Rope 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Rope 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Justin Dekker November 17, 2023

Universal has released Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rope' (1948) to the UHD format. It is available individually (this release) or as part of a five film boxed set along with 'The Man Who Knew Too Much', 'Torn Curtain', 'Topaz', and 'Frenzy'. 2160p/HDR video and DTS HD Master Audio is available for this and all releases in the set, and the legacy special features are brought forward onto these new discs.

For a review of the film, please refer to the previous release of 'Rope'.

Rope 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Taking a look a the included Blu-ray first, video issues are visible from the very start. The letters in the opening title sequence are not crisp, and some film damage is evident as well, with scratches and white specks all on display. Those particular issues persist throughout the film. The opening scene is very dark, to the point where the darkness absorbs detail. Skin tones look a bit muddy. Fine detail is visible in hair, facial features, and most fabrics. However, the Blu-ray struggles with Brandon's blue suit in mid-range and long shots where it is difficult to pick out the lapels of his coat or to understand where the coat ends and the pants begin. Grain is present but never very noisy or distracting.

As much as my colleague Mr. Brown was excited about the improvements found in the previous Blu-ray's release over the prior DVD, I'm similarly pleased with the 4K disc's improvements over the included Blu-ray. On the 4K disc one will instantly notice that everything is significantly sharper during the opening credit sequence. The letters are sharp and precise. Colors are truer as well, with the Blu-ray's odd blue tint to the exterior of the Rex Arms building corrected, now looking like natural stone. During the film's all-important first scene, the darkest in the entire film, much more detail is now visible. Considering this triggers all of the subsequent action and tension, this is a very important improvement. Phillip's brown suit looks richer, as do all of the other colors, and details are visible in Brandon's blue suit even in mid to long shots. Textures on fabrics are more visible. Skin tones are much improved. The muddy sallowness is largely ameliorated, with skin tones on the female characters, Jimmy Stewart, and Sir Cedric Hardwicke looking very healthy. While there isn't much to focus on in the apartment, there is a great amount of detail revealed in the bookcase behind the piano that wasn't as visible before. There really isn't any film damage evident. This is definitely the best that Rope has ever looked.

Please note that all screen shots are sourced from the 1080p Blu-ray presentation.

Rope 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Being confined exclusively to a few rooms of an apartment in contemporary 1940s America, there isn't much of a robust soundscape that needs to be managed. The bulk of what the two-channel DTS-HD Audio Mono track needs to reproduce is dialogue, and that is done very well. Although much of it is centered as is appropriate, directionality is very good when we're getting snippets of conversation from off-screen. The gunshots, when they finally arrive, are more than reasonable for the era. I didn't detect any sibilance issues which can sometimes plague releases of older films, nor did I detect any distortion or other audio anomalies.

Rope 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All of the previous features from the previous release are brought forward to the 4K disc, and are as follows:

Rope Unleashed (SD, 32 minutes)

Production Photos (SD, 8 minutes)

Theatrical Trailer (SD, 2 minutes)

For a detailed look at the special features, please refer to the previous release of 'Rope'.

Rope 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Filmed in nine reel-long shots with crafty transitions so as to make the reel changes as invisible as possible, Rope feels like a play with the events of the evening playing out before us in real-time. It's a slow burn as Stewart's character gradually grows more and more suspicious of his two hosts building to an incredibly tense showdown at the film's climax. Substantial video improvements are on display and the audio track is solid as well, making this the best presentation of Rope to date. That, coupled with the legacy supplemental features and the strength of the film itself, earns this disc a strong recommendation.