Customer Reviews

I Confess

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I confess I have a soft spot for Hitchcock's examination of the conflict between the vows of the priest and the vows of justice. Montgomery Clift plays Father Michael Logan. Father Logan has a murderer confess his deed to him. When Logan becomes a suspect, he's unable to divulge what was said. When a detective (a superb Karl Malden) begins investigating the murder, he comes to believe that Father Logan is the suspect he's looking for. Complicating things, is a woman that Logan had an affair with years before and her involvement with the victim.

One of Hitch's most stylish and the most noir looking thriller of his career, "I Confess" is one of Hitch's few films to be shot on location in the latter part of his career. Shot in beautiful Quebec, there's a distinct European flavor to the film due to the city's distinct architecture and cobblestone streets. Clift gives a soulful performance despite the fact that he and Hitch clashed on the set and having a script compromised by Breen's editing of the script for offensive material.

Although the film doesn't quite live up to the standards of "Strangers on a Train" (the film that preceded it) or "Rear Window" (the film after it), it's a very good minor classic in Hitchcock's body of work. The transfer looks unusually sharp for the most part and although there is noticeable grain issues here, it's to be expected given the black and white photography, age of the film and type of film stock used to shoot the film. Wonderful cinematography from Hitchcock's reliable Robert Burks.

The special features include a short documentary (about 20 minutes) on the making of the film featuring Peter Bogdanovich, Patricia Hitchcock O'Connell and Jack Larson (Jimmy Olsen to those who grew up on "Superman" on TV). There's also a discussion of the performances and the difficulties in shooting the film with Clift. We also get a vintage newsreel that discusses the premiere of the film in Canada and the original theatrical trailer.

I won't go into the plot, since everyone else already has...let me just say that this is an EXCELLENT Hitchcock film! I can't believe I'd never heard of it before, but when I saw it I was blown away. Especially as the priest wrestles more and more with clearing his name at the cost of his priesthood, or keeping silence but being sentenced. The plot twist at the end in the courtroom is great, and shows that this is a true Hitch classic!

Hitch had made many "wrong man" movies prior to and after this, such as "The 39 Steps," "Saboteur," "North by Northwest," and of course, "The Wrong Man." What separates this from all the rest is that the movie's protagonist, Father Michael Logan, does not embark on a sudden cross-country quest to find the real murderer. In fact, the murderer -- German refugee Otto Keller -- is right under Father Logan's very nose all along, and Logan knows his guilt, because Keller has confessed the murder to Logan forthrightly.

Thus the suspense here results from the crisis of conscience Logan is put through, and few celluloid heroes have been put through the wringer the way Montgomery Clift's has been. His is a crucial moral dilemma: Divulge Keller's confession and get himself off the hook, or stay silent and perhaps be hanged.

Though Hitchcock held Stanislavsky "method" actors in disdain (Clift made shooting difficult, constantly defering to his acting coach on the set), he clearly could spot a great actor when he saw one. Montgomery Clift's portrayal of Logan complex and heartfelt. He invests his character with thoroughly believable intellect and emotion, and gives one of the greatest performances of a man of integrity the screen has ever seen. The viewer can easily empathize with him and the incredible pressure he must be under. Yet, the message is clear: Father Logan is a man of the true faith -- for by keeping true to the sacrament of confession, he keeps his soul intact and demonstrates his unyielding belief in the salvation of even the most tainted of souls, Keller's.

The tension is even further racheted up a notch, because as Keller fears the police closing in, he badgers and taunts Logan, accusing him of cowardice, suspecting him of breaking. The study in contrasts could not be greater. O.E. Hasse (ironically, "hasse" being the German word for "hate") exudes hate as the ratty instigator Keller. He definitely belongs in the patheon of evil Hitchcockian villians, like Norman Bates, Bruno Anthony, Mrs. Danvers and Madame Sebastian.

Anne Baxter, Karl Malden and Brian Aherne round out the cast with great performances. Baxter is conflicted and gorgeous as the married woman still enamored with Logan, who loved her before he assumed his priestly vows; Malden is nimble and self-assured as the detective who finds that the evidence points to Logan; Aherne is smarmy and vicious as the Crown prosecutor who goes after Logan tooth and nail. Dolly Haas, the great German stage actress, is thoroughly believeable as Keller's wife. Throughout the movie, she -- knowing her husband's murder -- acts like a scared rabbit, which is doubly ironic, since "Haas" is Dutch for "hare"!

"I Confess" was shot on location in Quebec City, and does for its vistas what "Vertigo" did for San Francisco. DP Robert Burks, helming his second Hitchcock film, paints the French-Canadian city in shades of shimmering white and charcoal black. His camerawork evokes the Gothic majesty of its cathedrals and Christian iconography, placing Father Logan in a deceptively sympathetic visual context while imprisoning him within the shadows of its dank cobblestones and Keller's skulking presence.

The great and unheralded Russian composer Dimitri Tiomkin -- who scored more Hitchcock soundtracks than any other composer except Bernard Herrmann -- builds an equally dark and evocative score around the Catholic "Dies Irae" chant that summons up both doom and judgment, echoing Liszt's "Totentanz" and Rachmaninoff's "Die Toteninsel."

