10 More Incredible Movie Scenes Shot In A Single Take

10. Any Scene - Rope

Alfred Hitchcock intended his 1948 crime thriller, Rope, to be his first single-take film. This feat was impossible, since camera reels during that era could only manage ten minutes of footage.

As such, the Psycho director had the 80-minute movie composed of ten scenes, with the shortest lasting nearly six minutes. Hitchcock did his best to disguise the transition from one reel to another, giving the illusion the film takes place in a consistent take.

The London-born filmmaker may have dismissed Rope as a stunt later in life, but there's no question its presentation is a startling achievement. Though several mistakes made it into the final cut, Hitchcock and his crew found ways around it to avoid reshoots.

For example, when a cameraman's foot was crushed by a dolly, he was dragged off set to avoid ruining the scene. During a dinner sequence, an actress tried to place her glass on a table but missed. Luckily, a vigilant crew-member grabbed the glass before it hit the ground, allowing the scene to continue. On top of that, Hitchcock had the footage mildly sped up to ensure as much content occurred on each reel as possible.

Rope's very existence may be a gimmick, but it doesn't make it any less impressive.