There are many notable similarities between Alfred Hitchcock’s two films Strangers on a Train (1951) and Rope (1948). For example, Hitchcock scholars and film critics have written repeatedly about the doubling of the male relationships — particularly since Farley Granger appears in both films — and the implication that Brandon and Phillip (Rope), Bruno and even Guy (Strangers) are gay.
However, when I was most recently watching these two films, it was the women characters that struck me. Like the male characters, they are doubled across these two films, exhibiting a sense of wit and flirtation with taboo that makes them great fun to watch.
So, this video focuses on archetypal Hitchcock ladies, in particular The Marriageable Brunette, The Girl Who Wears Glasses, and The Society Dame.
Watch Rope on Sunday, February 17 at 4:00 p.m. at the IU Cinema as part of the Dastardly Dinners series.
Then watch Strangers on a Train on Saturday, February 23 at 4:00 p.m. as part of the City Lights Film Series.
Laura Ivins loves stop motion, home movies, imperfect films, nature hikes, and Stephen Crane’s poetry. She has a PhD from Indiana University and an MFA from Boston University. In addition to watching and writing about movies, sometimes she also makes them.