The Song of Bernadette

 “For those who believe in God, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe in God, no explanation is possible.”

These simple, yet profound words tell you everything you need to know about the tone of this film. Skeptics will look at this with jaded eyes, determined to see it as a propaganda film pushing the Catholic narrative, and true believers will find enlightenment in the divinity of Bernadette’s visions of the Immaculate Conception. Both sides can find value in this film but for vastly different reasons. 

The Song of Bernadette is based on the story of Bernadette Soubirous (Jennifer Jones), a young girl who claimed to see a vision of the Virgin Mary, an experience she reportedly went through a total of eighteen times between February and July of 1858. She would be later canonized by the Catholic Church in 1933. This story was told in a 1941 novel by Franz Werfel and was a bestseller amongst the religious who saw it as divine proof of the divinity of Christ and the holiness of the Blessed Virgin. It was a faith-inspiring and uplifting book released at a time when the world was in turmoil, suffering under the great evils of the Nazis and World War II. The film, which came out two years later, was seen as an extension of that, portraying faith in the face of doubt and opposition. 

Whether these events as depicted actually happened is a matter of debate. Secularists will claim that there is no evidence that suggests anything divine actually happened; that people who were cured by the events of the picture were done through a combination of the placebo effect and/or their ailments being minor to begin with. This film wants to have it both ways by providing that argument while at the same time giving ample time to the divine aspect of the events as told.

Can I truthfully say these miraculous things didn’t happen? Of course, I cannot. I wasn’t there. And even if I was, the people around Bernadette who witnessed things didn’t see the visions she claimed to have seen, either. This is the kind of thing that empirical evidence about just doesn’t exist, and you have to take it with faith just like you would when reading passages in the Bible. If you cannot do that, then there will be no convincing you. That theme is stated right at the beginning of the film in the opening titles and is repeated later for further emphasis.

After Bernadette has her first vision of the Mother Mary at the Massabielle Grotto near Lourdes, France, initial reactions to the event are to be expected. She is teased by her sisters, who think she is lying and her parents want to send her away to avoid a scandal. Only when her aunt stands up for her and insists on going back to the grotto to be with her during these visions do others come along to witness it. This leads to others being convinced of the visions. When the Mother Mary instructs her to dig in the earth and wash herself in the springs there, she does, despite not initially finding water. When water does come forth from that spot, it proves to have healing powers, drawing even more believers to that location to take part in the miracle. 

Of course, not everyone is convinced. The public officials, led by the imperial prosecutor Vital Dutour (Vincent Price), seek to put an end to the situation. They see the pilgrimage of people gathering at the grotto as a threat to their secular milieu and a disruption of the normal way of life. Using scare tactics, threats, interrogation, and other means to try and trip her up, they eventually settle on an obscure law prohibiting people from drinking of the waters of the new spring Bernadette uncovered at the grotto. This law says that no spring waters are to be consumed by the people without first being verified as safe for public consumption. With that in place, the grotto is walled up, and the police try to prevent the public from gaining access. It doesn’t prevent people from attempting to break in, though. That changes, though, when the empress cures her infant’s son with the waters and insists the wall be taken down again. Despite all the evidence, Vital is not swayed in his opinion. 

In many ways, this mirrors the reception that Christ himself received when he ministered on the land. He performed all sorts of miracles, yet there were plenty who refused to accept what they were seeing. Bernadette is presented as a simple, pious girl; uneducated because of her poor health but faithful and believing. The law officials try many times to trip her up and disprove what she has said, even bringing in a doctor to try and prove her insane, but to no avail. Even the local clergy disbelieves for a time before eventually being swayed. 

The ultimate representative of disbelief, though, comes from Sister Marie Therese Vauzou (Gladys Cooper), a nun who was Bernadette’s teacher in the film (but not in real life), who feels that she has suffered her whole life and should have been the one to receive the vision. She feels that Bernadette hasn’t suffered, therefore shouldn’t be granted such a gift from God. It’s a common theme in religious texts of those who feel they are better qualified than the ones chosen by God. What Marie doesn’t understand is that Bernadette has suffered greatly all her life and that she has been told the healing waters that have brought great comfort to others are not for her. 

Jennifer Jones is given the Introducing credit in this film, although that isn’t quite correct. She had been in films before this but under her birth name, Phyllis Lee Isley. This was the introduction of “Jennifer Jones.” What an introduction it was, too. It’s a very laid-back performance but one that carries a lot of weight. She has to sell that vision, oftentimes on screen by herself, and that can come across as silly if not done right. Indeed, helping her along is the chorus of angelic voices that swell up in the score whenever miraculous things are happening. Without that, the best acting in the world would fail to convince us.

Vincent Price could easily come across as an over-the-top villain. This is a case of the film incorrectly portraying his character as an atheist. The real Vital Dutour was a devout Catholic who believed that Bernadette was hallucinating, not seeing a true vision. His character in the film is a combination of two historical figures: the real Vital as well as the man of letters Hyacinthe de La Fite, who was in the novel and believed he had cancer of the larynx. When Dutour goes to the gates of the grotto, begging, “Pray for me, Bernadette,” this was actually de La Fite. This scene gives Vital a redemption arc as he is walking through the worshipping crowd, lamenting that he has nothing in common with those around him who live by faith. It took a terminal illness to even get him to that grotto and he stands at the gates like a man barred from partaking of the miracle.

This is a film made to celebrate the believers while also throwing a bone to the non-believers, too. Its simple, yet fantastical message can be uplifting, especially to those of faith who will see this as a true story that justifies their testimonies of God and the Immaculate Conception. Others may find it slow and meandering with a runtime far too long for the story it is conveying. At nearly three hours long, it does overstay its welcome a bit, especially during the final half hour where it shifts narrative and feels like a completely different movie. Still, it is a wonderfully made film that deserves the Oscar nomination for best picture. In fact, had Casablanca not been part of the 1944 Oscars—having its debut in December of 1942, it should have been included in the previous year’s ceremony—The Song of Bernadette may have been the winner. It certainly was considered the frontrunner at the time. But Casablanca ultimately one-upped it, and, in my opinion, is the better film. The Song of Bernadette is a tremendous accomplishment in filmmaking, though, and, whether you are religious or not, still deserves to be seen.

Academy Award Nominations:

Outstanding Motion Picture: William Perling

Best Director: Henry King

Best Actress: Jennifer Jones (won)

Best Supporting Actor: Charles Bickford

Best Supporting Actress: Gladys Cooper

Best Supporting Actress: Anne Revere

Best Screenplay: George Seaton

Best Art Direction - Interior Decoration - Black-and-White: James Basevi, William S. Darling, and Thomas Little (won)

Best Cinematography - Black-and-White (won)

Best Film Editing: Barbara McLean

Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture: Alfred Newman (won)

Best Sound Recording: Edmund H. Hansen

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Release Date: December 25, 1943

Running Time: 155 minutes

Not Rated

Starring: Jennifer Jones, William Eythe, Charles Bickford, Vincent Price, Lee J. Cobb, and Gladys Cooper

Directed by: Henry King