The Song of Bernadette (1943)

Director:

Henry King

Writers:

George Seaton (screenplay)
Franz Werfel (novel)

Release Date:

April 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

Here is greatness . . . wonder . . . and majesty . . . no human words can describe!

Plot:

In 1858 France, Bernadette, an adolescent peasant girl, has a vision of "a beautiful lady" in the city dump...

Plot Keywords:

Dump | Virgin Mary | France | Church | Miracle

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Jennifer Jones	...	Bernadette
Charles Bickford	...	Father Peyramale
Vincent Price	...	Prosecutor Vital Dutour
Lee J. Cobb	...	Dr. Dozous
Gladys Cooper	...	Sister Marie Therese Vauzous
Anne Revere	...	Louise Soubirous
Roman Bohnen	...	François Soubirous
Mary Anderson	...	Jeanne Abadie
Patricia Morison	...	Empress Eugenie
Aubrey Mather	...	Mayor Lacade
Charles Dingle	...	Jacomet
Edith Barrett	...	Croisine Bouhouhorts
Sig Ruman	...	Louis Bouriette
Blanche Yurka	...	Aunt Bernarde Casterot
Ermadean Walters	...	Marie Soubirous
Marcel Dalio	...	Callet
Pedro de Cordoba	...	Dr. LeCramps (as Pedro De Cordoba)
Jerome Cowan	...	Emperor Louis Napoleon III
William Eythe	...	Antoine Nicolau
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Louis V. Arco	...	Franciscan Monk (uncredited)
Hooper Atchley	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Louis Bacigalupi	...	Man (uncredited)
Charles Bates	...	Adolard Bouhouhorts - Age 7 (uncredited)
Tala Birell	...	Madame Leontine Bruat (uncredited)
Fortunio Bonanova	...	Imperial Prince Louis (uncredited)
Eugene Borden	...	Gendarme (uncredited)
Lionel Braham	...	Baron Massey (uncredited)
Nana Bryant	...	Mere Imbert (uncredited)
Marie Carrozza	...	Bernadette's Schoolmate (uncredited)
André Charlot	...	Bishop of Nevers (uncredited)
Davison Clark	...	Dominican Monk (uncredited)
Edward Clark	...	Hospital Attendant (uncredited)
Marjorie Cooley	...	Woman (uncredited)
Harry Cording	...	Stonemason (uncredited)
Armand Cortes	...	Franciscan Monk (uncredited)
Elvira Curci	...	Woman (uncredited)
Adrienne D'Ambricourt	...	Woman (uncredited)
Frank Dae	...	Man (uncredited)
Linda Darnell	...	The Virgin Mary (uncredited)
Jean De Briac	...	Dominican Monk (uncredited)
Claudine De Luc	...	Woman (uncredited)
Jean Del Val	...	Estrade (uncredited)
Jo-Carroll Dennison	...	Young Nun (uncredited) (unconfirmed)
Harry Denny	...	Priest (uncredited)
Pat Dillon	...	Adolard Bouhouhorts - as Infant (uncredited)
John Dilson	...	Doctor (uncredited)
George Du Count	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Alicia Díaz	...	Bernadette's Schoolmate (uncredited)
Fernanda Eliscu	...	Woman (uncredited)
Edythe Elliott	...	Woman (uncredited)
Fred Essler	...	Minister of Justice (uncredited)
Edward Fielding	...	Doctor with Empress' Baby (uncredited)
Antonio Filauri	...	Dominican Monk (uncredited)
Curt Furburg	...	Franciscan Monk (uncredited)
Ernest Golm	...	Scientist (uncredited)
John Maxwell Hayes	...	Father Pomian (uncredited)
Hans Herbert	...	Scientist (uncredited)
Margaret Hoffman	...	Woman (uncredited)
Edward Keane	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Manart Kippen	...	Charles Bouhouhorts (uncredited)
Charles La Torre	...	Duran (uncredited)
Frank Lackteen	...	Man (uncredited)
Frank Leigh	...	Cleric (uncredited)
Connie Leon	...	Woman (uncredited)
Mae Marsh	...	Woman (uncredited)
Alphonse Martell	...	Man (uncredited)
Louis Mercier	...	Huckster (uncredited)
Joyce Miller	...	Bernadette's Schoolmate (uncredited)
Belle Mitchell	...	Woman (uncredited)
Dickie Moore	...	Adolard Bouhouhorts - Age 15 (uncredited)
Eula Morgan	...	Madame Nicolau (uncredited)
Alan Napier	...	Dr. Debeau (uncredited)
Mayo Newhall	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Moroni Olsen	...	Chaplain (uncredited)
Nestor Paiva	...	Maisongrosse (uncredited)
Alex Papana	...	Man (uncredited)
Nino Pipitone Jr.	...	Justin Soubirous (uncredited)
Nino Pipitone	...	Mayor's Secretary (uncredited)
Marie Pope	...	Woman (uncredited)
Frank Reicher	...	Dr. St. Cyr (uncredited)
Julian Rivero	...	Dominican Monk (uncredited)
Stephen Roberts	...	Man (uncredited)
Ruth Robinson	...	Nun (uncredited)
Merrill Rodin	...	Jean Soubirous (uncredited)
Irina Semochenko	...	Bernadette's Schoolmate (uncredited)
Muni Seroff	...	Man (uncredited)
Dorothy Shearer	...	Mother Superior (uncredited)
William Smith	...	(uncredited)
George Sorel	...	Franciscan Monk (uncredited)
Edwin Stanley	...	Mr. Jones (uncredited)
Tom Stevenson	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Minerva Urecal	...	Woman Describing Baby's Recovery (uncredited)
Edward Van Sloan	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Charles Wagenheim	...	Water Thief Sent to Jail (uncredited)
Charles Waldron	...	Bishop of Tarbes (uncredited)
Geraldine Wall	...	Nun (uncredited)
Lucille Ward	...	Woman (uncredited)
Ruth Warren	...	Woman (uncredited)
Cecil Weston	...	Woman (uncredited)
Ian Wolfe	...	Minister of the Interior (uncredited)

