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Amazon.co.uk Review
As a somewhat tortured Roman Catholic, Alfred Hitchcock jumped at the chance to direct this loose adaptation of Paul Anthelme's 1902 play Nos Deux Consciences, which brings together his twin obsessions of spiritual guilt and murder. The ingenious premise concerns a priest, Father Michael Logan (Montgomery Clift), who hears a killer's confession, but can't break his vow of silence and report the crime, even when suspicion falls upon himself. The film was partly shot in Quebec City (where the story is set), and the camera lingers lovingly over the sumptuous architecture. Yet it may be that Hitchcock was happier working within the confines of a studio, for he takes a low-key approach that never quite delivers on the anticipated thrills. In his defence, the production appears to have been extremely troubled. The script (credited to George Tabori and William Archibald) went through numerous rewrites, largely because the Catholic Church objected to a sub-plot involving Father Logan's ambiguous relationship with Ruth Grandfort (Ann Baxter), a woman who loved him in his pre-cassock days. This romantic angle was doubtless a concession to the box office, but it merely bogs down the suspense while remaining undeveloped in itself. And according to the gossip, Hitchcock couldn't make head or tail of his star, Clift's improvised Method acting being utterly foreign to a control freak who planned each camera movement in advance with elaborate storyboards (it didn't help that the angst-ridden Monty drank heavily during the entire shoot). For whatever reason, the priest's dilemma comes across as a clever gimmick rather than a genuine moral crisis. Perhaps on some hidden level, the director felt more in sympathy with the murderer (whose wife is named Alma, the same as Hitchcock's own wife). The movie is a failed experiment that belongs in the "interesting" category. Still, it's worth checking out, especially if you've seen the 1995 French Canadian film The Confessional, which incorporates the location shooting of I Confess into its plot. --Peter Matthews
Product Description
Classic Hitchcock movie starring Montgomery Clift & Anne Baxter. Otto Kellar and his wife Alma work as caretaker and housekeeper at a Catholic church in Quebec. Whilst robbing a house where he sometimes works as a gardener, Otto is caught and kills the owner. Racked with guilt he heads back to the church where Father Michael Logan is working late. Otto confesses his crime, but when the police begin to suspect Father Logan he cannot reveal what he has been told in the confession
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
What would you do if you were in his place?,
By M. B. Alcat "Curiosity killed the cat, but sa... (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
This review is from: I Confess [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] (DVD)
"I confess" (1953) is a film that is difficult to watch, but also regarding. This is not my favorite Hitchcock film, but I am glad I saw it, even though at times it was hard to endure all the things the main character had to go through in order to stay true to his beliefs.
The main character is Father Logan (Montgomery Clift), a priest that becomes the main suspect of a crime. He knows who the real murderer is, but cannot tell that to the police due to the fact that he had been told that in a confession. As circumstantial evidence condemns him, and people accuse him of shameful deeds, will Father Logan tell what he knows, or will he go on suffering, keeping the secret of confession ? Montgomery Clift is perfect in his portrayal of Father Logan, a man of integrity faced with a crisis of conscience in a very trying situation. You cannot help being affected by the moral dilemma that Father Logan faces, because Clift conveys his anguish and sadness extremely well. You end up asking yourself a very difficult question: what would you do if you were in his place? "I confess" (1953) is a beautiful film about difficult choices, and staying true to what we believe in. Even though most of this movie is pretty somber, the ending brings a note of hope that leaves the spectator thoughtful but not sad. Of course, recommended... Belen Alcat
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
What would you do!,
By ciaran moore "siki" (omagh N IRELAND) - See all my reviews
This review is from: I Confess [1953] [DVD] (DVD)
A nice little movie from hitchcock,slow burning and building to an unforgettable climax.Father Michael Logan(Montgomery Clift)hears a killer`s confession but cannot divulge the contents of the confession to the police inspector(Karl Malden)and in turn becomes a suspect.The disc comes with a making of(20:41) newsreel footage(0:57) and a trailer(2:41).
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I never thought of the priesthood as offering a hiding place,
By
This review is from: I Confess [1953] [DVD] (DVD)
One of Hitchcock's lesser feted works, or least known to the casual audience, sees Montgomery Clift take the role of Father Michael Logan a priest who hears a confession from a murderer and then is accused of the murder himself. Having no wish to reveal what was said to him, Logan must put his faith in the justice system to come up with the right result.
It's hardly a unique concept in a Hitchcock film, but it is a stirring plot nevertheless. Clift, who isn't given much dialogue, is more than adequate in his role and is ably assissted by a warm supporting cast. Anne Baxter, as Ruth Gradnfort - a former lover of Logan from his "pre-priest" days is less of a success. She's solid enough, but lacks the depth that OE Hasse and Dolly Haas, for instance, bring to their "lesser" roles. How much of this is the fault of the script is open to question and Baxter is not helped by the long and, frankly, tedious flashback that explains her character's history with Logan. I Confess was a long labour of love for the director, and censorship issues of the time meant that the final scrpit was markedly different from the one which Hitchcock was pushing for. (In Hitchcock's original thesis, Montgomery Clift hangs for the crime and the backstory between Logan and Grandfort is much more logically explained as involving an illegitamate child). In a twist worthy of one of the man's films, Clift was disappointed with the new script when he arrived for filming, having taken the role on the basis of the orginal one, but it was too late for him to back out. What remains is a strong enough film, and one of Hitchock's most sombre. It's perhaps not what the casual cinema goer would expect from Hitchock but it is most definately worth a look. You can't help feeling though that it might have been even better if Hitchcock would have had the chance to make the story he really wanted to.
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