Extra Credit Movie Essay- Reflection

Extra Credit Movie Reflection

Alfred Hitchcock: “I Confess”

2. 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? (15 points, 300-400 words)

In Alfred Hitchcock’s film “I Confess”, Father Logan remained faithful to his vow never to reveal anything from a confession. Personally, I believe that there are several reasons as to why he would’ve done this. He did not want to break the sacred bonds of confession, due to the fact that he had very strong beliefs in the vows that he took when he was ordained as a priest. In the sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession), a priest must not reveal the sins that have been expressed to him.  He is bound by his oath and the vows that he took when he was ordained, and if he had broken them, it would be an infringement on his accreditation as a priest.

At the end of the movie, Hitchcock uses imagery, as with his other works as well, to send a message to the audience. For example, during Father Logan’s trial, the Church’s bells were ringing. This could’ve symbolized the approaching “doom” for the Father, as he was very close to being found guilty. The bells could also symbolize the “doom for the truth”; as the film draws to a close, the truth dawns on the people of the court. Similarly, as most church bells symbolize a beginning or a start, they could also symbolize the beginning of the truth, when they discover that Father Logan is innocent.

Another symbol is the Crucifix that Hitchcock places on the wall of the courthouse. It is not only suggesting the priest’s relationship to God, but also the relationship between God and the court. By having the cross hang on the wall above the jury’s heads, Hitchcock could be hinting at the pressure that was placed upon the jury, due to the fact that it was a priest that they were accusing. I also think that Hitchcock could have been saying that Father Logan’s trial is very similar to Jesus’. The Crucifix is hanging on the wall almost waiting to bring him to his fate. As the jury had the ability to decide whether or not Father Logan was guilty or innocent, they held the power to condemn him to death (because if he was found guilty, Logan too would be sentenced to death as any other murderer). In this way, with Logan’s trial under the jury and Jesus’ under Pontius Pilate, and both are wrongly accused and innocent, Hitchcock could have been drawing distinct similarities between Father Logan, (as a priest, a representative for God on earth) and Jesus, the true God. Also, by placing it directly over the jury, Hitchcock could also be the weight of the decision that is placed on the jury (just as Jesus had to bear the weight of the cross, the jury has to carry the burden of deciding Father Logan’s future).