The Song of Bernadette (film)
The Song of Bernadette is a
1943 film which tells the story of Saint
Bernadette Soubirous, who, from February to July
1858 in
Lourdes,
France, reported eighteen visions of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. It was directed by
Henry King.
The movie was adapted by
George Seaton from a novelization of Benadette's story, written by
Franz Werfel. The novel was published in 1942 and was extremely popular, spending more than a year on the
New York Times Best Seller list and 13 weeks atop the list.
On an errand with her sister Marie and school friend Jeanne to collect firewood outside the town of Lourdes, Bernadette is left behind when her companions warn her not to wade through the cold river by the Massabelle caves for fear of taking ill. About to cross anyway, Bernadette is distracted by a strange breeze and a change in the light. Investigating the cave, she finds a beautiful lady standing in brilliant light, holding a pearl rosary. She tells her sister and friend, who promise not to tell anyone else, but of course they do, and the story soon spreads all over town. Many, including Bernadette's Aunt Bernarde, believe her and stand up for her with her disbelieving parents, but Bernadette faces civil and church authorities alone. Repeatedly questioned, she stands solidly behind her outlandish story and continues to return to the cave as the lady has asked. She faces ridicule as the lady tells her to drink and wash at a spring that doesn't exist, but digs a hole in the ground and uses the wet sand and mud. The water begins to flow later and exhibits miraculous healing properties. The lady finally identifies herself as "the Immaculate Conception". Civil authorities try to have her declared insane, while the Church wants a formal investigation to find out if Bernadette's a fraud, insane, or genuine. They conclude that her experiences are real.
Bernadette prefers to go on with an ordinary life, work, and possible marriage, but because she has seen the Virgin Mary, she is forced to take the veil instead. She is subjected to normal although rigorous spiritual training and hard work, but also emotional abuse from a cold and sinister novitiate director (a positively cadaverous
Gladys Cooper). She is diagnosed with tuberculosis of the bone, which causes intense pain, yet she has never complained or so much as mentioned it. The novice mistress, for whom pain and suffering are the only path to holiness, becomes an ally and is very kind to her. Knowing she's dying, Bernadette sends for the Lourdes church father and tells him of her feelings of unworthiness and her concern that she'll never see the lady again, obviously meaning she'll go to
purgatory rather than
heaven. But the lady comes right into the room with a bright smile, holding out her arms, and with a wondering cry of "I love you!" Bernadette falls back dead.
The plot follows the novel by
Franz Werfel, which is not a documentary but a highly romanticized
hagiography blending historical fact and fiction. Bernadette's real-life friend Antoine Nicolau is portrayed as being deeply in love with her, and vowing to remain unmarried when Bernadette enters the convent. No such relationship is documented as existing between the two. The government authorities, in particular Imperial Prosecutor Vital Dutour (played by
Vincent Price) are portrayed as being much more anti-religion than they actually were, and in fact Dutour was himself a devout
Catholic who simply thought Bernadette was hallucinating. Other portrayals come closer to historical accuracy, particularly
Anne Revere and
Roman Bohnen as Bernadette's overworked parents,
Charles Bickford as Father Peyramale, and
Blanche Yurka as formidable Aunt Bernarde.
Bernadette's death in particular is cinematic. She would not have had enough breath to talk that much. Peyramale wasn't there, because he had died two years before. What is uncertain is whether or not she had a vision before she died. Witnesses said that some hours prior to her death, they saw Bernadette looking across the room with great concentration as she did when experiencing a vision, but she didn't say anything. Her last words were a phrase from the
Hail Mary.
It won
Academy Awards for
Best Actress in a Leading Role (Jennifer Jones),
Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White,
Best Cinematography, Black-and-White and
Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture. It was nominated for
Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Charles Bickford),
Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Gladys Cooper),
Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Anne Revere),
Best Director,
Best Film Editing,
Best Picture,
Best Sound, Recording and
Best Writing, Screenplay.
It stars
Jennifer Jones,
William Eythe,
Charles Bickford,
Vincent Price,
Lee J. Cobb,
Anne Revere,
Gladys Cooper and
Linda Darnell.
Jennifer Jones had made movies before, under her real name of Phylis Isley. Zanuck had her credited as "introducing Jennifer Jones as Bernadette" in order to make the public think she was an unknown.
Many of the production staff believed the lady should not be visible to the audience but that Bernadette's adoration of something she saw plainly should "render the invisible visible to others", as Werfel's book said the real Bernadette did. The choice of Darnell (then a few months pregnant) with her reputation as a soft-porn model angered Werfel, who threatened to take his name off the picture. Selznick, who was having a relationship with Darnell, was determined to use her, so he told Werfel that he'd picked an unknown, draped Darnell in heavier garments and veiling than the historical Bernadette reported for her lady, and filmed her in brilliant light. Darnell is recognizable in the final scene where she comes into Bernadette's room.
*
The Song of Bernadette (novel)* John Bear,
The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times bestsellers since the first list, 50 years ago, Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 1992
