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39 out of 42 people found the following comment useful :-
The seal of confession is highly illustrated by Hitchcock's "I Confess.", 12 August 2000

Author: ironside (robertfrangie@hotmail.com) from Mexico

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

If the transfer of culpability was a basic theme in Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train," it furnished the provocative dilemma to "I Confess."

A German refugee, Keller (O.E. Hasse), murders a lawyer named Vilette (Ovila Legare) when he is caught stealing... Keller thereupon confesses his crime to Father Michael Logan (Montgomery Clift), a priest at the Quebec church where he is a sexton...

Vilette was blackmailing Ruth Grandfort (Anne Baxter), who was in love with Logan before he was ordained and who continues to love him in spite of his religious vows and her subsequent marriage to Pierre Granfort (Roger Dann).

Keller wore a cassock when he committed the crime and Father Logan is unable to supply an alibi for the time of the murder - a series of coincidences which eventually find the priest on trial for murder...

The dilemma of "I Confess" relates to Catholic church law which specifically forbids the clergy from disclosing those sins exposed in the privacy of the confessional... Thus forced into complicity with the murderer, Father Logan behaves as though he is guilty despite his innocence in much the same way Guy Haines takes on some of Bruno's guilt in Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train." The film's tension derives from the audience's knowledge of the cleric's ethical problem and its desire to see him break his vows to save his own life...

Montgomery Clift makes the clergyman's inner torment apparent simply by the anguished expression in his eyes, and creates sympathy for a man who could be an object of mockery by maintaining his dignity...

Compassionate, grave, and restrained, Clift delineates the priest's conflicting emotions with the distinguished nuances of expression... His face, vulnerable but brighter by discerning yet kind eyes, reveals his suffering with eloquent intensity...

While a determined Karl Malden looks for every scrap of information to clear the murder, an embarrassing crown prosecutor (Brian Aherne) is in despair to establish a motive for the murder...

With moody atmosphere, set against the background of picturesque Quebec photographed in black and white, "I Confess" is solemn and entertaining, never getting out of control, with an overpowering sense of doom and enough amount of suspense in the manhunt of a killer...

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26 out of 32 people found the following comment useful :-
Superior, if not superlative Hitchcock, 23 July 2000

Author: Spleen from Canberra, Australia

It's never been satisfactorily explained why this wasn't a commercial success. It's not a bad film. Nor is it good in an inaccessible way. Hitchcock's explanations for its failure aren't at all convincing... Non-Catholics don't know about the seal of confession, he said; they can't believe that a priest will sacrifice his freedom and career just to keep a secret. Rubbish. They can and they do. EVERYONE knows about the seal of confession, and Montgomery Clift makes Father Logan's sacrifice perfectly plausible. (Besides, I've never had much time for the objection that a lead character is "too good".) The one thing some people don't know about the seal of confession is that the priest can't mention the sin even to the guilty party, but this is made clear enough in the film in one of the confrontations between Keller and Logan. (All such confrontations are excellent, by the way.) Hitchcock also complains that audiences missed the point by hoping for Logan to tell the police what he knows, a complaint which betrays a misunderstanding of audience psychology. We NEVER hope that the hero will "get out of jail" by doing something dishonourable or morally wrong; so long as there is some other way for the plot to be resolved, THAT'S what we're hoping for. Besides, it's obvious that Logan will never break his vows. Another reviewer says that Logan should simply say to the police: "The seal of confession prevents me from answering your questions"; but the film makes it clear he can't say even this. It would put the police on Keller's scent, and Logan feels - rightly or wrongly, but at any rate plausibly - that his vows force him to be genuinely silent, not nudge-nudge wink-wink silent. I'm on his side here. It's hard to feel much sympathy for the "I won't say who did it, but I WILL drop a hint" attitude adopted by the priests of modern police dramas.

So what IS wrong with "I Confess"? Too much "Teutonic[?] gravity", as some have alleged? "Not enough humour"? Please. those imposing shots of stony Quebec MAKE the film. And let's face it: Hitchcock isn't funny. Give me this kind of thing over the leaden levity of "North by Northwest" any day. No: the short answer is that there's NOTHING, or nothing to speak of, wrong with "I Confess"; certainly nothing that explains its unpopularity.

