Montgomery Clift plays a young priest named Michael Logan, who hears the confession of the distraught Otto Keller (O. E. Hasse), a German refugee turned handyman / gardener. Keller has just killed a slimy attorney named Villette (Ovila Legare), while attempting to rob him. Obviously, Logan can't inform the cops, which puts him in a bind, but making matters worse is the fact that two young girls witnessed a man in priests' garb leaving Villettes' residence. This, naturally, leads Logan to be suspected later on, and brings his former relationship with married woman Ruth Grandfort (Anne Baxter) into the open.
While not up there with the absolute best of Hitchcock (who has his usual fleeting cameo in the opening minutes), even lesser Hitch still qualifies as pretty good. "I Confess" tells a good, reasonably absorbing story in which the viewer knows who the guilty party is almost immediately, and waits through the film waiting to see when (or if) they will be revealed / get their comeuppance. And the killer is treated with some nuance, initially coming off as somewhat sympathetic and becoming more malevolent as the story plays out.
Based on a play by Paul Anthelme, this was scripted by George Tabori & William Archibald, and derives a lot of its effectiveness from being filmed (and set) in the Canadian province of Quebec, which has its fair share of "Old World" atmosphere. It tells a fairly romantic story, in which we can see that Michael was the great love of Ruths' life, although she does care for her husband (Roger Dann), who's portrayed as a very understanding and decent man. It spends a fair amount of time in flashback mode, as we learn something about character motivations.
Clift is good, of course, but rather overshadowed by some of his supporting players, especially Karl Malden as the investigating detective, the pretty Ms. Baxter, Brian Aherne as the district attorney, Mr. Hasse, and Dolly Haas as the killers' guilt-ridden wife.
An engaging yarn about a holy mans' struggle (does he keep his vows or not), given style and some weight by Hitch. A similar premise was utilized for a 1980s thriller titled "The Rosary Murders".
Seven out of 10.
While not up there with the absolute best of Hitchcock (who has his usual fleeting cameo in the opening minutes), even lesser Hitch still qualifies as pretty good. "I Confess" tells a good, reasonably absorbing story in which the viewer knows who the guilty party is almost immediately, and waits through the film waiting to see when (or if) they will be revealed / get their comeuppance. And the killer is treated with some nuance, initially coming off as somewhat sympathetic and becoming more malevolent as the story plays out.
Based on a play by Paul Anthelme, this was scripted by George Tabori & William Archibald, and derives a lot of its effectiveness from being filmed (and set) in the Canadian province of Quebec, which has its fair share of "Old World" atmosphere. It tells a fairly romantic story, in which we can see that Michael was the great love of Ruths' life, although she does care for her husband (Roger Dann), who's portrayed as a very understanding and decent man. It spends a fair amount of time in flashback mode, as we learn something about character motivations.
Clift is good, of course, but rather overshadowed by some of his supporting players, especially Karl Malden as the investigating detective, the pretty Ms. Baxter, Brian Aherne as the district attorney, Mr. Hasse, and Dolly Haas as the killers' guilt-ridden wife.
An engaging yarn about a holy mans' struggle (does he keep his vows or not), given style and some weight by Hitch. A similar premise was utilized for a 1980s thriller titled "The Rosary Murders".
Seven out of 10.