"I Confess" Extra Credit

Imagine you are a movie critic. Write a review of the movie "I Confess" and tell your audience why you think this movie is (or is not) worth seeing.

In the movie “I Confess” I thought that it was a pretty interesting and entertaining movie for being in black and white. The movie had a lot of suspense and mystery between the characters even though you know from the start that the murder is Otto Keller, the caretaker . I enjoyed this movie and would recommend others to see it as well. The movie has you hooked and interested as the story line progresses. If people like mysteries and detective movies than “I Confess” will be a great movie for you. I found the actors did a pretty good job with their role and the movie showed quality and interest towards the audience. However, there were still parts that I was annoyed of such as the overly dramatic music as well as the quick scene changes. The storyline to this movie was pretty good and was very entertaining to follow. I like how the priest was targeted as the main suspect and seemed suspicious because he was not able to say what he knew. The movie played with the audience to have the priest know the whole truth and not be able to say anything even though police are targeting at him. This movie is also worth seeing because it has a romance twist that you don’t suspect from the beginning between the priest Logan and women Ruth Grandfort. Once again the movie  had an exciting story idea that has a priest facing trial for a murder he didn't commit, and refusing to clear himself even though the killer had confessed to him in the church, where God and himself were present. This movie shows how sacred and serious priest take the church confessional to be, especially when it leaves a killer to roam free to potentially be able to kill again, but to also get redemption when he dies at the end. The director, Hitchcock, has made a great suspenseful movie that is entertaining to watch as well as enjoy with a number of top-notch performances from the actors.

Why did the priest remain faithful to his vow to never reveal anything from a confession when it would have been easier on him to just reveal the information? What does the movie's resolution at the end demonstrate Hitchcock's own view of God? How would you have ended the movie?

         The priest remained faithful to his vow to never reveal anything from a confession when it would have been easier on him to reveal the information because as a priest you are suppose to keep a vow of silence. Priests are not allowed to discuss what they heard in confession and if they do then they are not a priest. Priests have a commitment to the church, God and the people, with that comes responsibility and trust towards the priest. When becoming a priest they learn and know that they can’t break their vow in confession because it is a time that is meant for the person, God and the priest as the vessel of the Lord. No matter what the sin a priest a cannot speak of it outside of confession because it is also a time where the sinner faces their wrong doing and looking for forgiveness towards something the person is truly sorry for.  Father Logan seemed to be a good priest and never broke his vow of confession. The resolution at the end of the movie shows that Hitchcock own view of God is being able to trust the priest with your confessions even if the confession affects the priest. Also the movie shows at the end that Hitchcock believes that our sins will be forgiven, but if we don’t take responsibility for our actions we will have to pay the consequences. I liked the ending of the movie because everyone got what they deserved except the murders wife. How I would have ended the movie is to have had Father Logan and Otto sit down and talk about what he did and for Otto to confess his sins towards the police and to regain Father Logan’s reputation for a crime he did not commit. Lastly, I would include for Otto to go to jail for the consequences of his murder and the murder of his wife and Logan to be a respected priest with Ruth as a faithful friend.

 Look up Alfred Hitchcock's biography and find some articles about his Catholic faith. How do you think his faith informs his view of the cinema? Give examples from "I Confess" (or other Hitchcock movies) to make your case.

 

         Alfred Hitchcock was raised as a catholic. When Hitchcock as younger, he would go to Mass every week, where he was temporarily an altar boy and he also graduated from a Catholic prep school. Hitchcock was a very religious and stayed that way throughout the course of his life. Hitchcock’s wife, Alma Reville, even converted to Catholic faith for her husband. She and her husband always went to Mass every week where they also gave back by donating large amounts of money towards the church as well as several Catholic charities. Even after his death, Hitchcock’s funeral was held in the Catholic tradition. He was very thankful for his Catholic education, but he admitted that he had resisted the fear and guilt that came along with the religion. He said: “My Catholic upbringing taught me organization, control, and to some degree analysis… I don’t think the religious side of the Jesuit education impressed itself so much upon me as the strict discipline one endured at the time… but I’ve grown out of religious fear now” (Kershaw). But oddly enough all of that thrilling darkness in his films seemed to have come from somewhere because many film analyzers argue that Hitchcock’s movies are filled with references to Catholic dogma, or code of belief, and imagery. The use of imagery was mainly in his movies theme of guilt and sin as only obtainable in the characters minds of liberation or recovery. In “I Confess” there are a lot of religious beliefs that are taking place such as sin, guilt, redemption, vow of silence in confession, as well as the life of priesthood. The movie was heavy on fear and suspense as well as guilt for the crime Kellar committed. Hitchcock’s religious beliefs were influenced in this movie along with others, but in this movie he portrays a murder and confession that were key points in the movie. He shows the struggle of a priest who is convicted for a crime he did not do when the murder confessed to him. The movie stresses the importance of a priest not revealing what he heard in confession no matter how badly it was or may affect the priest. From Hitchcock admitting that he resisted fear and guilt from the religion he shows a lot of it in this movie as well as many others. He portrays the characters in a way where you know and feel the person’s guilt and fear for a crime they have done or mistake they have made. Hitchcock’s faith informed his view of cinemas through the guilt Kellar felt throughout the movie, Father Logan never revealing what he knew about the murder as well as the redemption Kellar receives for his unjust actions at the end of the movie, where he slowly breaths his last breath. In the end, Hitchcock influences his catholic beliefs in this movie through his ability portray the fear and guilt of the characters in which he claims that he resisted from the religion.

Work Cited

Kershaw, Tom. "The Hollowverse." Alfred Hitchcock's Religion and Political Views. N.p., 3 Dec.

 

      2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.

 Answer the question on the movie poster: "If you knew what he knew what would you do?" Tell me why, and compare your own reaction to the priest in the movie.

      It’s hard to say what I would do if I was the one who knew the murder because their two different ways to answer this question. If I wasn’t a priest, like Logan, than I would tell the police who did it and be done with the situation. This because no person has a right to kill a person and the way Otto Kellar, the murder, said he killed the person as an accident really didn’t seem right anyways. He was going to steal from the man he killed, so he was already doing wrong in the first place. I would have told what I knew not only for the safety of me, but for others as well as because this man was dangerous. He also proved he didn’t learn his lesson because he killed his own wife that tried to do good on behalf of her husband’s mistake. The other situation is that if I were a priest like Logan and in the same situation as he was I wouldn’t tell. This is because I wouldn’t be allowed to and the movie stressed a lot how Logan couldn’t reveal the truth. If I was a priest that would mean I would put my faith first before my own self because that’s what I believe in. As a priest you learn that your faith is important and that in confession you can’t reveal anyone’s sins. If I was in Logan’s situation I would do the same as he did by never revealing who committed the crime because as a good priest you are suppose to abide by the rules as a trusted man of the faith. I was surprised how dedicated Logan was in not revealing the information and how wrong it was that Kellar even turned on Logan to save himself, but I can understand that priest have to keep that secret no matter what even if effects them. Logan put his religion first and saw that as more important and personally I would agree with him because it takes a strong priest and loving vessel of the Lord to do that. In the end, I have split decisions because there are two ways of looking at the question, as a priest or as a citizen. It has been made clear that as a citizen for the safety of everyone I would tell, but as a priest strongly intertwined with the faith I would keep the vow of silence from the confession and would not reveal the information I knew.