A few things weaken it a little. If Montgomery Clift plays one of Hitchcock's most likeable characters, Anne Baxter plays one of the least likeable ones; I found it hard not to hope that Ruth would fall into the sea, or walk in front of a bus, or induce a casual passer-by to strangle her. This is okay: the fact that she's irritating helps the story. All the same, her explanatory flashback DOES tend to drag, and one wishes her scenes could be speeded up a little. Then there's Dmitri Timokin's score. It's a fine score, in its way, but it DRONES. Tiomkin is never allowed to get a crescendo out of the orchestra; instead, the sound engineer turns up the volume every so often.

Not that any of this matters much. Overall it's one of Hitchcock's more engaging films. The worst that can be said of it is that it's not a masterpiece, nor is it among his very best. Try it if you think that all the critical carrying-on over such films as "Foreign Correspondent", "Notorious", "Strangers on a Train" and "North by Northwest" is a bit much, and you long for something that isn't so theory-driven.

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20 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
I Confess I Love This Movie, 31 December 2004

Author: Hal-900 from WA, USA

Hitchcock's exploration of martyrdom is not one of his best movies, but if one is interested in his films, this movie comes across as one of Hitch's most personal projects. The premise is simple: a priest hears a murder's confession and even after the priest himself is implicated in the murder, he chooses not to reveal the killer's identity. Firstly, it is interesting to see how Hitch sees religion. In his eyes, the priest almost looks like he is enjoying the position of martyr that he is forced to assume. The priest does not even attempt to convince the killer to confess; it is as if he wants to carry the "cross" on his shoulders. Hitch seems to be saying that there is something very seductive about religion; for Christians suffering is a privilege, not a burden. Finally, intentional or not, the movie works as a response to the witch hunts of the 1950s, with a man unwilling to testify against another person. Yes, minor Hitchcock, but still extremely provocative and interesting.

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19 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
The new DVD is excellent., 24 December 2004

Author: jgepperson from United States

This may not be one of Hitchcock's greatest movies, but it's still a great film, since it was made by the master, who somehow managed to survive beautifully in Hollywood for many years. It contains many of his favorite things: lamps, the backs of people's heads, bedposts, ladies pacing in front of mantelpieces, obvious symbolism, architecture, performing arts halls, etc. More somber in tone than most Hitchcock thrillers, it should not be missed by any Hitchcock fan.

Nor by any Montgomery Clift fan. At one point Clift is juxtaposed against a statue of Christ dragging his cross, taunted by soldiers. This could be the impishly sadistic Hitchcock poking fun at the "plugged-up" persona that Clift was developing for himself, but Clift is nevertheless excellent as the brooding, sensitive priest trapped by his own devotional vows. And of course he's physically beautiful: the hair, the eyes, the eyebrows.

Less effective, although she has her moments, is Anne Baxter who was a replacement for a European actress. It's too bad, because it's hard to buy Baxter as the luscious Hitchcock blonde. Her hairdo is awful (well, it was 1953, so it's not entirely her fault)and she does that line reading that she does in every movie, including "All About Eve," where each line fades to a whisper, or starts as a whisper and stays that way. Once you become aware of it, you can't not notice it! She does, however, have at least one great Orry-Kelly dress and the way she snaps "Yes" at her husband was worth a rollback for a second viewing.

The new DVD is excellent. It has a little documentary which is enjoyable, if you can stand Peter Bogdanovich doing his Hitchcock impersonation. Hitchcock's daughter is also in the documentary. It's amazing how she seems to not really understand what her father was up to sub-textually, but she continues to enjoy his success.

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13 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Hitch Asks Moral Question, 8 October 2006

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

An Alfred Hitchcock film with very little action or suspense, this moral issue- drama still maintains interest for the most part. Montgomery Clift is intriguing as "Father William Logan," a Catholic priest from Quebec who hears a murder confession, is charged with the crime himself, and never wavers from his vow to keep confessions private.

The question Hitchcock apparently poses with this is is, "Is that still morally right when it means you leave a killer out on the loose?"

Complicating the matter is an old girlfriend, played by Anne Baxter, who still loves the priest. However, once again the cleric remains true to his vows and doesn't get involved with her.

Karl Malden, meanwhile, plays a gung-ho cop out to solve the crime.

This movie could use a little more suspense and action, plus a bit of the old Hitchcock humor, but still is more than passable.

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15 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Forgotten, with a capital F, 24 September 2000
Author: nikodemus

"I Confess" is a strong candidate for Hitchcock's most forgotten film. It never gets mentioned in any Hitchcock documentaries or when discussing about his movies. The film doesn't offer the usual amount of excitement or thrilling entertainment than his better known ones ("North by Northwest", for instance). In fact, there isn't much of "real" suspense at all, but well-sketched characters, fine acting performances, and captivating plot development are more than compensating matters.

