![]() What’s amazing about his performance is that he expresses so much through his eyes. Instead of dialogue, Hitchcock uses close-ups on Clift’s face to convey the emotions he’s going through. Montgomery Clift, an actor I’ve always liked, is beyond amazing in I Confess. Yet, Ruth flashback is essential to the plot since in trying to help him clear his name, she winds up doing more damage to his case. Compared to the tightness of the rest of the script, it’s jarring, to say the least. The cinematography is fantastic and crisp, but with Ruth’s subplot it suddenly takes on a dream-like quality to reflect her obsessive love for Father Logan. For the most part, I Confess has a sharpness to it. But it’s the part itself that seems as though it was transported out of another movie, almost as though Hitchcock was trying to inject his brand of romance for the sake of adding it. She does well with the material and she and Clift are well matched. Anne Baxter is perfect for the part of Ruth. Part of the problem with the Ruth subplot is that it doesn’t fit in with the rest of the movie. And while the ending of I Confess is definitely exciting, the middle of the film has a tendency to lag. Part of the fun of a Hitchcock movie is the big reveal or a murder committed either halfway through or at the end: Anthony Perkins in Psycho, Robert Walker in Strangers on a Train or the “two” Kim Novaks in Vertigo. Even though Ruth (Baxter) gets involved halfway through and you find out that Villette was blackmailing her, you still know that Keller is the murderer. While it’s interesting to start off the movie with a bang, it lessens the suspense throughout. Otto has faith in his strength as a man of the cloth, but what he doesn’t realize is that his actions will end up hurting the person he loves the most: Alma. ![]() There are no doubts in his mind that Father Logan will not go to the police. His eyes become wide and the expression on his face turns manic with an almost sick kind of glee. Otto has gained a tremendous amount of power, knowing he can commit murder and get away with it. You can literally see the weight of his guilt lift off his shoulders. What’s interesting about this scene is watching Otto’s manner change from panicked and fearful to annoyingly confident. Grief-stricken, Alma fears that Father Logan will go to the authorities and report the crime and suddenly Otto realizes that he is bound to his Catholic vow. During the confession, Father Logan told Otto that he must give the money back–an idea that terrifies him since he doesn’t want to be caught. After confessing his sin to Father Logan in the confessional, Otto then tells his wife, Alma (Dolly Hass) why he killed Villette–he stole $2,000 because he was sick of watching her work so hard. Otto is an employee of the church as well as gardener for the man he killed, local lawyer, Villette. Since Hitchcock wastes no time in getting to the “who” and “why” of the story, you find out that Otto Keller (O.E. ![]() While both ideas are necessary to the plot, their execution bogs the story down a bit. There are two things that keep I Confess from being a great Hitchcock movie: the flashback romance between Father Logan and Ruth as well as the fact that we immediately know who the murderer is. Also complicating matters is the involvement of an old flame, Ruth (Anne Baxter) and a police inspector, Laurrue (Karl Malden), who is intent on finding out the truth. The plot centers around a priest named Father Logan (played beautifully by Montgomery Clift), who is unable to tell the police about a murder since he is bound by the vow of confessional secrecy. I Confess is unlike any of Hitchcock’s movies since it lacks the mysterious glamour that’s found in his most famous works. It’s flawed, that’s for sure, but it’s also a good, solid film. ![]() After seeing it last week, I have to agree with them although I wouldn’t be quick to say that it’s a great movie. Now, turn your attention to the center ring where you will find our main attraction.Many people who have seen Alfred Hitchcock’s I Confess (1953) say that it’s one his most underrated films. Oh, I guess I'll just have to practice some more. He looks like a toothpick holder on an hors d'oeuvre table.
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