Bernadette's true story was recounted in the novel The Song Of Bernadette (1942) by Franz Werfel.  The novel was a best seller, and the Fox Studios, seeing in it the potential for a truly inspirational movie, quickly acquired the film rights. 

The Song of Bernadette (1943) was to become a major Fox production during the WWII era.  That the film's theme was one of simple yet endearing faith played very well to wartime audiences searching for hope during this rather dark chapter in humanity.  But beyond its uplifting theme, the film had three incredible strengths - a wonderful score by Alfred Newman, brilliant cinematography by Arthur Miller, and a wholesome performance as Bernadette by newcomer, Phyllis Isley. 

Phyllis Isley was a protégé of the great Hollywood film producer David O. Selznick (best known for his classic films King Kong and Gone with the Wind).  Selznick had arranged for her to star in The Song of Bernadette, and he also provided her with a more famous screen name - Jennifer Jones.

As an actress, Jennifer Jones had remarkable range.  Her portrayal of the pure and innocent Bernadette was in stark contrast to her later portrayal of the tempestuous and lascivious Pearl in Duel in the Sun, a major Selznick undertaking. 

Her other memorable roles included the haunted, mysterious Jennie of Selznick's Portrait of Jennie and the mature, intelligent Eurasian doctor in the tragic romance Love is a Many-Splendored Thing. 

But The Song of Bernadette brought Jennifer Jones arguably her best role and her greatest critical acclaim.  Though she was only on-screen perhaps half the running length, her scenes truly elevated the film.  Jennifer Jones was in her mid-twenties during production, yet she was able to portray the younger Bernadette convincingly from her youth in Lourdes until her passage into the convent of Nevers.

In a sense, The Song of Bernadette may be a historical film, yet believe it or not, it is not a religious propaganda film.  In reality, the Roman Catholic Church had actually refused to recognize Bernadette's visions as a miracle and had remained neutral on the entire matter for a very long time, a historical fact which is bravely reflected in the film. 

In fact, a great portion of the film is remarkably faithful to the actual events, although the scenes are presented with a somewhat melodramatic flair, a trait fairly common to these old Hollywood films.

Much of the film's middle portion, pertaining to these local civil authorities, seems slightly contrived in order to generate an antagonistic force to Bernadette's sincerity.

Vincent Price as the Imperial Prosecutor, Aubrey Mather as the opportunistic town Mayor, and Charles Dingle as Jacomet, the chief of police, are all decent in their roles (which have a basis in historical context), but they seem to exist in the film more for the sake of dramatic conflict than for any true significance to the story. 


Furthermore, the inclusion of good-hearted Antoine (William Eythe) as a potential (and thankfully unfulfilled) love interest is somewhat unnecessary considering the nature of the film, but such invented love interests were common practice for films in those days.  To some degree, perhaps the filmmakers felt that Bernadette was so angelic that they needed to introduce other flawed, emotional characters so as to balance the story. 

On the other hand, Charles Bickford is excellent as the crusty town priest who initially dismisses Bernadette but eventually believes in her, and Dame Gladys Cooper is beyond amazing as Sister Marie-Thérèse, the conflicted nun who formerly served as Bernadette's school teacher and who later doubts the word of a child she knew to be poorly schooled in religion.  Both actors were nominated for Academy Awards for their performances.

In the end, The Song of Bernadette is an extremely good film and wonderful to behold.  In a way black & white photography is far superior to color in bringing out the true artistry of film images.

Best of all, THE SONG OF BERNADETTE stands among a rare group of Hollywood films in which visual integrity is matched step for step with thematic zeal.