I CONFESS (DVD) DVD

I Confess
Based on the turn-of-the-century play Our Two Consciences by Paul Anthelme, Hitchcock's I Confess is set in Quebec. Montgomery Clift plays a priest who hears the confession of church sexton O.E. Hasse. "I...killed...a man" whispers Hasse in tight closeup--and, bound by the laws of the Confessional, Clift is unable to turn Hasse over to the police. But police-inspector Karl Malden has a pretty good idea who the guilty party is: all evidence points to Clift. It seems that the dead man had been blackmailing Anne Baxter, who was once in a factually innocent, but seemingly exploitable compromising position with Clift. Tried for murder, Clift is released due to lack of evidence, but he is ruined in the eyes of the community. Then it is Hasse's turn to make that One Fatal Error. I Confess is frequently dismissed as a lesser Hitchcock, due mainly to the quirky performance of Montgomery Clift (who, it is said, steadfastly refused to take direction). Today, four decades removed from its on-set intrigues, the film has taken its place as one of the best of Hitchcock's "between the classics" efforts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cast Montgomery Clift as Father Michael William Logan Anne Baxter as Ruth Grandfort Karl Malden as Inspector Larrue Brian Aherne as Willy Robertson, Attorney O.E. Hasse as Otto Keller Dolly Haas as Alma Keller Roger Dann as Pierre Grandfort Charles Andre as Father Millais Judson Pratt as Murphy, a policeman Ovila Legare as Vilette, the lawyer Gilles Pelletier as Father Benoit

Crew Edward S. Haworth - Art Director George James Hopkins - Art Director Barbara Keon - Associate Producer Fr. Paul la Couline - Consultant/advisor Inspector Oliver Tangvay - Consultant/advisor Orry-Kelly - Costume Designer Orry Kelly - Costume Designer Don Alvarado - First Assistant Director Alfred Hitchcock - Director Rudi Fehr - Editor Dimitri Tiomkin - Composer (Music Score) Ray Heindorf - Musical Direction/Supervision Gordon Bau - Makeup Robert Burks - Cinematographer Sherry Shourds - Production Manager Alfred Hitchcock - Producer Edward S. Haworth - Set Designer George James Hopkins - Set Designer Oliver S. Garretson - Sound/Sound Designer William Archibald - Screenwriter George Tabori - Screenwriter Paul Anthelme - Play Author

I Confess
A middling effort from Hitchcock, apparently attempting to adapt to the faux-documentary style then fashionable for crime stories, it features an interesting, turn by Clift. The film literalizes the symbolism of Catholic clergy as the representatives of Christ, with Clift's priest taking on the guilt for a murder due to the sanctity of the confessional. It's difficult to understand why the director chose to shoot such a musty contrivance of a play with the trappings of naturalism. Although, in The Wrong Man (1957), he was somewhat more effective with this style, his lack of interest in the normal range of human behavior hampered these films. Clift, who often chose to play characters seeking martyrdom, is well cast here, and provides what interest the film has in an underwritten part. It might have been better if the director had considered emphasizing the visual record of Clift's response to his public torment a la La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc (1928). ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
 

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General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: cc New making-of documentary "Hitchcock's Confession: A Look at I Confess" Premiere newsreel Theatrical trailer Subtitles: English, Français, & Español DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1: Pre-1954 Standard MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 94 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Credits and a Pedestrian. [2:00] 2. Church Encounter [3:10] 3. I Have Killed [3:08] 4. How Fortunate We Are [4:01] 5. Crime Scene [3:33] 6. Easy to Be Good [3:38] 7. What Two Schoolgirls Saw [5:28] 8. Not Possible to Answer [6:15] 9. A Woman in Love [5:02] 10. Ferry Rendezvous [3:29] 11. Determined to Explain [6:19] 12. A Matter of Blackmail [2:09] 13. Young Lovers [4:16] 14. Rain-Soaked Reunion [3:42] 15. Dealing With Vilette [3:17] 16. What Have I Done? [2:45] 17. Killer and Confessor [3:17] 18. Through Quebec's Streets [4:21] 19. On Trial [4:10] 20. Caught in a Storm [6:39] 21. The Verdict [3:11] 22. Hostile Mob [1:59] 23. The Killer Revealed [3:40] 24. A Man Alone [3:58] 25. Final Confession [:53]