I Confess
A priest hears a murder confession, but cannot reveal what he knows due to the laws of the Confessional, even when he is accused of the crime himself.
Member Reviews
Master at Work - crazyboutmovies
To watch a film by Alfred Hitchcock is to akin to witnessing a virtuoso musician playing - not a note is out of place.
What is it that makes a Hitchcock film so special? Is it the distinctive way the camera is used? Or the way the story unfolds? Or the way he had the characters interact with each other? Perhaps it is a combination of all these different factors.
From the initial shot of Quebec City's Chateau Frontenac, shown against a bright sky with clouds, almost in silhouette, to the closing shot of the exact same building, we are drawn into a world of darkness and shadows. The streets of old Quebec City almost serves as a silent witness to the crime being perpetrated.
Composer Dimitri Tiomkin provided a stunning musical score to match the drama. Most interestingly, at the beginning of the film, when Father Logan discovered the murderer in the church, Tiomkin quoted the Dies Irae, the "Day of Wrath" from the old Latin Requiem Mass.
The movie also tells us how much our society has changed in its view on Catholicism. Throughout the movie, we see crucifixes prominently displayed - in the house of parliament, in court. It really reminded me how much Quebec, indeed Canada, has changed, and not for the better. When was the last time you see a character making the sign of the cross in a Hollywood movie? When was the last time Hollywood portrayed a Catholic priest as an honourable, kind and decent person?
This film can be watched over and over again, purely for the enjoyment of watching a master filmmaker at work, and for filmmakers today, who can still learn much from this magical teller of tales.I Confess -- But Maybe Not - Philip75
Significant moral conundrums haunt the characters of Alfred Hitchcock’s I Confess. A murder in the film’s beginning weaves its way through to the concluding scene, uniting the characters with questions of love, religion, responsibility, and faith. In true Hitchcock fashion, the answers are never obvious and surface only after the exposure of human weaknesses.
Father Logan (Montgomery Clift) offers confession to a distraught man who admits to a murder. When investigators begin to ask questions, Logan is forced to weigh his religious duties against his societal duties. In the end, he holds true to religion and the confidentiality of the confession. Society seems not to recognize the religious duty, and Logan soon becomes the primary suspect in the murder case.
Logan as a murder suspect becomes possible when the plot reveals that the murder could actually be advantageous to him. During the investigation, the detectives uncover one of Logan’s past relationships. Before entering the priesthood, and upon his return from the war, Logan rekindled his romance with Ruth (Anne Baxter). The reunion was short, as Ruth neglected to admit that she was a married woman, and the fact was only expressed when they were spotted by the eventual murder victim. The shock of Ruth’s deception presumably sent Logan into a very different direction.
Darkness shrouds the entire film, and Hitchcock employs shadows and sharp, crooked angles to perpetuate an atmosphere of uncertainty. These and other elements of classic film noir lend the perfect tone to a film filled with latent secrets and ambiguous morality. Unfortunately, the film falters at times, as the darkness seeps too deeply into Logan, making him difficult to embrace. His brooding nears exaggeration, ultimately sacrificing his chemistry with Ruth.
Among the shadows, the repercussions of confession emerge, linking the characters as they are forced to look inward in their attempts to avoid the blame of the murClassic Hitchcock Drama - bwod
I had few expectations when I rented this film. Luckily, it turned out to be a real winner. Alfred Hitchcock directed this film, much of which was shot on location in Quebec City. Montgomery Clift beautifully portrays a torn priest, who must hide the truth about a murder he has learned about in the confessional. Ann Baxter is the woman who he has had a previous love affair with, before he became a priest. She is lovely, as usual. Finally, Karl Malden plays the dogged detective who must weed out the details of the case to find the culprit. If you like classic suspense films as styled by Alfred Hitchcock, this one's a winner. Two thumbs up.
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Master at Work - crazyboutmovies
To watch a film by Alfred Hitchcock is to akin to witnessing a virtuoso musician playing - not a note is out of place.
What is it that makes a Hitchcock film so special? Is it the distinctive way the camera is used? Or the way the story unfolds? Or ...I Confess -- But Maybe Not - Philip75
Significant moral conundrums haunt the characters of Alfred Hitchcock’s I Confess. A murder in the film’s beginning weaves its way through to the concluding scene, uniting the characters with questions of love, religion, responsibility, and faith. In true ...Classic Hitchcock Drama - bwod
I had few expectations when I rented this film. Luckily, it turned out to be a real winner. Alfred Hitchcock directed this film, much of which was shot on location in Quebec City. Montgomery Clift beautifully portrays a torn priest, who must hide the truth ...