Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3614 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-03-26
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: French, Italian, Finnish, German, Danish, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 156 minutes

Synopsis
Jennifer Jones won a Golden Globe and an Oscar for her screen debut in this true story. Jones plays young French peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous, who sees a vision of a 'beautiful lady' near her home in Lourdes in 1858. Based on the novel of the same name by Franz Werfel, THE SONG OF BERNADETTE explores Bernadette's trials and tribulations from her impoverished family to her difficulties at school to the derision her visions bring upon her and at last to her affliction with bone-marrow cancer. Under the incisive eye of director Henry King, the film is seen through Bernadette's perspective but at the same time focuses upon the effect that Bernadette has upon her family, her champions, and her detractors. The acting is excellent, and no detail has gone untouched in the art direction, costumes, and cinematography. 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.

Customer Reviews

Bernadette Film
A fantastic film that won quite a few awards. Even though the film is in black and white it captures the heartache,indignity, faith, and a true story of Bernadette Soubirous and the struggles of a poor family living in one tiny room and Bernadette suffering ill health with Asthma. Bernadette was 14yrs old when the first apparition appeared, she had over 18 visions from Our Lady at the Grotto in France in 1858. She died in 1879 and was Canonized. Lourdes is celebrating it's 150th year where over 8 million people visit the Grotto every year, bathe in the freezing cold spring water and people come in Procession to celebrate Our Lady apparitions. This Year Pope Benedict XVI will be celebration Mass in Lourdes on the 13th September due to 150 years of the Apparitions. A number of crutches hang above the Grotto where people have had miracles and bathe in the miracle spring water that Bernadette was told to dig under her feet. The town of Lourdes is a busy place especially at Easter where the HCPT (Handicapped Children Pilgramage Trust) take various disabled and ill young people for a weeks holiday, the fun, laughter and friendship that people make that week last a life time. I speak from experience and hope and pray that I can return perhaps next year. A fantastic film, highly recommended, even more so when the story is true. God Bless.

Memorable and moving
What stands out in this film - cinematography, some excellent performances (Jennifer Jones, Vincent Price, Charles Bickford, Anne Revere), a literate script - a movie worhty of its subject.

Much more than one realizes
1943 in the south of France. What was going on in 1943 ? Heavy fighting was going on in Africa with American and German forces. The USA saw the rationing of meat, butter and cheese March 29 , 1943.Construction of the Manhattan Project began also, in 1943. Vincent Price as usual, played the bad guy, but every actor was at risk .Terrible events all around the world were taking place at the same time in 1943. The movie set in the 1850 's and filmed in 1943. What one sees in the movie was very little changed as it was in the 1850 's . All the stones buildings, houses, streets, and bridges were the same ones. Which incidentally, The late Pope stopped last year in Lourdes, and was likely the last place he visited outside of Italy. And lastly the movie portrays very well how nothing stands in the way of honesty. By the way, what is often overlooked , is what exists yet today. The healing waters of Lourdes, France