"I Confess" is a very interesting piece of film making and should be viewed by any Hitchcock fan.

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10 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Atypical Hitchcock, 24 July 2005

Author: gridoon

"I Confess" is one of Alfred Hitchcock's least famous films, and it's easy to see why: there is no mystery (we know who the killer is right from the start); there is some suspense but no major set-pieces; there is very little humor (no Cary Grant-type wisecracks here). The movie is a somber psychological drama, and the story of a forbidden love, and perhaps a Christ allegory (the priest has to suffer for another man's sins - he has to bear his own cross). I wouldn't rank it among Hitchcock's best, but it certainly has some of the best acting you can find in a Hitchcock film: Montgomery Clift is superb in a difficult role, Anne Baxter is warm and utterly believable as the woman who is consumed by her love for him, and Karl Malden is perfectly cast as the nosy (no pun intended) inspector on the case. (**1/2)

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9 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Nos Deux Consciences, 4 June 2005
Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

I Confess's story takes place in Quebec City, Canada is adapted from the French story Nos Deux Consciences. And the whole thing is about a priest's conscience. Does he keep his vows even at the cost of his own freedom and maybe his life, certainly his reputation.

That is what Montgomery Clift is faced with. German actor O.E. Hasse who Clift worked with on The Big Lift is the caretaker of a church where Clift is assigned. He takes the priest's garments and commits murder in them. And then offers confession to Clift. Clift knows the murder victim as well and could have his own reason for doing him harm. Of course police detective Karl Malden suspects him.

How this all gets resolved is the plot of the story. But let me give you a hint. The title of the original story is Our Two Consciences. And the consciences referred to are Monty Clift's and someone else's.

Clift and the rest of the cast do a fine job in this minor Alfred Hitchcock film. But the acting honors in this go to O.E. Hasse, an really oily malevolent villain who is enjoying the predicament he's put the priest in. You won't forget him.

Fans of Hitchcock and Clift will be entertained and others will enjoy it as well.

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10 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
A Minor Hitch, 28 February 2002
Author: JoeytheBrit from www.moviemoviesite.com

Hitch returns to one of his favourite themes - the innocent man wrongfully accused - but fails this time to achieve the level of suspense he has achieved in his more deservedly famous movies.

The story was old, even in 1952 (it was based on a 1902 play), but is still reasonably intriguing and, for all it's faults, this movie gives the storyline it's best airing.

The film starts well, establishing a couple of mysteries early on. Unfortunately, they are both resolved far too early, leaving the film requiring a level of suspense to hold the viewer that just isn't there.

However, the main flaw in the movie is the motivation of the main protagonists - Father Logan and Otto Keller, the real murderer. Keller changes from a guilt-ridden, repentant man to a calculating villain overnight - confessing his crime to Logan and then constantly reminding the priest that he cannot reveal the confession to the police even when Clift's character himself comes under suspicion. One of Keller's final acts also flies in the face of his motive for the killing in the first place. For his part, Logan doesn't even try to use his influence to persuade Keller to give himself up, to remind the killer of the spiritual fate that awaits him should he not repent, etc. At least Montgomery Clift, whose hesitant manner was only ever really put to good effect in A PLACE IN THE SUN, possesses the irresolute air required of the part of Father Logan.

There's not too much trademark Hitch in this one: one POV shot that works pretty well, and a shot of police detective Malden peering around Keller to watch Logan that only Hitchcock would use; other than that, the direction isn't vintage by any means - although mediocre Hitchcock is better than many on-form directors, so it's definitely worth a look.

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8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
hitch's sleeper, 23 February 1999

Author: cappy-9 from new york city

"I Confess" is the most under exposed/appreciated/rated of Hitchcock's films. It is as convincing (except for the minimal flashbacks) as "Shadow of a Doubt" in terms of both its art and its reality. Its mise en scene captures Quebec City, its specifically Catholic culture, its history, its moral dramas, and its character types. I think Clift and Baxter are perfectly cast, as are Aherne and Maldon. Keller and Alma truly hit home as Catholic parish staff and carry effectively much of the drama and suspense of this true Hitch sleeper, which is also a memorable romance. (There is indeed a great deal of genuine emotion and deep feeling in this very ordinary and convincing world).

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