposed as a veneer for their moral depravity.
Rope is notable for its experimental filmmaking techniques, including the use of long, uninterrupted takes that simulate the feeling of real time. The film also explores themes of Nietzschean philosophy, moral relativism, and the corrupting influence of power.