Dial P for Podcast #8: Rope, Under Capricorn, Stage Fright, Strangers on a Train

Good evening. Welcome to Dial P for Podcast, Patrick Ripoll's year-long chronological voyage through the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Every month Patrick will be watching four Hitchcock features and talking about them here, from The Pleasure Garden to Family Plot, all across the year of 2026, examining the life and work of England's most famous cinema pervert.

On this month's installment we see Hitchcock take flight with his own production company, his own projects, his own risks and bold formal gambits that no one else would ever be fool enough to try. In Rope (1948) Hitchcock embraces long takes, treacherous gays and color film, with Under Capricorn (1949) Hitchcock once again tries his hand at period costume drama and once again is humbled, Stage Fright (1950) finds Hitchcock returning to familiar moves and finding unexpected success, and finally Strangers on a Train (1951) sets a new path forward for Hitch, with a new trusted cinematographer and a new embrace of a dark bitter misanthropy that he makes look oh so good. All that and an impression of Jimmy Stewart as George Carlin! You can't lose!

0:00 - 0:28 -  Intro

0:29 - 1:26:24 - Rope (1948)

1:26:25 - 2:15:57 - Under Capricorn (1949)

2:15:58 - 3:22:45 - Stage Fright (1950)

3:22:46 - 4:29:13 - Strangers on a Train (1951)

4:29:14 - 4:32:47 - Addendum

4:32:47 - 4:33:02 - Outro