Shock and sadness. Thatâs how I felt when I discovered the passing of Patricia, from Caftan Woman, on Twitter. Upon hearing the announcement of the Caftan Woman Blogathon, I wanted to participate as a way to pay my respects to a fellow blogger. Over the years, Patricia has recommended several films for future reviews. So, it was only fitting for me to choose one of her suggestions for the event. Since the blogathon is commemorating a loss, I felt The Song of Bernadette was the most appropriate choice out of the recommendations on my Pinterest board. This also compliments other religious/faith-based films Iâve reviewed in the past, such as Ben-Hur and The Carpenterâs Miracle. With all that said, letâs start this review of The Song of Bernadette.
Things I liked about the film:
The acting: One of my favorite movies is Portrait of Jennie. Jennifer Jonesâ consistent and captivating performance is one of the reasons why I love that film so much. In The Song of Bernadette, Jenniferâs portrayal of the titular character reminded me of her portrayal of Jennie. This is because she has a talent for pulling off an innocent demeanor without coming across as childish or immature. Throughout the film, Bernadette claims she is dumb. Yet, when asked what a sinner is, she tells the local reverend a sinner âis someone who loves sinâ. The reverend even comments how Bernadette chose to say âloves sinâ instead of âcommits sinâ. Personality wise, Jennifer brought a gentleness to her character. When speaking with one of Lourdesâ members of police, the policeman gets details of Bernadetteâs story wrong. In a polite manner, Bernadette corrects him, pointing out the policemanâs errors in a soft-spoken voice. This innocence and gentleness allowed Bernadette to be taken seriously by the audience.
On 18 Cinema Lane, I have reviewed several of Vincent Priceâs films. In most of these movies, Vincent portrays a character that can exude a sense of fear for the audience. But in The Song of Bernadette, his role of Vital Dutour was very different from his other roles. One reason is how Vincent is a part of an ensemble instead of a main focus in the story. Another reason is how Vitalâs actions and choices were not chosen to cause fear. Despite all of this, Vincent carries his character with elegance and arrogance. In an effort to get to the bottom of Bernadetteâs âvisionsâ, Vital questions her story in his office. He speaks to Bernadette with a stern voice and presents a no-nonsense attitude. By interacting with her in this way, Vital is attempting in enforce his authority, thinking he will get his way. But because of Bernadetteâs strength in her faith and her innocent demeanor, she is able to stand up to Vital. With that, both Jennifer Jones and Vincent Price are able to, acting-wise, go toe-to-toe with each other!
The set design: The Song of Bernadette takes place in the French countryside of 1858. But according to IMDB, the movie was filmed in California. Despite this, the set didnât look like a set. Instead, it looked like a small French town from the 1850s! The architecture of Lourdesâ buildings was simple. Materials such as stone cover these structures. A traditional roof shingle design is displayed on top of these buildings. Like any well-researched production, the attention to detail was not overlooked! Vitalâs office boasts two impressive things: a large desk and fireplace. The desk is a big piece of furniture that is coated in darker wood. Small, gold detailing can be found on the side of the desk. The fireplace is a massive marble structure, with etched detailing just below the mantle. Attention to detail and thorough research made this on-screen world an immersive environment!
Correlations with Biblical stories: When I reviewed the 1959 film, Ben-Hur, I talked about how certain Biblical events were incorporated into the overall story. With The Song of Bernadette, I could pick out moments that felt like unintentional correlations with some stories from the Bible. Toward the beginning of the film, Bernadetteâs father is hired to dispose dirty rags from hospital patients. Shortly after being hired, Bernadetteâs father can be seen pulling the wagon filled with dirty rags up a hill. This scene reminded me of the Crucifixion story, when Jesus is carrying the cross. The scene can also serve as a reminder how everyone has their own cross to bear, literally or figuratively. After Bernadette sees her first âvisonâ, Bernadetteâs neighbors offer Bernadetteâs family extra food they had acquired. The neighborsâ multiplying of food is reminiscent of the story where Jesus multiplied two fish and five loaves. Because this scene takes place after the first âvisionâ, I saw it as a miracle similar to the aforementioned Biblical story.
Using little to no dialogue: In two scenes, the movieâs creative team did a great job using little to no dialogue! One of them was the aforementioned scene where Bernadetteâs father climbed up the hill. Orchestral music replaces any dialogue, which captures the emotions of Bernadetteâs father. A long shot showcases the journey, elaborating how small Bernadetteâs father is compared to the hill. This scene visually explained how difficult his life is. Another scene that used no dialogue is when Bernadette experiences her first âvisionâ. Not only is orchestral and choir music incorporated, the creative team uses a spotlight to accentuate Jenniferâs facial expressions. At one point in this scene, wind blew unexpectedly, signaling something was about to happen. Both scenes were able to say so much while saying so little!
What I didnât like about the film:
The under-utilization of Antoine and his mother: In The Song of Bernadette, the titular character appears to be friends with a man named Antoine. Antoine also appears to be close with his mother. These two characters were only shown in a handful of scenes. Even when they were included in the story, their significance in the overall plot was weaker. The under-utilization of Antoine and his mother was disappointing, as I felt they could have offered more to the story. But since this movie was based on a book I havenât read, Iâm not sure if the limited presence of these characters is close to the source material.
A few ignored details: Toward the beginning of the movie, a friend of Bernadetteâs explains to their teacher how Bernadette has asthma. This diagnosis is brought up on a few occasions by Bernadetteâs family throughout the movie. But, for the most part, this detail was ignored and had little significance in the story. There were times when Vital Dutour was seen wiping his nose with a handkerchief. At one point in the story, he claims itâs âinfluenzaâ. However, it isnât clearly explained what heâs medically dealing with. As I already said, The Song of Bernadette is based on a book I havenât read. But if the creative team knew they werenât going to utilize these details, it makes me wonder why they would include them in the movie?
My overall impression:
Incorporating faith into film can be a tricky task. On the one hand, you donât want to run the risk of alienating those who arenât religious. At the same time, you want to acknowledge the beliefs of those who choose to include religion in their lives. The Song of Bernadette finds a way to achieve âthe best of both worldsâ! Bernadetteâs story is shown as a procession, a good exploration of how religious phenomena can affect a small town. The film doesnât seem to take sides when it comes to the actual topic. Yes, some people make fun of Bernadette because of her âvisionsâ. But thereâs no antagonist or villain in the movie. Lourdesâ mayor and his friends donât believe Bernadette. However, none of the men are religious, approaching the situation from a legal and literal perspective. Even the townâs reverend isnât quick to assume the âvisionsâ are religious. Out of all the movies Iâve seen this year, so far, Iâd say The Song of Bernadette is the strongest one! If you are interested in checking this film out, I think Easter would be an appropriate time to see it. Personally, I wish I had seen it sooner, especially since I can no longer thank Patricia for the recommendation.
Overall score: 8.2-8.3 out of 10
Rest in Peace Patricia
Sally Silverscreen
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