Le chant de Bernadette

Bernadette Soubirous, 1844-1879, was a modest, shy, retiring religious girl of strong convictions in her faith who would have passed through this world unnoticed by many, but for an incident in her hometown of Lourdes in France. If you believe it was all a hallucination than this film will mean nothing to you.

But there are a great many people who believe that the pious young lady was chosen for a visit from the Virgin Mary one day when she was an adolescent teen. The Virgin Mary appeared to her several times in that location which in fact was the town garbage dump. In that spot an underground spring was discovered that had healing properties.

The film is based on a historical novel by Franz Werfel and Darryl F. Zanuck decided on an unknown to play young Bernadette. The girl chosen was Phyllis Isley of Oklahoma whose name was changed to Jennifer Jones and in her third film and first under her new identity, Jennifer Jones walked off with Best Actress Award of 1943. She beat out such seasoned veterans as Ingrid Bergman, Joan Fontaine, Jean Arthur, and Greer Garson. I'm sure it helped Jones that Fontaine and Garson were the previous two year's winners, that the film was such a hit, and that David O. Selznick had totally flipped for her and used every bit of influence to get that Oscar.

With all of that and a great performance as well. Jones captures both the simple beauty and piety of the young girl who may have been given insights into matters spiritual. Playing the Virgin Mary in an unbilled part was Linda Darnell, a fact I believe that did not come out until after Ms. Darnell's death in 1963.

Director Henry King gave his young unknown a lot of support by assembling a thoroughly professional cast without a bad performance in the lot. Such people as Lee J. Cobb, Vincent Price, Charles Dingle, Gladys Cooper, Roman Bohnen, and Anne Revere were just perfect in their parts.

As was Charles Bickford in the role of the priest and director of the Catholic school in Lourdes. He's very skeptical at first, but becomes her firm champion. Jones and Bickford became extremely close in this film, she looked up to Bickford for the rest of his life as a father figure in Hollywood. Bickford was nominated for Best Supportin Actor, but lost to Charles Coburn and Cooper and Revere both received nominations for Best Supporting Actress, but lost to Katina Paxinou.

Even with a more recent film telling the Bernadette Soubirous story that came out in 1989 with Sydney Penny, this film is still owned and shown in many Catholic churches and schools to this day. But even the most hardened of unbelievers will be blown away by Jones's performance.

The 'Song of Bernadette' gives us (as viewers) a little insight into the life of one of the best known saints in the Catholic religion….'St Bernadette'. It was from Bernadette's efforts and deep faith, the spring of healing waters at Lourdes were given to us. From Our Lady and through Bernadette the spring started to flow….to this very day it continues to help the faithful who are sick and disabled.

A beautifully scripted film, it tells the story of Bernadette Soubirous, a young French girl who was chosen above all others to bestow her eyes on the Mother of Christ. One day in a grotto in the province of Lourdes France she has a vision of Our Lady – The Immaculate Conception. The Story follows her journey from poor peasant girl till she enters the convent.

One of the many reasons why I love this film is because of the sincerity and unrelenting faith one person can have, faced with so much doubt and ridicule shown by others. The performance of Jennifer Jones is flawless, proved in the fact she received an Oscar for her efforts. The other cast members were brilliant too; each individual character portrayed their role with conviction. So many wonderful actors; Anne Revere, Vincent Price, Charles Bickford, Lee J. Cobb and Gladys Cooper in support. The production, especially the set designs give a realism to the actual time period of France in the 1800's. Altogether this film accumulated 4 Academy Awards, and 3 of them unsurprisingly going to production; Cinematography, Art Direction and Best Musical Score. I give it a well deserved 9/10.

The weighty subject matter and emotional performances overshadow the film's flaws, which are numerous. Characters and events are not adequately introduced, leaving the viewer with a persistent, though not overwhelming, confusion. It runs a little long, and at times loses focus. But "The Song of Bernadette" has much to redeem it. This is true black and white cinematography, and Henry King uses highly effective lighting techniques to enhance his actors' performances. The bright lighting and soft focus on Jennifer Jones, for example, makes her angelic pose of peace believable.

One scene near the end of the film is utterly beautiful, and truly makes the movie. It takes place at a convent after Bernadette has been accepted as a nun. Sister Marie Vauzous, who has doubted Bernadette the entire film, stands over her in a pose of authority and accuses her of trying to get attention. Sister Marie is lit from an angle at sharp focus, which accentuates the lines and imperfections of her face as she asks for "proof" and laments about her own suffering. Meanwhile, Bernadette is lit straight on with a soft focus as usual, and the smoothness of her peaceful, humble face is perfect and divine. She agrees with Sister Marie that she is "a hundred times more worthy" than herself, all the while hiding the true nature of her own suffering. It is at this point that the Christian theme of salvation through suffering which has meandered its way through the film really makes its point, and it is a genuinely moving moment.

I have read where several people claim that there are flaws and imperfections in this film. But that is just not so. Even if you do not agree with the subject matter, and I do not come down on either side here, even though a catholic, it is simply a matter of capturing the emotional perfection of the story. Jennifer Jones had many fine roles in her career, but, as is all to often not the case, she honestly deserved the Best Actress Oscar for this her finest screen moment. Guided under the very skilled hand of one of Hollywood's often unsung but greatest director's Henry King this motion picture shines with a divine radiance all its own.

The performances of the other cast members were also on a par with the lead role. I will here only mention a few. Charles Bickford as the priest who first scoffs and eventually becomes a firm believer was his very best. Vincent Price, who is always able to play a villainous role to perfection was excellent as the doubting prosecutor who cannot be convinced. And Lee J. Cobb turns in an excellent performance also. But the second kudos of the film go to Gladys Cooper, who should have won a best supporting award as the old nun, who cannot accept Bernadette for who and what she is.

Finally, a note for the person who said the was no song in the movie and questioned the title. The whole film was a song or more correctly a psalm of faith, and the psalms were never sung but spoken. The music of ALfred Newman again underscores the action of this film perfectly. It is high on my top twenty-five films of all time.

I'm not Catholic, but this film makes you want to believe the whole thing. I've never been so moved by a story demonstrating the incredible power of innocence and simplicity as performed by Jennifer Jones in this faithful adaptation of the true story of the now-canonized Bernadette Soubirous. Beyond this story, the sets, performances, narrative flow, and in particular, the heavenly-inspired music of Alfred Newman is nothing short of transporting. Some may find the movie overlong, but I cherished every character and angle to the story--much like enjoying the book with all of its detail. This effort demonstrates more than just the quality of the golden age of cinema and 20th Century Fox, but it adds a cast and crew clearly inspired to tell this true story like no other has been told before or since.