10 Underrated Films From Great Directors

Before 1917 and Birdman made famous the style of the uninterrupted take, Alfred Hitchcock did it first with Rope. A relatively simple tale of a murder of a boy by his fellow students who wish to show their superiority by having a dinner party with those who knew the deceased. James Stewart stars as the murderers' former teacher who would have philosophical discussions with them about killing in the past.

The film is well written enough and the performances are all strong but it is Hitchcock's direction here that is so significant. Taking place entirely in one apartment, Hitchcock uses the experimental style of the long takes with hidden cuts to make Rope feel like a real time play.

Yes, more recent films have done it better and more ambitiously but, that doesn't mean Hitchcock's efforts should be discredited. His cuts are far more obvious and blatant as he zooms into the back of characters to hide his edits but this is still an impressive feat for the time it was made. It will never be one of Hitchcock's greatest films but it is certainly his most underappreciated.