I Confess

Boring and ridiculous and unsatisfying. Even in 1953, the extremely tame "scandal" at the heart of the film would not have motivated people so strongly. Horribly overbearing music. Nicely shot, though.

Cinematography is top notch but the story unfolds exactly like you expect it to and the script kinda sucks in general. Clift adds nothing and is an incredibly boring actor, I don't get what people see in him. An average movie overall but a pretty bad one for Hitch...it was almost like he was going through the motions of his other films and then got bored with it by the end.

Even if this feels as 'minor work' for Hitchock in retrospective, there's plenty to admire and enjoy in this: its exemplary, clean narrative, the beautiful and subtle costumes and settings, the atmospheric and menacing camera work and the subdued and accomplished performances. This also serves as a great example for many of the director's major themes throughout his life: the sinister, the falsely accussed, the troubled love story and the obsessed.

I'm not sure what to think of this. I love the premise, but I don't think Hitch does as much with it as he could've. There are moments of interest, but overall it doesn't feel as if it has enough tension to really be an effective thriller. It's got an effective romantic angle, but it doesn't really tie in all that well with the murder story. Basically, it's contradictory all over the place. Decent, but nothing else.

My main gripe is that the characters lack any kind of ambiguity. Clift is so resolutely principled it becomes hard to take seriously, and OE Hasse is just too unsympathetic as the killer. Hitchcock forgoes numerous opportunities to explore wider themes of religious conviction and social injustice and as a result you end up with a rather shallow thriller that's not all that thrilling. That said, the cinematography is really good and I liked Dimitri Tiomkin's imposing score.

A decent Hitch romp and one a little different from the norm, leaning less towards thrills and set pieces and more towards romance and drama. It's a mystery, but one that unravels a little too early. It's a courtroom drama, but not until the final act. It's a tale of guilt and cowardice, but we don't see nearly enough of it eating away at our "antagonists". I have nothing major to say against it, except that it just doesn't sparkle.

Worst Hitchcock movie I have watched thus far, the music is ridiculous especially in the scene where they escaped from rain. From the music, you might think they are escaping from godzilla.

A pretty mediocre outing from Hitchcock. It's far from terrible, but it never gets you to connect or care about what's happening.

If you're able to swallow a couple of camels (the priest's incessant denial to break the secrecy of the confessional, the remarkable coincidence of the murder victim/blackmailer), it is quite good. And Monty Clift is brilliant. Perhaps too good for this material.

An excellent plot with accomplished performances. Hitchcock ramps up the suspense, as usual, developing the narrative at his pace. I'm surprised this is not one of his more famous films. There were some issues with the editing but otherwise it's a tidy piece of work.

I'm not sure why, but I could just never connect with this film as I have been able to with other Hitchcock titles. It might be partly to do with a couple of instances of missed potential, but it's more likely due to a subtle twist of the ususal Hitchcockian formula. Still, it has the typically good suspense based plotline and good perforances all around.

This movie embodies Hitchcock's definition of suspense. The audience knows there is a "bomb under the table" from the opening scene, and it's only a matter of time until it goes off - so what happens until then? That is precisely the story this movie tells quite well. Montgomery Cliff (Father Michael Logan) gives a superb performance as the preacher battling his conscience, but it does start to drag as Hitchcock relies on exposition toward the end of the film though.

Is it top tier hitch? Clearly not but Clift gives one of the better performances in one.

Hitchcock is always worth watching, and although this old chestnut gives him very restricted scope he imbues the story with a strong feeling for its setting (Quebec) and an overpowering sense of doom.

Alfred Hitchcock once again uses inept authorities terrorizing an innocent man to create a social thriller that shows how All Cops are Bastards. His usual style is in place. He merges a 50's melodrama story (a new priest connecting with an old love) with suspense that puts you in the hero's shoes. Technically, Montgomery Clift steals the show and the flashback montage is perfect. But I wish it presented information better and the resolution didn't limp to the barn. Still, recommended.

Hitchcock is great at building the tension, but the story is weak. The real killer is a one-dimensional, unrepentant villain, the flashback in the middle unnecessary and the case against Father Logan is far too weak. Clift's face does great work, but Malden is the real standout in the cast.

Hitchcock delivers the climax right in the beginning and then takes his time to develop an anti-climax that is irregular, tiresome but still attractive.

