6. Rope (1948) – Gay Subtext (Again)
Hitchcock explored a homosexual relationship again but this time through the theme of an entire movie. This film is based off the Leopold and Loeb case from 1924, in which two University of Chicago students murdered a 14-year-old boy. The case also implied that the two students were in a homosexual relationship. While, of course, Hitchcock couldn’t really showcase their homosexual relationship in the film, he could make the whole film thematically about being a closeted gay man. This film begins with the murder and takes place as the two students host a dinner party. The entire film is about keeping the murder a secret from the guests of their dinner party. The theme of keeping a secret from society runs through this entire film, making it basically one big analogy for being in the closet.
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