Directed by
Henry King

Writing credits
George Seaton		(screenplay)
Franz Werfel		(novel)

Produced by
William Perlberg	....	producer

Original Music by
Alfred Newman

Cinematography by
Arthur C. Miller		(director of photography) (as Arthur Miller)

Film Editing by
Barbara McLean

Art Direction by
James Basevi
William S. Darling		(as William Darling)

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little

Costume Design by
René Hubert		(as Rene Hubert)

Makeup Department
Guy Pearce	....	makeup artist
Ray Sebastian	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
William Goetz	....	in charge of production
Robert D. Webb	....	unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joseph C. Behm	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Albert R. Broccoli	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Frank E. Hughes	....	associate set decorator

Sound Department
Alfred Bruzlin	....	sound
Roger Heman Sr.	....	sound (as Roger Heman)
Edmund H. Hansen	....	sound director (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Fred Sersen	....	special photographic effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Joseph LaShelle	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)
Eugene Joseff	....	costume jeweller (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Lyman Hallowell	....	apprentice editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Edward B. Powell	....	orchestrator (as Edward Powell)
Alfred Newman	....	conductor (uncredited)

Other crew
David O. Selznick	....	Jennifer Jones appears by arrangement with
Lionel Bevans	....	dialogue director (uncredited)
J.J. Devlin	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Ludwig Lewisohn	....	translator: novel (uncredited)
Laure Lourié	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Father Mullane	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Franz Werfel	....	production advisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1943) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (1947) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Central Motion Picture Exchange (1949) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1954) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1958) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1965) (USA) (TV)
• Key Video (1985) (USA) (VHS) (for CBS/Fox Video)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Works Editora (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• CBS/Fox (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Fox Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Tocantins (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"Franz Werfel's The Song of Bernadette" - USA (complete title)

Runtime:

156 min | 158 min (copyright length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Finland:S | Germany:12 | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #9317) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Netherlands:AL (2008) | USA:TV-G

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Ranch, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Jennifer Jones became very close friends with actor Charles Bickford, who also co-starred with her in Duel in the Sun (1946). An hour after hearing about his death in 1967, she attempted suicide with an overdose of seconal.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the beginning of the movie, when Soubirous goes out to seek a work for the day, we see the name of the street, written in French "Rue des Petites Fossées". The name is actually "Rue des Petits Fossés".

Quotes:

Dr. Dozous:I asked her 'Do you know what a sinner is?' And she answered, 'Certainly, Monsieur. A sinner is one who loves evil'. That's quite a good answer. What pleased me is that she said 'loves', and not 'does'.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Fedora (1978)

This is now one of my 10 favorite movies ever.

I recently bought this movie, and just finished watching it the first time. All I can say is, WOW! Why doesn't Hollywood make movies like this anymore? I know, there's more money in showing gratuitous sex and violence...at least that's what they tell themselves. But for my hard-earned dough, nothing tops a film about the purity and innocence of faith, and that's what 'The Song of Bernadette' is all about. It's also good for quite a few laughs, as you see the imperial prosecutor's scheming against Bernadette fail time and time again. :)

My only complaint is that toward the end of the movie, I found myself wondering what was left to tell. Thankfully, I liked the answer and won't be complaining next time I watch it.

This film is a must-see, especially for my fellow Catholics. It's made my top 10 list...why not give it a chance to make yours?