"I Confess" is not one of Alfred Hitchcock's most popular films. The mood is grim, there's not a lot of action, there is a melodramatic love story, and the leading actor is the somnolent Montgomery Clift. In short, the film is not tailored to appeal to a male audience.
"I Confess" was preceded by "Strangers on a Train", and followed by "Rear Window". Those films are among Hitchcock's best. "I Confess" is not up to their level of quality. But it is still very good, and underrated.
The plot has Clift playing a priest. He hears a confession from Keller (O. E. Hasse) that he has just killed a man. Since a confession is 'between God and man alone', Clift cannot turn Keller in for the murder. Inspector Karl Malden suspects Clift of the murder, especially after he is seen in mysterious conversations with Anne Baxter. Her character had a romance with Clift, prior to her marriage and his ordainment.
"I Confess" has Hitchcock's favorite storyline, the 'wrong man' accused who must prove who the true culprit is. There must be a dozen Hitchcock films with variations on this theme. Here, the twist is that Clift can't use the murderer's own confession against him.
Baxter's acting is the weakest of the film. Her delivery is always breathless and melodramatic. One wonders whether she could tell you what time it is, without it appearing to be a major moment in her life.
However, Clift gives a fine performance. He doesn't have much emotional range (imagine him in a comedy!) but he is perfectly cast as a falsely accused priest who must bear his burdens in silence.
The supporting actors are also good, and have well-developed characters given their small roles. Clift's fellow priests have their quirks; one likes to tease people, the other has a fascination with his bicycle. The Crown Prosecutor is a good-natured politician, much as you would expect him to be.
There is a great scene near the end of the film. Clift is surrounded by a hostile crowd, almost a mob, that despises him and believes him guilty of the murder. It is an extremely effective scene that demonstrates how wrong public opinion can sometimes be.
There are some spoilers that follow. You've been warned!
In the ending, Clift is exonerated when Keller finally panics and shoots his wife. She was about to tell all to the police. It doesn't make sense for him to murder his beloved wife, in front of a hundred witnesses, to prevent her from confessing. Perhaps the ending should have left Clift confronting the angry mob, as it would have conveyed the message of the movie even more strongly. It wouldn't have been a happy ending, but then it isn't a happy film. (79/100)
I CONFESS from the play by Paul Anthelme is based on a premise custom made for Alfred Hitchcock's fascination with the dilemma of an innocent man accu...More at Family Video
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