Tonight on TV: this great, little-known Alfred Hitchcock drama you don’t want to miss

Tonight on TV: this great, little-known Alfred Hitchcock drama you don’t want to miss



The law of silence : a priest forced into silence

When we talk about Alfred Hitchcockthe first films that come to mind are generally Psychosis, Birds, Vertigo OR Rear window. However, there are other great works in the filmmaker’s filmography that are too well known to the general public. AS The law of silence (1953, I confess in the VO), an exciting proposition despite the director’s regrets about it. In fact, the film starts from a very clever idea by Alfred Hitchcock. A terrible situation from which there seems to be no way out, except a disastrous fate for his hero…

It is in Quebec that we find out Father Logan, a Catholic priest. The latter employs a German immigrant couple, Otto and Alma. The husband also works as a gardener for a lawyer. One day, Otto kills the lawyer and goes to Father Logan’s church to confess. Being Catholic, the priest will not be able to reveal anything to the police. But worse than that, he becomes the prime suspect, as Otto has been working to pin the blame on him from the beginning. Except that even in this situation, the priest will refuse to speak.

The unique meeting between Alfred Hitchcock and Montgomery Clift

Based on a play called Our two consciences (1902), The law of silence unfortunately it was not well received upon its release. Both from the public and the press. Alfred Hitchcock himself believed this he made a mistake according to the script. According to him, the situation cannot be accepted by the general public. Because if it is for Catholics, who know that a priest cannot reveal what is said to him in confession, for “The Protestants, the atheists, the agnostics (who) think: it is ridiculous to remain silent, no man would sacrifice his life for such a thing.

Montgomery Clifft - The Law of Silence ©Warner Bros. Images
Montgomery Clifft – The Law of Silence ©Warner Bros. Images

However, (re)see The law of silence today it allows us to have an interesting representation of the Church with a modern discourse. Furthermore, Hitchcock created considerable tension with this character wanting to carry forward his beliefs, even if it means sacrificing himself. All the more interesting when we know the director’s relationship with religion and moral values. Which doesn’t stop him from continuing to play the sexual ambiguity of his charactersbetween this man with an effeminate face, who never takes off his priest’s robe, and his more masculine-looking ex-girlfriend from childhood.

Finally, keep in mind that this is the only Alfred Hitchcock film with Montgomery Clift (who plays Father Logan). The actor and director didn’t have a great relationship on the set of The Law of Silence. The actor felt he didn’t get enough information about his role from the director, who clearly wasn’t a fan of him. Nevertheless, the charisma of Montgomery Clift in the film he remains notable, and his presence surpasses that of the rest of the cast.

Source: Cine Serie

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