Confess your sins, be forgiven and free to start anew. OR, you're in a noir film and the past will come back to trip up any attempt to move forward.

Hitchcock's VERY hidden masterpiece. Taught and riveting the whole way through; a great and interesting take on morality, justice and the struggle of faith. Clift gives a haunting performance through his (seeming) stoicism.

Clift is tight.

"I Confess suggests Hitchcock's experimental urge to incorporate less overt artificiality into his vision." - Eric Henderson

A solid Hitchcock thriller. It does occasionally get slow but overall, I Confess is quite solid.

Clift is not great here, but lots of interesting framing and mise en scene.

The first half is sensational, unraveling these secrets bit by bit until the stunning flashback. A bit cliched (a sure sign of things to come), perhaps, but very effective. The trial is edited terribly, feels rushed - that goes double for the climax - with the end scene giving a modicum of worth back. Wasted potential for a possible masterpiece, it's certainly up there in the technical merits.

77.500

73.2

Middling Hitchcock at the best of times.

Viewed March 8, 2021.

The direction was on point, but I found the story and acting a little lacking.

A wonderful visual flair does not make up for a clunky narrative. It could either work better as a short film or a mini series. As it is, it's neither taut or concise enough nor detailed or expansive. Possibly the worst of Hitch I've seen.

Hitchcock explores his Catholic heritage and Montgomery Clift gives one of his finest performances.

This film is beautiful to look at: shadowing, angles, symbolism, and more importantly it gives us a different look at Mr. Hitchcock himself. A very serious spiritual film that contains wonderful performances, not just Clift's. I did think the film would go in a different direction, and from what I have read Hitch tried to but was restricted by outside pressures. It is a testament to his creativity that he fashioned such a wonderful film under such constraints. This is especially true of the endi

Remarkably unremarkable. The end is really the only worthy part of the film. Doesn't have the suspense of other Hitchcock films and the acting here is mostly flat.

One of Hitchcock's best. The "interrogation" scene between Clift and Malden and the flashback sequence in particular are beauts

excellent plot... tension kept steady brilliantly... camerawork not that impressive like the other works of Hitchcock

Star Rating: ★★★★

77.500

Hitch manages to skewer reason and faith in one fell swoop.

Fantastic cinematography and acting. However, I felt that it would have been better if the film had ended as Logan walked from the courtroom, his life forever ruined. The Cinderella music in some of the flashbacks seemed a bit much at times, as did the frankly nonsensical blackmail

my favorite hitchcock film. montgomery clift is sinfully delicious.

"It'll never be remembered as a Hitchcock classic by any stretch, but that is far from saying it's the mess that some regard it as. It's entertaining, and the visuals speak volumes more than the over-cooked dialogue. Worth a look."

Something of an oddball in Hitch's catalog, "I Confess" looks fantastic but is quite overbearing along the way and the climax skips along in doubletime.

Like many of Hitchcock's, slightly dated in its look - but interesting for many things this one for it's religious themes and Montgomery Clift.

75.375

Quite a sombre film. Montgomery Clift does a fantastic role, expressing a great deal of anguish and doubt. One of Hitchcock's most engaging films.

Well, that is a nice afford for Hitchcock to shift his suspenseful theater onto a new ground - religion. It makes you feel a bit relaxed since you know from the beginning who is the bad guy but, at the end, the tension is getting higher as well as you start to believe that for the first time the evil will be left unpunished and a good guy will not stay with a nice girl. The director tried to create something cold in Kubrick style but this is not what we know and lone Mr. Alfred for.

A pleasant surprise after the disappointing Marnie. Karl Malden and Montgomery Clift are excellent. Story is far from perfect however.

üstad bu sefer tüm gizemi filmin en başında vermeyi tercih etmiş.katilin kim olduğunu seyirci olarak biliyoruz ama film boyunca tıpkı peder logan gibi bizde yoğun bir huzursuzluk yaşıyoruz.dramatik yapısı güçlü bir film.en büyük sıkıntısı ise konunun direkt rahiplik mesleğinin öğretisi ile alakası olması.hitchcock bir anlamda zaruri olarak dini propaganda yapmış oluyor.çünkü hikaye zaten rahipliğin sonucu ne olursa olsun sarsılmaz ilkesi ile alakalı.