Murder, blackmail and romance all feature strongly in Alfred Hitchcock's "I Confess" but the story's most compelling component is the moral dilemma faced by a Catholic priest who, after hearing a murderer's confession, is unable to disclose what he knows to the police. The priest's duty to honour the sanctity of the confessional is paramount but by doing so he becomes complicit in concealing the guilt of a killer and later, when the priest becomes the prime suspect, he's left to face not only a crisis of conscience but also the possibility that he'll be executed if he refuses to tell the police what he knows.
This movie was based on Paul Anthelme's 1902 play called "Nos Deux Consciences" and the fact that the plot involved certain issues (Catholicism, the wrong man theme and reasons to mistrust the police) which had preoccupied Hitchcock throughout his life, makes it easy to understand the appeal that this project had for the great director and also the seriousness with which he focuses on the priest's predicament. It's this seriousness that determines the mood of the movie and also contributes to the tension that's a constant feature of everything that takes place.
Father Michael Logan (Montgomery Clift) is a young Catholic priest in Quebec who, late one night, discovers the church's caretaker in one of the pews looking very distressed. Otto Keller (O.E.Hasse) asks Father Logan to hear his confession and in the confessional describes how he murdered a local lawyer called Villette (Ovila Legare) when he'd been caught in the act of stealing some money. Keller tells his wife Alma (Dolly Hass) what he's done and next morning goes to Villette's house, as usual, where he's also employed as a part-time gardener. On "discovering" the body, he calls the police and Inspector Larrue (Karl Malden) and some other officers soon arrive to investigate.
Father Logan also goes to the victim's house on the same morning and claims that he had an appointment to meet Villette. After he leaves, Larrue sees him talking outside to Ruth Grandfort (Anne Baxter) in a way that raises his suspicions and later when two young girls report that they saw a priest leaving Villette's property at about the time of the murder, Larrue's suspicions are reinforced.
Ruth and Logan had been in a relationship before he became a priest and on one occasion, after having been separated for some time, had spent the night together. Logan was unaware that during his absence, Ruth had married a politician named Pierre Grandfort (Roger Dann) and unfortunately for the young couple, they were seen together by Villette who throughout the following years blackmailed Ruth.
On the night of Villette's murder, Logan was with Ruth because she'd sought his advice about the blackmail problem and so when he's subsequently interviewed by Larrue, Logan doesn't feel able to account for his whereabouts at the time of the murder. This makes Larrue convinced of the priest's guilt and later when Ruth comes forward to provide Logan with the alibi he needs, she actually makes matters worse for him because the fact that she was being blackmailed provided a strong motive for wanting to bring an end to Villette's activities by any means possible. A number of further complications and problems then follow before Logan's ordeal is finally brought to an end.
"I Confess" is a great-looking movie with wonderful expressionistic cinematography which perfectly complements the sombre mood of the piece. The use of numerous close-ups and low-angle shots creates an unsettling atmosphere and some camera techniques, such as the way that Larrue's face is revealed just before he sees Logan and Ruth together in the street, create a frisson of their own.
The quality of the acting is impeccable throughout but Montgomery Clift's contribution really stands out because of the dignity, sensitivity and intensity that he brings to his character's anguish.
This movie was based on Paul Anthelme's 1902 play called "Nos Deux Consciences" and the fact that the plot involved certain issues (Catholicism, the wrong man theme and reasons to mistrust the police) which had preoccupied Hitchcock throughout his life, makes it easy to understand the appeal that this project had for the great director and also the seriousness with which he focuses on the priest's predicament. It's this seriousness that determines the mood of the movie and also contributes to the tension that's a constant feature of everything that takes place.
Father Michael Logan (Montgomery Clift) is a young Catholic priest in Quebec who, late one night, discovers the church's caretaker in one of the pews looking very distressed. Otto Keller (O.E.Hasse) asks Father Logan to hear his confession and in the confessional describes how he murdered a local lawyer called Villette (Ovila Legare) when he'd been caught in the act of stealing some money. Keller tells his wife Alma (Dolly Hass) what he's done and next morning goes to Villette's house, as usual, where he's also employed as a part-time gardener. On "discovering" the body, he calls the police and Inspector Larrue (Karl Malden) and some other officers soon arrive to investigate.
Father Logan also goes to the victim's house on the same morning and claims that he had an appointment to meet Villette. After he leaves, Larrue sees him talking outside to Ruth Grandfort (Anne Baxter) in a way that raises his suspicions and later when two young girls report that they saw a priest leaving Villette's property at about the time of the murder, Larrue's suspicions are reinforced.
Ruth and Logan had been in a relationship before he became a priest and on one occasion, after having been separated for some time, had spent the night together. Logan was unaware that during his absence, Ruth had married a politician named Pierre Grandfort (Roger Dann) and unfortunately for the young couple, they were seen together by Villette who throughout the following years blackmailed Ruth.
On the night of Villette's murder, Logan was with Ruth because she'd sought his advice about the blackmail problem and so when he's subsequently interviewed by Larrue, Logan doesn't feel able to account for his whereabouts at the time of the murder. This makes Larrue convinced of the priest's guilt and later when Ruth comes forward to provide Logan with the alibi he needs, she actually makes matters worse for him because the fact that she was being blackmailed provided a strong motive for wanting to bring an end to Villette's activities by any means possible. A number of further complications and problems then follow before Logan's ordeal is finally brought to an end.
"I Confess" is a great-looking movie with wonderful expressionistic cinematography which perfectly complements the sombre mood of the piece. The use of numerous close-ups and low-angle shots creates an unsettling atmosphere and some camera techniques, such as the way that Larrue's face is revealed just before he sees Logan and Ruth together in the street, create a frisson of their own.
The quality of the acting is impeccable throughout but Montgomery Clift's contribution really stands out because of the dignity, sensitivity and intensity that he brings to his character's anguish.