The Song of Bernadette
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Movie Reviews of The Song of Bernadette
Movie Review: INCOMPARABLE IN IT' TIMELESS MESSAGE & PRESENTATION !
Summary: 5 Stars
Sadly, religious themed films such as the "Song Of Bernadette" are not made by Hollywood anymore. Much of our current filmfare panders to the salacious, immoral and venal aspects of life to the point of glorifying such lifestyles. But in 1943, David O. Selznick, a Jew, bought a property and produced a Christian film which has been acclaimed a film classic for sixty three years.
The film is an eternal message of faith and hope and centers on a young and sickly French peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous, in Lourdes France. While on a regular outing to gather wood with her sister and friend she is strangely lured to a grotto in a hillside dump area where she witnesses a miraculous vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Upon learning of her claim of a vision she is immediately admonished and ridiculed by her parents and told not to speak of the matter to anyone. Time passes and rumors persist of the visions eventually involving Bernadette, the town government and the Church in Lourdes.
Acting on requests from the "beautiful lady" to come to the grotto at fifteen specified times Bernadette and her visions become a regional phenomenon that becomes national in scope involving the Church hierarchy, the city government and the Emperor of France. The controversy is all the more incredible in that Bernadette, a simple ill educated peasant girl, quotes the Virgin Mary in words and topics she could not know or understand. Bernadette ultimately enters the convent where she is looked upon with skepticism and some scorn by some of the nuns. There, she is worked beyond her capabilities, at her own request, to suffer until she is found to be seriously ill. Her chief critic, Sister Marie Therese Vauzouz, is finally convinced of the young nun's sincerity and holiness near the end of Bernadette's life in one of cinema's most dramatic and climactic scenes.
After years and years of scientific investigation, scrutiny and followup on the many cures, Bernadette is ultimately canonized a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and the subsequent majestic shrine at Lourdes draws millions of believers and skeptics every year in hopes of being among the many miraculous cures that have occurred there. As the film prologue states, "For those that believe in God no explanation is necessary....for those who do not believe in God none is possible."
The cast of the film is superb: Jennifer Jones as Bernadette, Ann Revere as her mother Louise, Charles Bickford as her mentor, Father Payramale, Vincent Price as the atheist prosecutor, Dutour, Lee J. Cobb as Dr. Dazouz and the incomparable Gladys Cooper as Sister Marie Therese Vauzouz. The musical score by Alfred Newman is magnificent and the cinematography is superb. This is a film for the ages; for the entire family and people of all religious faiths or no religious faith at all.
Movie Review: The most sublime and moving of Hollywood's religious films
Summary: 5 Stars
There are very few "religious" films that actually achieve a sense of spirituality that makes them work for believers and non-believers alike. "The Song of Bernadette" is one of those rare films, and owes a lot of its power to the Oscar winning performance of Jennifer Jones as Bernadette Soubirous, the young French peasant girl who in 1858 saw a vision of the Virgin Mary in a grotto near the town of Lourdes. While gathering firewood with her sister and a friend, Bernadette was told by the "beautiful lady" to return to the grotto every day for fifteen days. The common folk of Lourdes come to belief in young Bernadette's visions, while the authorities try to put a stop to the nonsense, and the church keeps its distance for the moment.As Bernadette, Jones is the calm center at the heart of the storm. The scenes in which Bernadette sees the Lady (an unbilled and pregnant Linda Darnell) are presented by director Henry King with a elegant simplicity. Bernadette has a strong and simple faith, which is how she is able to endure the battering by those around her. It is in her victory over these opponents that make this story work, and Bernadette's opponents are a superb cast of supporting players. Charles Bickford is Peyramale Dean of Lourdes, who has to deal with the idea that this lazy and less than intelligent peasant girl has seen the Virgin Mother, Vincent Price the cold hearted local prosecutor Dutour, Lee J. Cobb as the reasonable and scientific Dr. Dozous, Anne Revere as Bernadett's mother, and Gladys Cooper as Sister Vauzous, the nun whose jealousy of Bernadette has quite an emotional payoff in the film.
A best selling version of Bernadette's story was written by Franz Werfel in 1942 and 20th Century Fox bought the rights to make an ambitious screen version which manages to avoid the faults of sentimentality. They also searched for a newcomer for the title role and looked at Anne Baxter, Teresa Wright, Linda Darnell and Gene Tierney before settling on Jones, who had small parts in two previous films as Phylis Isley and was renamed to have a clean slate as an actress. Winning the Oscar pretty much speaks to the success of their efforts. The film also deservedly won Oscars for Arthur Miller's cinematography and Alfred Newman's score. Ironically, Newman replaced the famous composer Igor Stravinsky on the film, and the second movement of Stravinsky's Symphony in Three Movements evolved from his original unused score.
The long awaited DVD version of "The Song of Bernadette" makes up for the delay with some excellent extras, including the A&E "Biography" of Jones, a theatrical trailer, a World War II newsreel of Jones visiting the troops, and an excellent commentary track by two of Jones' biographers. This is classy treatment for one of Hollywood's classiest films.
