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The Song of Bernadette Overview:

The Song of Bernadette (1943) was a Biographical - Drama Film directed by Henry King and produced by William Perlberg.

The film was based on the novel of the same name written by Franz Werfel published in 1941 (English trans 1942).

Academy Awards 1943 --- Ceremony Number 16 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best Supporting ActorCharles BickfordNominated
Best ActressJennifer JonesWon
Best Supporting ActressGladys CooperNominated
Best Supporting ActressAnne RevereNominated
Best Art DirectionArt Direction: James Basevi, William Darling; Interior Decoration: Thomas LittleWon
Best CinematographyArthur MillerWon
Best DirectorHenry KingNominated
Best Film EditingBarbara McLeanNominated
Best Music - ScoringAlfred NewmanWon
Best WritingGeorge SeatonNominated
Best Picture20th Century-FoxNominated
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The Song of Bernadette BlogHub Articles:

The Song of Bernadette (1943) (2)

on Dec 2, 2013 From Journeys in Classic Film

                                                                    Originally published April 17th, 2013 Easter’s come and gone, and I generally don’t celebrate the holiday by watching movies; that’s going to chang... Read full article

The Song of Bernadette (1943) (1)

on Apr 17, 2013 From Journeys in Classic Film

Easter’s come and gone, and I generally don’t celebrate the holiday by watching movies; that’s going to change today!  Twilight Time has released The Song of Bernadette, the 1943 Oscar nominated film that gave Jennifer Jones her first (and only) Oscar for Best Actress.  The win i... Read full article

The Song of Bernadette

By Alyson on Apr 13, 2010 From The Best Picture Project

In 1858 a young French peasant girl claimed to have seen a beautiful woman and miracles started happening in the little village of Lourdes.  Today, that young girl is a saint and this is her story. When we first meet Bernadette, she is always sick due to her asthma and one of the worst students in ... Read full article

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The Song of Bernadette Quotes:

Bishop of Tarbes: [he has ordered that the grotto be closed until the Emperor gives the order to open it] I wonder, my dear Peyramale, who will win - the Emperor or the Lady?
Sister Marie Therese Verzous: Are you pert, indifferent or only stupid?
Bernadette: I'm stupid, Sister. I have a poor head for study.
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'.
Dutour: If I understand you correctly, Doctor, science then excludes fraud; it excludes mental disease, and it excludes a miraculous occurrence. I venture then to ask science, what is left?
Dr. Dozous: Yes, what IS left?
Dr. Dozous: There was something about her that precluded laughter. Her exaltation was so genuine that the observer almost had the impression that he saw what the child saw.
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The Song of Bernadette Facts
When David O. Selznick heard of the production, he exerted his influence to ensure his then-girlfriend Jennifer Jones got the part. She did, and she won an Oscar for it.
Other than The Wizard of Oz, "The Song of Bernadette" was one of the few pre-1950 major Hollywood films to be shown on American commercial network television before being sold to local stations. Others included the 1948 version of "Sorry Wrong Number", with Barbara Stanwyck.
Lee J. Cobb (Dr. Dozous) and Roman Bohnen (Bernadette's father) were both members of the famous Group Theater (1931-1940), the first ensemble in America to put Konstantin Stanislavski's acting theories into practice. They often performed together, most notably in the plays of Clifford Odets. Both actors were accused of being members of the Communist Party. Bohnen was blacklisted, but Cobb named names and was eventually exonerated by the House Un-American Activities Committee.
The movie's original score was partly composed by famous composer Igor Stravinsky but was subsequently rejected in favor of Alfred Newman's score. When Stravinsky was invited to a screening so he could plot out his score, he replied that he'd already begun. Evincing an unwillingness to change what he'd already composed, he was released from his contract. The second movement of his Symphony in Three Movements evolved out of the unused score.
Anne Baxter, Teresa Wright and Gene Tierney were all tested for the lead role. Another actress in the running was Linda Darnell, who ultimately landed the role of the Virgin Mary.
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