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 (as O. E. Hasse)
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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

If you knew what he knew -- what would you do?

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

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:

Eglise Saint-Zéphirin de Stadacona, quartier Limoilou, 972 rue Saint-Jean, Québec, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,000,000, 31 December 1953

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cognizant of the difficulty non-Catholics would have in understanding the priest's reluctance to expose Keller, Sir Alfred Hitchcock said, "We Catholics know that a priest cannot disclose the secret of the confessional, but the Protestants, the atheists, and the agnostics all say, 'Ridiculous! No man would remain silent and sacrifice his life for such a thing.'"

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Goofs

During Ruth's flashback, when she is waving to Michael William Logan, the women shown surrounding her change and/or disappear between the shots from the back and the shots from the front.

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Quotes

Fr. Michael William Logan: I never thought of the priesthood as offering a hiding place.

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Connections

Edited into Ombres vives ...une autre histoire du cinema... (2013)

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Soundtracks

Veni Creator Spiritus
(uncredited)

User Reviews

Forgotten, with a capital F

"I Confess" is a strong candidate for Hitchcock's most forgotten film. It never gets mentioned in any Hitchcock documentaries or when discussing about his movies. The film doesn't offer the usual amount of excitement or thrilling entertainment than his better known ones ("North by Northwest", for instance). In fact, there isn't much of "real" suspense at all, but well-sketched characters, fine acting performances, and captivating plot development are more than compensating matters.

"I Confess" is a very interesting piece of film making and should be viewed by any Hitchcock fan.