Confession Is Good for the Soul

In this case, I am refering to Alfred Hitchcock's I Confess (1953).

This movie is definitely 1 of Hitch's most Catholic of movies, literally. The story revolves arround a priest, Fr. Michael Logan, who is falsely accused of a murder. Fr. Logan knows who the real killer is. But there is 1 problem, he can't tell it to anyone. Why? Because the killer told Fr. Logan that he did it in the confessional. A priest cannot reveal anything told him by a penitent by word or action. This is known as the Seal of Confession. See the problem?

The movie opens late at night. Fr. Logan (Montgomery Clift) sees someone go into the Church from a window in the rectory & he goes to check it out. When he gets there he discovers the parish caretaker, Otto Keller (O. E. Hasse). Keller is distressed & asks Fr. Logan to hear his confession. He tells Fr. Logan about how he killed Villette, a man Keller did some gardening for, while robbing him.

The next day, Fr. Logan shows up at Villette's house. When asked by Inspector Larrue (Karl Malden) why he is there, Fr. Logan says that he had an appointment with the dead man. After leaving the house, Fr. Logan is seen by the Inspector talking to a woman. She is Ruth Grandfort (Anne Baxter), wife of Pierre Grandfort, a leader in the Canadian Parliament. As more & more facts come out about Fr. Logan, Ruth & Villette, the police see the evidence pointing to Fr. Logan. He is finally arrested & put on trial.

This movie is well worth seeing for several reasons. 1st of all, there is Montgomery Clift as Fr. Logan. Clift was a method actor. Normally, Hitchcock didn't like working with method actors. In this case the combination worked out well. Without saying much, Clift was able to get across Fr. Logan's struggles, fears & anguish at the circumstances he found himself in.

Another excellent piece of casting was O.E. Hasse as Keller. At 1st you feel sympathy for Keller & his wife Alma (Dolly Haas). They are German refugees from WW II. But as time goes on & Keller works to frame Fr. Logan, you lose all sympathy. Hasse gives just the right tinge of selfishness to Keller. There are several scenes between Keller & Fr. Logan where Keller plays off Fr. Logan's deep faithto torture him. Alma is also well cast. This was 1 of German film star Haas' few American movies. She is caught between her love of her husband & the fact that he is sacrificing Fr. Logan to save his own hide. (As an aside, Alma was the name of Hitchcock's wife. Hass was married to probably the greatest caricaturist ever, Al Hirschfeld.)

Unlike today's movies, the Catholic Church, its beliefs & its priests are treated with great respect. That fact made it fresh & refreshing. Hitchcock was a Jesuit educated Catholic who wanted to be sure that everything was done right. Through a series of letters, Hitchcock & Breen (another Jesuit educated Catholic) from the Hayes Office worked out the best way to ensure that nothing in Clift's performance would be seen as a betrayal of the seal of confession.

The movie takes place in Quebec City & was filmed there in black & white. Everything from the locations to the close-ups works well. I have to say that I don't think this movie would have worked as well in color. B&W film enabled Hitchcock to use light & darkness, shadow & sun in a way that added to the suspense. The proper pace is maintained throughout the whole movie as well.

In 1 way, this was a typical Hitchcock film plot. You have an ordinary person, Fr. Logan, caught in a situation far beyond his control. At a couple points it seemed like there were way too many coincidences. But, that is often true in a Hitchcock film. It still worked. Even though you know the truth, you wonder if Fr. Logan will be convicted & how the real killer will be revealed to the police & the public. & that is where the true suspense is in this film. Without giving away anything, Hitchcock is able to pull it off while ensuring Fr. Logan remains fully faithful to his priestly vows.

The Warner DVD doesn't have many extras, just a "Making of" documentary, a premier newsreel & the trailer. Nice as the bonuses often are, they are just icing on the cake. The movie stands well on its own & is a gem that has clearly been underappreciated over the years.

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I have been meaning to watch this movie for a long time. Last Wednesday on his blog, Paul the Regular Guy had a post about this movie (Recommended). I was at the Loras library & seeing the post was the impetus to finally check it out. Mille Grazie Paul!!!!!