I Confess (1953)

 Horseback to Byzantium's second blog entry into:

If you knew what he knew - what would you do?...

I Confess (1953)

Out of all of Alfred Hitchock's masterpieces, this one is probably my favorite. I feel like an insider to a mainstream 1950's movie (though not as mainstream as it should have been), and it's just so amazing. Beautiful and exact black and white cinematography, a haunting score, a unique and supsensful plot (I'm going to be using the word suspensful a lot here) and some great actors come together to make this a wonderful film. Not to mention, it's underrated, so that makes me like it even more, contrarian that I am. But why, you may ask, am I reviewing this for Catholic blog week? If you haven't already guessed from the title and picture, this movie is all about the sacrament of Confession and a priest so brave he wouldn't break the holy sacrament even to save his own neck. Now for a brief summary of the film:

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Fr. Michael Logan, a Catholic priest living and serving his flock in Quebec, finds his faith challenged in a shocking way when one late night, whilst hearing the confession of German immigrant Otto, the man confesses to murdering a local wealthy banker. The seal of confession cannot be broken, and Fr. Logan is weighed down by his knowledge of the murder that he cannot reveal to the police. As if that wasn't enough, soon the stakes are raised. Fr. Logan himself is suspected of the murder and has no way to clear himself, and soon his past life comes back to haunt him and a motive of murder on account of blackmail becomes all too believable.

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Once we showed this to our friend on a sunny afternoon when we felt like watching a movie, and when we mentioned it another day, she sad "Oh, isn't that the one with the hot priest?" Lolll I'm sorry, I just thought that was really funny and true. Anyway....
Since Alfred Hitchcock directed this movie, when I think of it and the moments that struck me, I can literally feel a chill. Some scenes just... were magical, in a dark way. Masterful would be a better word for it. Montgomery Clift is a masterful actor himself, and his eyes are so piercing that the way he looks when Otto reveals he murdered Mr. Rich-mean-banker is just like 'wow'. He carries the role of a man with a noble secret so well. I loooovvveee it when characters have something they just can't tell anyone and you know it's for a good cause and that it will cost them so much but they'll never tell because they're brave and everyone is trying so hard to get them to speak, but they just won't. I say this because I haaattteee it when characters have a secret that they really should tell and it's not that bad and they're just being silly and overly dramatic. I had to get that off my chest.
It seems that Montgomery Clift never changes his expressions noticibly, yet the subtle buildup of tension in the film is unmistakable.

Otto has piercing eyes as well, but creepy piercing eyes instead of beautiful piercing eyes.

So a couple days go by, an investigation ensues, and a tenacious police detective, played by an *excellent* Karl Malden, begins to suspect Fr. Logan for various reasons. He doesn't like to suspect a priest, but Fr. Logan does appear incredibly suspicious when he cannot account for his movements at a certain time of night that happened to be the time of the murder. And a man in a priest's cassock was seen near the scene of the crime by two young schoolgirls. Plus, he has a motive, which I will now tell you about in the messy part of the story. You see, at one time, Fr. Logan was........ IN LOVE!

It was before he became a priest, when he was young and Ruth (Anne Baxter's character) was just as young and almost as beautiful. But Michael (that's his first name) had to join the army and go off to fight in World War II, I believe. All this is showed to us in a mercifully brief flashback that I actually kind of enjoy. It's really dreamy and everyone looks beautiful and the music is lovely. I just close my eyes when they kiss. Long story short, Ruth thinks Logan is dead, and ends up marrying the man she works for, who is actually a very nice man. But Michael Logan WASN'T dead, and he comes back to Canada, looking for Ruth. She, in her joy at realizing her lost love is still alive, spends one entire magical day with him, without telling him she's married. Needless to say, we know this isn't gonna end well.
Caught in the rain, Ruth and Michael take cover under a little gazebo next to a house. They sit down and fall asleep at the table.
When they wake up, they see a man, the owner of the house apparently. He makes some crude insiuations about the two of them and reveals that Ruth is married. This man is the later-to-be-murdered-mean-old-banker... I should just look up his name.
Montgomery Clift looks so darn betrayed at this point, I just can't. He immediately breaks off their little rendezvous like a honorable man, and they don't see each other again, except in passing, because they awkwardly both live in Quebec.