There are many who consider this one of Hitchcock's minor classics. I could not disagree more: "I Confess" is definitely one of the Master of Suspense's greatest films, an underrated masterwork, akin to Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil" or Billy Wilder's "Ace in the Hole." It is solid on so many different levels, and rivals "Vertigo," "North by Northwest," "Notorious," "Psycho" and "The Lady Vanishes" for its visual power and seamless construction.

This is an excellent movie! Montgomery Clift turns in a superb performance as Father Michael Logan, a priest who hears a confession of a murder. Shortly thereafter, Father Logan himself is suspected and, eventually, accused of the murder. Of course, he knows who committed the murder, but he can't break the seal of the confessional even to save his own life! Anne Baxter plays an old girlfriend who tries to help, but ends up making things worse. Karl Malden is very good as a police detective determined to solve the murder.

This is one of the best and most Catholic movies ever! I am a priest, and I encourage all of my brother priests to watch this movie. It is an inspiring look at the kind of priest that God has called us to be. It is also an excellent reminder to all Catholics about the great gift we have in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Theres no such thing as Montgomery Clift giving a bad performance. One the entire family can enjoy. Nothing like the trash that Hollywood is turning out today.

This film is great. I pray that a movie just like it would be made. This present day society needs to see how awesome the Sacrament of Confession is and I believe that Alfred Hitchcock portrays it very well. His photography and use of symbols make this movie a must see...

This was another one of Hitchcock's movies that I had never seen, but I'm glad I did! Montgomery Clift, as a priest who knows a terrible secret, is wonderful! (What a great actor he was - I have never seen him give a poor or mediocre performance in any of his films. It's such a pity his life was cut short)Karl Malden and Anne Baxter give good performances, as well, but the movie is all Clift's. The movie has an interesting premise - a murderer confesses his crime to a priest, who is bound by his vows not to reveal anything told to him in the confessional. There was a little too much talk in the film, but the surprise ending more than makes up for any minor complaints I may have had. Alfred Hitchcock's movies are wonderful - classy and intelligent as opposed to some of the rot being churned out of Hollywood today. A great film, a great cast, a great viewing experience into the dark sie of human nature!

This film is seemingly standard Hitchcock fare, with a twist. A man is accused of a murder he didn't commit. That is typical Hitchcock. However, instead of the man trying to find the real murderer while trying to escape the police and criminals, the man knows who the murderer is and he cannot do anything. This is not typical Hitchcock. Montgomery Clift gives a good performance as the priest who cannot reveal the truth. Karl Malden is also well cast. Not the greatest of Hitchcock efforts, but a interesting plot and the Master of Suspense's touch makes this well-worth a look.

This review is for the 2004 Warner Brothers DVD.

I've been a big fan of Hitchcock since I saw the movie "The Birds" in the late 1960's and since then I thought I'd seen all of his movies on either video, TV or the big screen at some movie festivals. I recently bought the nine DVD "Signature Collection" and had seen all but two movies, one of which was "I Confess". I really didn't know what to expect and was a bit disturbed with the artwork which shows a priest holding a beautiful woman.

The storyline involves an immigrant named Otto Keller (O.E. Hasse) who works as a maintenance man in a Catholic Church in Quebec. One night Otto comes into the cathedral and sees a priest named Father Logan (Montgomery Clift) and asks the priest hear his confessions. Otto confesses to Father Logan that he killed someone earlier that night. Father Logan goes to that house of the murdered man the following morning, but the police have already arrived and Logan also runs into Ruth Grandfort (Ann Baxter), a woman he knows. The police have only one lead and it appears that some witnesses saw a priest leave the scene of the crime. The plot thickens intensely as Father Logan becomes a primary suspect, and his credibility is challenged since he appears to be involved with a married woman yet because of his oath as a priest, he cannot divulge the confessions of the killer. This sets up the rest of the movie for plenty drama and suspense.

This was one of those movies that sticks with you long after you watch it and gives you a lot to think about. There could be many parallels made to the life of Jesus who served and sacrificed his life for the sake of the sinners of the world (although Father Logan is in no way a Messiah). Other allegories include being ridiculed and scorned for acts he never committed or for being compassionate and forgiving for those who've harmed him. In all, its a story of compassion, sacrifice and love, but perhaps most of all staying true to your oath and calling, even in the face of death. The acting was nothing extra special, but I would say Karl Maldon was the best of the bunch. The script was superb and the picture certainly had that "Hitchcock look", especially in the opening segment at night. In case anyone cares, I'm not a Roman Catholic, but a Christian who attends a protestant church, yet I found this movie very inspiring. It was also refreshing to see a movie that wasn't trying to viciously scandalize the church as many movies do today. This film may be more for acquired tastes, but for myself, I was thoroughly pleased with the story, and was more challenged than entertained.

The DVD quality is nearly perfect for a movie this old. The transfer is sharp and blemish-free, but seemed a tad grainy in some scenes. The sound was fine and there were a few bonus features including a commentary segment about "I Confess".


Movie: A

DVD Quality: A-

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...