I Confess (1953)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Starring Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter, Karl Malden, O. E. Hasse, Brian Aherne, Dolly Haas, Roger Dann, Charles André, Gilles Pelletier.

An undervalued potboiler in Hitch’s catalog, this solemn yet psychologically suspenseful drama puts the viewer in the shoes of a Catholic priest (Clift) who took the confession of a murderer (Hasse) but is forbidden from revealing this secret to anyone, not even when cruel coincidence has made him a prime suspect in the dirty deed. One of Clift’s more effective film performances (one in which his stony, tortured countenance is appropriate for the part), although Baxter is miscast in the tricky role of the priest’s former lover, the “red herring” of detective Malden’s investigation. The subtext of turmoil within valued public figures—waging internal wars while forced to remain presentable to outsiders—pairs well with the humorless techniques in the director’s bag of tricks, and although the climax isn’t one of the Master’s great finales, it does feature a nifty shock and an unintentional laugh: one character walks away satisfied knowing that a moral victory has been secured while an active shooter remains a threat! Based on a Paul Anthelme play, Nos Deux Consciences, dating back to 1902.

75/100