As times goes on and Michael goes to seminary school and becomes a priest, Ruth and Michael's days together are mostly forgotten. Until Mr. Roberts (that's right, I looked it up) comes a-pokin' about Ruth's place, talking about what a shame it would be if her husband found out about a little affair she had with a man. Not just any man, but a priest! And KABAM. Next thing ya know, he's blackmailing her. Doesn't matter that Logan wasn't even a priest then and that nothing actually hanky-panky went on, he blackmails her anyway. 
And there you have Fr. Logan's motive.

I won't spoil anymore of the plot. Since the idenitity of the murderer is revealed early on in the story, this whole film is just suspense and more suspense.

Nothing (that I can think of) about Catholicism is misrepresented here and though Fr. Logan *did* run off to the seminary *after* he was left broken-hearted, it's clear that his heart is, when the film starts, in his vocation as a priest. He has no regrets, as is especially evident in his talks with Ruth. She obviously yearns for him, but he shows no such hankering after the forbidden. His path is laid out before him, and he does not wish to stray from it. God has put him there, and he wishes to serve God. 

Religion isn't mentioned too much in the film, but, as I said earlier, all is correct and as it should be. The center crisis of the film is brilliant and every single actor plays their part perfectly, just perfectly.

Watch for the part near the climax of the film, where Fr. Logan walks down the streets of Quebec, worn down by the secret he holds, and the theme piece of music grows louder and louder until Fr. Logan shows his frustration in one brief moment of exasperation. Absolutely beautiful direction. This is film making as it should be. 

This has been Horseback to Byzantium's second entry into the Catholic Blog Party, hosted by the Pen and the Cross and Bookshire. 
Irene signing out.

Irene's Top Ten Favorite Saints

 

Hellllllllooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been watching the calendar for this week since it was announced, for one simple reason. I want to talk about epic Catholic stuff! I'm pretty sure I'll be getting Anna to write a post of her own, and I'll be doing at least two. I mustn't forget to mention that this blog party/week is created by two great Catholic bloggers, Megan and Samantha. All the other Catholicy stuff will be on their blogs, compiled into neat little lists. My first blog post is not an easy one to create. My top ten favorite saints! I just want to say that this list has changed, and will change in the future. These are just the saints whom I find particularly epic and inspiring at the moment.

1. St. George
St. George is literally a legend. I have a soft spot for soldier saints, as the nobleness of fighting for one's country joins with the greater nobleness of fighting for God, and it makes the most epic combination ever. St. George is the patron saint of England and was born in Cappadocia sometime in the 200's, A.D. St. George was rasied a Christian. He became a soldier in the Roman army later in life, under the Emperor Diocletian, one of the most vicious Christian-killers of the Roman emperors. George was likely a member of the emperor's own personal bodyguards, a highly trained body of soldiers. George would not recant his Christian faith when ordered to by the pagan Romans, and so he was beheaded. Many different cultures tell of the many miracles in relation to St. George, and you can find a lot of them available for researching on line. St. George's legendary status reached especially great heights during the Crusades, and he is still one of the most famous saints in both the Eastern and Western churches. He is the patron saint of England. Here he is depicted as St. George, the Dragon-slayer, as he defeated Satan by holding onto his faith, even in death, and of course Satan is the Dragon, a symbol of utmost evil. I highly recommend the children's book 'Saint George and the Dragon', by Margaret Hodges. It is absolutely beautiful.

2. St. Irene the Great Martyr
I have to have St. Irene, my patron saint and namesake, on this list! St. Irene, born Penelope, was raised a pagan but was converted by her tutor Apellian, who himself was a Christian. He told her about Jesus Christ and she was soon baptized by a priest named Timothy and changed her name to Irene, which means peace in Greek. She then smashed all her father's pagan idols (#epic) and urged her parents to be baptized as well. This they did not like, and her father, Licinius, odered that she be trampled underfoot by horses. The horses would not do this and one of them rose up and attacked Licinius. Some sources say the horse killed him, some say he just brutally harmed him, but whichever it was, St. Irene prayed over her father and he was healed. Seeing this miracle, both Licinius and his wife converted to Christianity, as well as about three thousand other souls. St. Irene devoted her life to serving God and converting pagans, and the governor did not like this, so he subjected her to many tortures, but God protected his handmaid from them all. The governor thought this was sorcery. Hah! After Irene had been doing the Lord's work for a time, He revealed to her that her life would soon be over. She entered a tomb after making the sign of the Cross, and then told her friends to roll the stone over the entrance. They came back in four days and she was gone. God had lead her to heaven.

