There is nothing else to say, really, about The Song of Bernadette (1943) other than it is special.  I could go on about how I have been to Lourdes in France, and experienced my own small physical healing, though without going into the springs.  I could repeat what I have said in other reviews about the scientifically backed investigations that go into what happens to those who make the pilgrimage and are given a miracle.  None of these do the film justice.  Instead, before reading what I have to say, watch it.  After that, before you return to this article, go look at a picture of the incorrupt body of St. Bernadette Soubirous (Jennifer Jones).  God is real, but I do not hold up these materials as evidence of His existence.  Faith comes from the heart.  What you see in the film, and will read in what follows, was first theorized by St. Thomas Aquinas, who said something along the lines that for those who believe, no explanation is required; for those who do not believe, no explanation is possible.

Speaking of that lose translation, it leads us into The Song of Bernadette.  Our title character resides in the small village of Lourdes in southwestern France, near the border with Spain.  She lives in a one room hovel.  Her father, François Soubirous (Roman Bohnen), is an out-of-work miller.  He awakens, along with his wife, Louise Casterot Soubirous (Anne Revere), in order to go about town looking for employment.  All he can manage is being taken on to transport hospital waste to the dump site at Massabielle near the river.  When he retires to his bed after a long, arduous day, all he wants is a fire to keep him warm.  Bernadette gleefully volunteers to go get firewood, along with a friend and Marie Soubirous (Ermadean Walters), Bernadette’s younger sister.  Because Bernadette is asthmatic, she stays behind on the other side of the river while her companions cross the river at Massabielle to fetch their loads.  While she is there, Our Lady (Linda Darnell) appears to Bernadette.  The fourteen-year-old girl does not know who this person is in Her white robes, blue sash, pearl Rosary, and golden roses on Her feet.  You would think anyone in a Catholic country like mid-nineteenth-century France would be able to identify Our Lady, but we have already seen that Bernadette has had difficulty with her Catechism.  Therefore, Bernadette has trouble describing what she has seen to her companions, and is surprised when they claimed to have not seen Her.  Bernadette responds to this by swearing them to secrecy, but Marie tells their mother as soon as they are home.  This is the beginning of quite the stir for this little corner of France.  At first, the reaction of everyone is negative.  Though Bernadette does not name Mary, the Mother of God, everyone assumes that is who is meant.  Not wanting to bring attention to her family, Louise forbids her daughter to return to Massabielle.  This is distressing because the Lady has asked Bernadette to return to that spot each day for fifteen days.  Louise is not the only one working against this Divine prompting.  The leaders of the town, who we first meet in a room together, drinking and observing the growing hysteria, are keen to control what they see as a mob.  They are dismissive of what they think is superstition, particularly the local Imperial Prosecutor, Vital Dutour (Vincent Price), and Jacomet (Charles Dingle), the chief of police.  One of their early moves is to have the town doctor, Dr. Dozous (Lee. J. Cobb), examine Bernadette and declare her insane.  This proves fruitless, and the crowds keep growing.  At first, the Church is also not keen on this phenomenon.  Bernadette’s teacher, Sister Marie Therese Vauzou (Gladys Cooper), finds Bernadette stupid, and the girl agrees.  Their priest, Abbé Dominique Peyramale (Charles Bickford), does not believe that she is seeing anything.  After a few more visits by Bernadette to the grotto where the apparitions are happening, Abbé Peyramale asks his parishioner to request a miracle of the Lady.  Instead of getting the rose bush below the alcove in which she appears, the Lady has Bernadette dig a spring nearby that is not visible at the moment, and to bath in it.  Bernadette is taken away with a muddy face, but everyone is called back when water starts flowing from the spot in which she has dug.  Soon, the liquid is being having a number of miraculous healings attributed to it that Dr. Dozous cannot explain with science.  On the last visit with the Lady, Bernadette asks the Lady for her name, and is told that she is the Immaculate Conception.  This is extraordinary to Abbé Peyramale, especially since Bernadette is not familiar with this title for Mary.  At length, it leads to an official Church investigation to commence into what is happening at Lourdes.  Years pass, and eventually Abbé Peyramale asks Bernadette about her vocation.  She does not have big plans, content with being a servant in a well-to-do house.  Abbé Peyramale suggests that she give religious life some consideration, citing the notoriety that has come her way since she first saw the Lady.  Bernadette accepts, and enters the order of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers.  There she is reunited with Sister Marie Therese, who serves as Bernadette’s novitiate master.  The older nun has little regard for the aspirant, treating Bernadette merely as an attention seeker.  It is not until Bernadette reveals the suffering she has been enduring, apparently for years, that Sister Marie Therese realizes the gravity of her doubts.  Bernadette has a large tumor on her knee and tuberculosis of the bone.  She begins to deteriorate in health, but not before calling for Abbé Peyramale.  He is at her side as she dies, getting to see Our Lady one last time on this side of the veil.  In the wake of her passing, crowds continue to swell in Lourdes, and we see Vital still there, scoffing at their fervor, before we end.

There are too many directions for a Catholic reviewer to go in when talking about The Song of Bernadette.  Though it was made by 20^th Century Fox, it is unflinchingly a Faith-based movie.  To use an old cliché, they just do not make them like they used to.  Because of its content, I think my plot synopsis says a great deal in terms of anything I could add regarding a Catholic analysis.  Further, while it does take some liberties with the facts, it is a fairly accurate representation of the events.  Jones’ portrayal of the saint is excellent, capturing Bernadette’s humbleness that, as can be believed, made up a major reason why Mary would appear to such a person.  Thus, let us dwell for a moment on a more specifically Catholic aspect of the real-life Bernadette, one that is not covered in the film.  This pertains to her sainthood.  The Church has a rigorous process for officially declaring somebody holy, which is essentially what the word means.  Though the practice may have been looser centuries ago, these days it takes years and a lot of questioning of the testimonies put forward to support the case before it is finalized.  Miracles have to be reported that occurred directly because of somebody praying for the prospective saint’s intercession.  And please note the word “intercession.”  This means that the person in Heaven brings a request before God, and in His wisdom it is granted.  For the umpteenth time, Catholics do not worship saints, nor do they do anything on their own.  Anyway, part of this investigation for Bernadette’s case involved exhuming her body in 1909, some thirty years after her death, and it was found to be incorrupt.  This simply means that it showed no signs of decomposition, and indeed, it was reported to have a sweet smell.  By the way, do not go thinking this is some macabre Church practice.  It happens more often than you might realize.  Finally, as alluded to above, you do not need to take my word for the state of her body.  You can go to France, or look at pictures online, and see it for yourself.  This dovetails nicely with much of the film because so many people ask Bernadette for signs.  If the Lady could simply do whatever it is they ask, they will believe.  As another old saying goes, seeing is believing.  With Bernadette, we have physical evidence of God at work that you can view with your own eyes.

The first time I saw The Song of Bernadette was while writing my dissertation during my Ph.D. program.  It had a huge effect on me then, leading to a major decision in my life to take my Faith more seriously.  This meant the end of a relationship, too, but it was right at the time.  I have now watched it again at what could very well be another turning point in my life.  I pray that God gives me the same humble heart to receive His love and guidance that He gave to St. Bernadette, and which is on display in this film.  I hope you are inspired in the same way by it.