BEFORE: We finally got our roof fixed today - since we've got a leak in the bedroom just about a foot away from the bed, we figured we should get that taken care of, even if it only leaks when it rains really hard. We paid a roofer about four weeks ago to come by on his next available weekend, and then it proceeded to rain every weekend for the next four, making any work impossible. But I've seen him working around the neighborhood, on the roofs of people who can afford to stay home during the day, or take a day off, I guess - and each week I told him "See you on Friday, unless it rains..." Famous last words, I suppose.
Hitch gave himself another cameo tonight, as the man walking past a large staircase.
THE PLOT: Refusing to give into police investigators' questions of suspicion, due to the seal of confession, a priest becomes the prime suspect in a murder.
AFTER: It's notable that Hitchcock made two films in color - "Rope" and "Under Capricorn" - and then returned to black and white. Yet the poster for today's film touts that it was filmed "in colorful Quebec". Well, what's the point of telling us how colorful Quebec is, if none of that color is going to show up on the screen? Or did they mean "colorful" as in, what an interesting bunch of people we're going to show you in this film?
Never mind that, was Hitchcock (or his cinematographer) not happy with the results of shooting in color? That must have seemed like the wave of the future, and perhaps going back to simpler black and white was more comforting somehow? Or was it an easier way to set the mood for crime-related material, placing these films firmly in the noir genre? I'd love to know why his dalliance with color film didn't seem to take at first.
There's a fair amount of overstating the plot points in this one, I guess there was a fear that any non-Catholics in the audience wouldn't be familiar with the rules of confession, namely that a priest would not be able to divulge what he hears in the confessional. The whole plot sort of hinges on this, but in addition to reminding the audience about this rule again and again, it's handled in something of a clunky way.
First off, I'm not sure that this "rule" extends to a murder confession. A priest may be able to absolve someone of this sin where God is concerned, but there's still the matter of human law. At the very least, the priest wouldn't just remain silent after hearing about a murder, he'd be obligated to counsel the murderer, and try to convince him to atone by turning himself in. He wouldn't just act mute, like Father Logan, the priest depicted here.
Secondly, if called in for questioning by the police, the priest would most likely invoke the rule of confession, which Logan does not - and under no circumstances should be compound the sin by lying to the police, which Logan does. And even a lie of omission is still a lie, which is another sin. So, we should have seen Logan confessing to another priest, which is something that they do, like a therapist seeing another therapist.
Of course, this is a more complicated situation than we first are led to believe. Hitchcock muddied the waters by delving into Logan's past - he had a girlfriend, Ruth, before the war, and she's still in love with him. When suspicion falls on Logan and Ruth shows up to clear his name, she actually ends up making things worse for him. ("Please, STOP helping me!")
This is more evidence that Hitchcock didn't think much of law enforcement - just because the killer was seen wearing a priest's robe, everyone at every level just assumes it had to be a priest. Because criminals never wear disguises of any kind, you see. Other director trademarks: the man falsely accused when only he (and the audience) knows the truth, and the fickleness of women (Ruth is married, but still in love with her old boyfriend).
Also starring Montgomery Clift (last seen in "The Misfits"), Karl Malden (last seen in "Patton"), Anne Baxter (last seen in "All About Eve"), Brian Aherne, O.E. Hasse.
RATING: 5 out of 10 Hail Marys
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