3. St. Moses the Black
St. Moses the Black was one terrible guy. He was born in Ethiopia and was a slave who was released by his master because he was suspected of theft and murder. He roved around doing generally terrible stuff, and whilst on the run from the authorities, took shelter in a monastery. The monks happiness and deep love of God touched him and he became one of them, converting to Christianity. Moses had a hard time adjusting to the contemplative life, and was discouraged when he discovered he would never become perfect enough. A fellow monk, Isidore, told him one morning as they sat watching the sun rise over the horizon, "Only slowly do the rays of the sun drive away the night and usher in a new day, and thus, only slowly does one become a perfect contemplative."

At the age of seventy five, St. Moses received word that a band of bandits were coming to attack the monastery. He ordered the other monks to retreat and not fight, but he deigned to stay, explaining that death at the point of the sword was fitting for a robber and murderer. Seven other monks stayed at the monastery with him and they were all martyred by the bandits. I'm afraid I would definitely try fighting the attacking bandits, but you have to admire St. Moses anyway, specifically for that reason. He is now among the great martyrs of heaven.

4. St. Alexander Schmorell, the Passion Bearer
Anybody who has read my blog before knows I absolutely love this man, and I've written about him several times. Here's a link to his biography, by me, and the letters of Sophie and Hans Scholl, where he appears briefly.
Yet I cannot sing his praises enough. Alexander Schmorell has the advantage of living less than a hundred years ago, so information regarding his character and life is more readily available that that of many early Christian saints. He was a beautiful human being, bringing light to all he came into contact with. He fought the nazis to the bitter end and died for God and fellow man. And guys, he took long walks in the rain and helped random ladies carry their groceries! A genuinely beautiful soul who we should all emulate. The scroll on the icon says, "One thing above all I urge upon you: do not forget God!"

5. St. Magnus Erlendsson, Earl of Orkney
St. Magnus was a literal viking! His life story is wonderfully recounted in a book by Susan Peek called 'Saint Magnus: The Last Viking', which I encourage you all to read. I thought a good deal of the tale of Saint Magnus was fiction when I read Susan Peek's book, but on looking it up, it's almost all historically available! I don't recall all the details, but raised in the Orkney Islands by his father who was an Earl of the Orkney Islands and ruled jointly with his brother Paal, Magnus was described in historical text as 'a quiet sort of man'. His home was attacked when Magnus was young and he was kidnapped and went through many trails that make an unbelievably exciting tale. He was always a Christian, pious and gentle, and was mocked by the Norwegians, who of course viewed gentleness as weakness and cowardice. He was beheaded as a young man by his own cousin, who had grown to hate him because of his lust for power. Magnus prayed for the souls of his executioners just before he died, and the rocky hill where he was buried became a green field after he was laid to rest and white flowers sprouted where his blood fell. He was killed on Easter Sunday. His life is like a political intrigue drama, dashed with high seas adventure and at the center of it all, strong, stolid, pious Magnus, a true viking saint.

6. St. Nicholas of Japan
St. Nicholas was a Russian Orthodox priest who was the first man to bring Eastern Christianity to Japan in a meaningful way. He volunteered to go to Japan and studied dilligently the Japanese culture and language. He studied Buddhisim for the first eight years of his life in Japan where, in his words, he, “strove with all diligence to study Japanese history, religion, and the spirit of the Japanese people”.

An absolutely fabulous occasion occured when he was at the consulate chapel in Japan. He converted three Japanese men, one of which was a former samurai and Shinto priest named Sawabe Takuma. Mr. Takuma had actually come to the home of Fr. Nicholas in order to kill him! After he converted, Sawabe Takuma became one of the first Orthodox priests in Japan. St. Nicholas had an incredibly hard time during the Russo-Japanese war. He was urged to return to Russia, but he stayed in Japan and helped the Japanese people as well as Russian prisoners of war. The Japanese government required that priests prayed, during the liturgy, not only for the safety of Japan's soldiers, but for their victory and the defeat of their enemy. This lead Fr. Nicholas to perform no public liturgies during the war. He could not pray for the defeat of Russia. All in Japan, including the Emperor Meiji, were impressed by Fr. Nicholas' holiness and diplomatic skills. He converted thousands of Japanese and translated the liturgy and many parts of the bible into Japanese. He died in 1912 and is venerated as the first member of the Japanese Orthodox Church.

