I Confess (1953)

A priest, who comes under suspicion for murder, cannot clear his name without breaking the seal of the confessional.

Director:

Alfred Hitchcock

Writers:

George Tabori (screen play), William Archibald (screen play)

Stars:

Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter, Karl Malden

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Montgomery Clift	...	Father Michael Logan
Anne Baxter	...	Ruth Grandfort
Karl Malden	...	Inspector Larrue
Brian Aherne	...	Willy Robertson
O.E. Hasse	...	Otto Keller
Roger Dann	...	Pierre Grandfort
Dolly Haas	...	Alma Keller
Charles Andre	...	Father Millars

Storyline

Otto Keller and his wife Alma work as caretaker and housekeeper at a Catholic church in Québec City, Québec. While robbing a house where he sometimes works as a gardener, Otto is caught and kills the owner. Racked with guilt, he heads back to the church where Father Michael Logan is working late. Otto confesses his crime, but when the police begin to suspect Father Logan, he cannot reveal what he has been told in the confession.

---

Plot Keywords:

priest | church | catholic | confessional | safe full of money | 

---

Taglines:

FILMED IN CANADA'S COLORFUL QUEBEC BY WARNER BROS. (original print ad - all caps)

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie had one of the longest pre-productions of any Alfred Hitchcock movie, with twelve writers working on the script for Hitchcock over an eight-year period. (Hitchcock had taken time off for the wedding of his daughter Patricia in 1951, and Hitchcock was in the midst of dissolving his partnership in Transatlantic Pictures with Sidney Bernstein.)

---

Goofs

After the guests leave, Ruth begins tidying and her left arm is bare under a long band of her dress. When her husband enters in the room, her arm is covered with the dress band held between her left arm and her body.

---

Quotes

Pierre Grandfort: What does one do when one's wife is in love with a priest?

---

Connections

Featured in Destination Hitchcock: The Making of 'North by Northwest' (2000)

---

Soundtracks

Dies Irae
(uncredited)

User Reviews

hitch's sleeper

"I Confess" is the most under exposed/appreciated/rated of Hitchcock's films. It is as convincing (except for the minimal flashbacks) as "Shadow of a Doubt" in terms of both its art and its reality. Its mise en scene captures Quebec City, its specifically Catholic culture, its history, its moral dramas, and its character types. I think Clift and Baxter are perfectly cast, as are Aherne and Maldon. Keller and Alma truly hit home as Catholic parish staff and carry effectively much of the drama and suspense of this true Hitch sleeper, which is also a memorable romance. (There is indeed a great deal of genuine emotion and deep feeling in this very ordinary and convincing world).

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English French Italian German

Release Date:

28 February 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alfred Hitchcock's 'I Confess!'

Filming Locations:

Maison Hearn, Grande Allée Est, Quebec, Canada

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1