Movie Review: A Moving Story
Summary: 5 Stars
Jennifer Jones gives the performance of her career in The Song of Bernadette. She plays a fourteen-year-old girl who, while out collecting firewood, sees a vision of a beautiful lady. When it becomes apparent that this lady is the Virgin Mary, Bernadette finds herself in conflict with both the secular and church authorities. Jones is utterly convincing in her performance. Somehow she is able to portray faith in such a way that it becomes impossible to doubt her. Everyone, to begin with, is against Bernadette. Her claims seem unbelievable, the product of a deranged mind or the schemes of a charlatan. But through the faith that can be seen in her face and her simple determination to tell only the truth, she gradually wins over the doubters. For this process to be depicted on film something very special is required from an actress. Anyone who views the story with an open mind cannot fail to be moved deeply by a performance which has the power to suspend disbelief.The Song of Bernadette is one of the best religious films, because it shows the life of a Saint without being too pious. Moreover it is willing to be critical of a church which could at times be harsh and even cruel. The town prosecutor scoffs at religion as much as he scoffs at Bernadette, but initially he has an ally in the local priest. A nun treats Bernadette with cruelty and ridicule. It is the opposition that the girl has to overcome which gives the film its dramatic power. This conflict works so well because the actors who perform opposite Jones give fine performances. Vincent Price as the cynical prosecutor is particularly good and shows that he was capable of dramatic acting of the highest quality.
The print used on the Fox DVD is very good indeed. The DVD includes a restoration comparison, which shows how the print has been cleaned up. There are still a few visible scratches, but overall the film looks wonderful with clear sharp images and beautiful black and white photography. The sound is likewise very good. The music and dialogue sound find and there is no hiss. As extras the DVD includes a trailer for the reissue of the film in the late fifties, a brief piece of newsreel of Jones accepting an award from the GIs, a commentary and a documentary. The documentary lasts about an hour and is fairly interesting with a good number of clips from Jones's films. This is a fine DVD of a classic film. It should interest anyone who is the least bit curious about Saint Bernadette of Lourdes.
Movie Review: The Visionary of Lourdes
Summary: 5 Stars
Based on Franz Werfel's 1942 best-seller, this is an exquisite telling of the life of Bernadette Soubirous, who in 1858 at the age of 14 saw a vision of the Virgin Mary in a grotto near the small village of Lourdes, where she lived with her family in abject poverty. Bernadette received much opposition from the atheistic town authorities, as well as initially from the clergy, but kept her faith in "The Lady," and it gave her a wisdom when questioned by the unbelievers that went beyond her natural understanding.
Jennifer Jones is superb as the simple Bernadette, and she tells the story with her eyes; there are many scenes where the camera focuses on her face, and one can tell what is happening by her expressive gaze. Director Henry King screen tested many actresses by placing a stick behind the camera, and telling them to look at it, and imagine the Virgin Mary...King said that Jennifer was the only one who "saw," while the others merely "looked."
The supporting cast is wonderful, with many standout performances; I especially like Charles Bickford as the Dean of Lourdes, Lee J. Cobb as Dr. Dozous, Anne Revere as Bernadette's mother Louise, and as a lifelong adversary, a prideful nun who is jealous of Bernadette's visions, the terrific Gladys Cooper.
The film was a huge box-office success, as well as receiving critical acclaim, and was the most nominated film at the 1943 Oscars, with 12 nominations and 4 wins. It won for Best Actress, Best B&W Cinematography (Arthur Miller), Best Score (Alfred Newman), and Best Interior Decoration. The nominations were for Director, Editing, Picture, Screenplay, Sound, Supporting Actor (Bickford), Supporting Actress (both Cooper and Revere).
At 2 hours and 36 minutes, this is a film that is totally engrossing, and the time spent with it is very rewarding.
Cannonized in 1933, Bernadette's legacy continues to flourish; over 200 million people have visited the shrine, and though I have never been there, one of my few treasures is a "souvenir" cross that contains water from the spring at Lourdes (which continues to produce over 25,000 gallons a week), and proving that those in the film portrayed as wanting to commercialize the water from the site have succeeded beyond their expectations.
"For those who believe in God, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe in God, no explanation is possible."
Movie Review: Song of Bernadette evokes spiritual sweetness and innocence
Summary: 5 Stars
If Casablanca hadn't come out the same year as the Song of Bernadette, I believe that this film would have won the Best Picture award for 1943.
This is one of the greatest films of all time. Even over 60 years later, the film's timeless theme of spiritual innocence is perfectly captured in the Song of Bernadette.
The film tells the remarkable story of Bernadette Soubirous, a young, sickly girl from the small town of Lourdes, France near the Spanish border. The town is quickly brought to life as she encounters a "vision" of the Lady in a grotto outside of the town. Met with skepticism from family, friends, the town, and even the church, we see how the amazing transformation of this little village to a beehive where thousands pilgrimage every day to partake of the holy waters of the spring. This is true, even to this day. One may also see the still incorruptible body of St. Bernadette lying in a glass coffin.
Notice also how Bernadette sweetly out-manuevers the public officials not by clever answers, but by clever questions!
One of the best acting performances of all-time was given by Jennifer Jones in her portrayal of Bernadette Soubirous. And she rightfully took home the Oscar for her first major film role. She perfectly captures the innocence and sweetness of this young village girl. So much so, that the viewer cannot help but be touched and deeply enchanted by her performance. One cannot help but feel that she has perfectly captured the essence of St. Bernadette.
Paramahansa Yogananda who saw the movie claimed that "Jennifer Jones's life will forever be changed since playing the role of the beautiful saint."
The music also enhances the beauty and sweetness of this wonderous film. One reviewer claimed that this is one of the best religious films of all time. I whole-heartedly agree. I would even state further that this is more of a spiritual film as it appeals to anyone no matter their religious background. The Song of Bernadette, Jesus of Nazareth, and Gandhi are my top three.
Those who have not yet seen this treasure are in for a special treat. Those who have, I hope you, like me, never tire of repeated viewings.
The Song of Bernadette is the song of a remarkable soul.