7. St. Mary of Egypt
Mary of Egypt was a prostitute who revelled in her business. She was so debased and godless that she often did not even request money for her services. She merely did it for the pleasure of satiating her passions. It happened that she joined a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, a pilgrimage going to the the Holy Land to celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. She said that she went on a sort of 'anti-pilgrimage', to continue her promiscuous way of life and lead pilgrims astray. She lived in Jerusalem for awhile, continuing her evil ways, until one day she saw many people entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for the great feast and so she attempted to follow them in. But she was barred from entering by an unseen force. She then saw an icon of the Theotokos and bowed down to it in remorse, repenting of her sins sincerely. A voice appeared on the air and said "If you cross the Jordan, you will find glorious rest." And so St. Mary of Egypt became an aescetic and lived in the desert the rest of her days, praying for forgiveness. There is so much more to her life story, but this post is already long. She is the patron saint of chastity, deliverance from demons, and many other attributes and virtues.

8. St. John Chrysostom
One of the most famous and revered fathers of the church, St. John Chrysostom's name means 'golden-mouth', a fitting title for one famed for his preaching and inspiring homilies. St. John lived in Antioch and was an incredibly popular bishop who did not shrink from the task of condemning sin and evil, even when it was dangerous to his safety. He condemned the Empress Eudoxia for having a silver statue made of herself and placing it directly outside the Hagia Sophia. 
The first time he was exiled from Constantinople an earthquake shook the city. St. John died in exile, but not before he had written many beautiful homilies and letters, as well as the divine liturgy which we use today in our church. Also, as an extra note of epicness, St. John is credited with leading a group of Christians to destroy the temple of Artemis, one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. St. Cyril of Alexandria referred to him as "the destroyer of demons and overthrower of the temple of Diana." I don't usually approve of burning down buildings, but that was epic as heck.

9. St. Valentine
The legend himself, St. Valentine. I won't write a lot about this 3rd century saint of Rome, but I wanted to note him, as he is one of my favorite saints, probably because of his uniqueness. A saint that falls in love with a person as well as God is unique indeed, and the story of Valentine and the judge's daughter is beautiful and worthy of its place in the annals of time. Needless to say, both the judge's (some sources say jailer's) daughter and St. Valentine were martyred for their love of Christ and the Saint before Valentine was somehow cast out of our modern world, and now he's commemorated by the secular world by a secular day of love, even though he had the deepest love imaginable for his God, as well as for the girl he loved. It's a shame people don't know about the man behind the holiday. Sighhhh. You can read more about him on Wikipedia and other websites, and you definitely should. He's a wonderful saint.

10. Blessed Martyr Theodore Romzha

This saint is amazing for a lot for reasons, and one of them is that he's a Ruthenian Greek Catholic saint. Like, how often do we get represented like that? Never, that's how often! Anyway, Holy and Blessed Theodore Romzha was born in Austria-Hungary. After he completed his time in the Gymansium (kind of like high school) Theodore entered the seminary. He was ordained a priest on Christmas Day of 1936. This was during the time of the USSR, the communist terror. The communists did not appreciate Christians. Not at all. At the young age of 33, Theodore was consecrated a bishop. He immediately had to face the Red Army, who were occupying Catholic churches and assigning them to the Russian Orthodox Church (they didn't like the Orthodox either, but whatever). Bishop Romzha was asked to break with the pope and he refused. He organized a celebration for the feast of the Dormition which would contain about 80,000 pilgrims, but this was not allowed by the communists. They began to plot his demise. On his way home one night in a horse-drawn carriage, Blessed Theodore was hit (purposely) by a Soviet truck. The soldiers, dressed as civilians, came out and beat Theodore and his companions. A real civilian truck came driving by and the soldiers fled. Theodore and his companions were taken to a nearby hospital. Rhomza was recovering, when one fateful night, the nuns who had been nursing him were dismissed and replaced by a new nurse. A little after midnight, Bishop Romzha was dead, murdered by the NKVD. A man of his faith and holiness could not be allowed to live. He is commemorated on the thirteenth of October, the day he was martyred. 

And there you have it folks, my ten most favoritist saints as of May, 2021 A.D. Holy men and women deserve recognition, as they are the strongest among us. God bless you and keep you in the palm of his hand :)

This has been Horseback to Byzantium's first entry into Catholic Blog Week.