by Hal Erickson
synopsis
One of the first Chilean films to receive a North American release, Confession at Dawn was originally shipped out as Confesion al Amanecer. French director Pierre Chenal deftly binds together three Chilean legends into a smooth narrative. The titular confessor, a hospitalized paralytic, relates the individual stories of his three daughters and their unhappy fates. This done, the paralytic's housekeepers unfolds the story of a mining engineer who embarks on a fruitless pursuit of riches. Finally, the priest attending the confessor has a story to tell about a ghost ship and an ethereal young blonde. The final segment is basically a showcase for Chenal's wife, actress Florence Marly.
