http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/112rope_2827.jpg

->The good Americans usually die young on the battlefield, don't they? Well, the Davids of this world merely occupy space, which is why he was the perfect victim for the perfect murder. Course he, uh, he was a Harvard undergraduate. That might make it justifiable homicide.
--> --'''Brandon'''

A 1929 stage play by Patrick Hamilton, more famously know as the 1948 Creator/AlfredHitchcock that was shot in ten takes and cut to look like [[TheOner one]].

One day, two elite young Manhattanites, Brandon Shaw (John Dall) and Phillip Morgan (Farley Granger), murder their acquaintance, David Kentley, and hide [[MacGuffin the body]] in a chest. Their reason for doing so is to commit the perfect murder; to see how perfect it is, they host a party with the chest in plain-sight. All the guests in the party, including David's fiancé Janet Walker (Joan Chandler) and the killers' former teacher, Rupert Cadell (JamesStewart), grow worried at his absence. As Brandon pushes his luck, Phillip shows remorse and Rupert investigates his suspicions. All of this leads to a discovery...

The film is particularly known for its experimental style. Hitchcock abandoned typical shooting and editing methods in favor of long unbroken scenes. Each shot ran continuously for up to ten minutes without interruption. He would went to use the same technique in ''UnderCapricorn'' (1949) and to a lesser extent ''Film/StageFright'' (1950). The homosexuality subtext was also considered daring for its time. While not a major hit at the time of its release, the fim gained in popularity over the following decades. Today it is often listed among the best of the director.
----
!!This film features examples of:
* AdaptationalSexuality: Brandon and Philip being gay was a lot clearer in the original play but is reduced to subtext in the film (mostly due to the censorship at the time) and Brandon is implied to be bisexual.
* TheBechdelTest: Janet and Mrs Atwater talk about star signs, (female) movie stars and Janet's work.
* BittersweetEnding:[[spoiler: Rupert figures out what Brandon and Philip have done and alerts the cops, but its clear that he is a shattered man.]]
* BreakTheHaughty: Brandon, the least-remorseful of the two killers, gets his coming when [[spoiler: Rupert alerts the police to the murder.]]
* ComplexityAddiction: Brandon's insistence on style is [[spoiler:the reason they get caught almost instantly]].
* CreatorBacklash: James Stewart said later that this was his least favourite collaboration with Hitchcock (he hated how he acted in it, not the film itself).
* CreatorCameo: The setup made it impossible for Hitchcock to do his usual cameo; instead a red neon sign of his famous self-portrait silhouette is visible out the window once the sun goes down.
** He appears during the opening credits.
* DeadMansChest
* DepravedBisexual: Brandon is implied to be this, as there is obvious subtext that he and Philip are involved and he also refers to a past relationship with Janet.
* DramaticIrony: Any time the other guests wonder why David is late to the party. The audience knows he isn't late at all and was actually early to the party.
* DullSurprise: James Stewart as Rupert Cadell.
* EnforcedMethodActing: The actress playing Mrs Wilson was apparently treated like a maid by the rest of the cast during filming.
* ExtremelyShortTimespan: The events take place over the course of a single evening, and more or less unfold in RealTime.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Brandon. He loses whatever "charm" he has ''very'' fast.
* ForTheEvulz: Brandon's motivation.
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: It's pretty clear that Brandon and Phillip are in a relationship, even considering the strict censorship of the time. That said, this was apparently clearer in the play.
* GodwinsLaw: A discussion of Nietzsche and Brandon believing in the concept of supermen prompts the response "so did Hitler" from David's father.
* GuiltRiddenAccomplice: Phillip.
* HaveAGayOldTime:
** "I just couldn't be the gay girl anymore".
** "How queer".
** Given the homosexual subtext, this may be intentional.
* HeelFaceTurn: Rupert does one at the end. Although...Jimmy Stewart could never really ''be'' a heel, anyhow.
* HollywoodOld: Jimmy Stewart is greyed at the temples, but it's still obvious he's the same age as his supposed former students.
* InspiredBy: The story was inspired by a real-life murder committed by Leopold and Loeb.
* InsufferableGenius: Brandon. He puts on as elaborate a display he can of the murder as part of a joke only he'll enjoy. Phillip calls him out on this, accusing him of secretly wanting to get caught just so he can boast about how cleverly he committed the act.
* MacGuffin: It's Hitch, so it's pretty much required. In this case, it's David's body.
* MissingTrailerScene: The film was originally meant to open with a scene of Janet and David in Central Park but that was cut and put in the trailer instead.
* NietzscheWannabe: Our two "heroes" decide that David's "inferiority" justifies his death. Rupert Cadell also counts, considering the murder was inspired by his rhetoric, but he [[spoiler: [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone renounces his way of thinking once he realizes what happened.]]]]
* TheOner: Hitchcock wanted to make the film one long, continuous shot. Sadly, this wasn't feasible with the technology of the time: film would run out after about ten minutes, so the camera would zoom in on some person or something, and zoom out when it cuts. But because film reels in the cinema would run out after ten minutes and need to be changed over, some cuts are straightforward and normal.
* ThePerfectCrime: Brandon brags that it is "the perfect murder", which leads to him being so cocky about it.
* PlayingAgainstType: James Stewart as Rupert Cadell.
* ReverseWhodunnit: We know the two are guilty; the only question is if they can get away with it.
* RippedFromTheHeadlines: The stage play from which the movie was adapted was inspired by the infamous Leopold and Loeb murder case from 1924. Another fictionalized version would come about a decade later with Richard Fleischer's ''Compulsion''.
* ShoutOut: Janet's and Mrs. Atwater's conversation about Creator/CaryGrant and Creator/IngridBergman starring in a movie with a OneWordTitle that neither Janet nor Mrs. Atwater can remember might refer to ''Film/{{Notorious}}''.
* SissyVillain: Brandon and Phillip.
** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHhBXg-QTfY Made all too obvious in this Youtube rework.]] The fun start 2 minutes in.
* SmugSnake: Brandon. Brandon. And [[RuleOfThree Brandon]].
* SpannerInTheWorks: Rupert Cadell.
* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: The trailer shows [[spoiler: the final scene of Rupert finding out about David's murder]] thus eliminating a lot of the suspense.
* VillainOpeningScene
----