Alfred Hitchcock Blogathon: I Confess (1953) – Life of this City Girl

Well howdy do, folks? I have great pleasure in welcoming Natasha back today for another review in this ongoing Alfred Hitchcock blogathon. She previously did Suspicion, and it was her first foray into Hitchcock. Let’s see if she liked I Confess as much as Suspicion!

I Confess (1953) – My second venture into the world of Hitchcock

Well, Hello! I am back with my second and last instalment the Alfred Hitchcock Blogathon. Thanks for letting me take part in this Bestie and Rob. I love trying new (or very old in this case) things. It is part of my whole 2014 plan to be open to things I wouldn’t have explored initially, and very old movies fit perfectly.

I have to say I didn’t have the reservations about watching I Confess that I had watching Suspicion. I now have a bit of understanding how such an old movie would look, and since I really enjoyed Suspicion, I was very keen to find time to watch this.

What happens?

Father Michael Logan receives the confession of Otto Keller (O. E. Hasse) where Otto admits to killing the shady lawyer Vilette. What Otto doesn’t know is that Father Logan is also relieved the man who had been blackmailing him and Ruth Grandfort (Anne Baxter).

Father Logan quickly becomes a suspect when he refuses to give Otto’s secret away, as a Father can’t disclose what he heard in confession. Subjected to interrogation, Ruth tells the sad story of how she and Logan had always loved each other, but after Logan left for the war she married another sweet man to stop her misery, and when Logan returned she was already a married woman. Vilette saw them hiding from a storm, and even though nothing happened, he threatened to tell the Ruth’s husband Pierre (Roger Dann) what he had seen. With a newfound motive, Father Logan looks extra guilty while Otto is helping the police convict Logan of the crime he himself committed.

Can Father Logan be freed? Will Otto ever fess up to his crime?

Fun Fact: I Confess was banned in Ireland for portraying a priest in a relationship with a woman.

My coveted opinion 😀

I Confess was really quite good, although I Confess (see what I did there?) to have enjoyed Suspicion more. I really do enjoy the black and white since it makes everything that much clearer and very dramatic. I enjoy the quick way the characters talk, it is so direct and it is clear that they want to get to the point without too much fuss. The movie wasn’t long, about an hour and a half, so it was easy enough to get through and not get bored.

The actors are so graceful. From man to woman they are all so classy and beautiful. Cinema has certainly lost some of its graces over the year, and I certainly think that these old movies show that so perfectly.

The Villain was so disgusting in the end – he was a complete coward and would let an innocent man take the hit. I really enjoyed Montgomery Clift as Father Logan – he was a good actor and really dashing.

I liked that Father Michael Logan wasn’t the bad guy. I guess back then priests weren’t as bullied as they are now (I do understand that this could lead to some bitching in the comments J) and that Logan was really quite innocent in it all, because he didn’t actually do something with Ruth after his priesthood initiated, and was caught in a completely innocent situation that was mutilated and thrown back in his face.

I really did enjoy this one, but if I have to choose which one I would re-watch between the two Hitchcock’s on my resume now, I will definitely choose Suspicion.

Thanks guys! This was loads of fun!