When I was in Lourdes, I wanted to see this version, which plays daily at the small movie theatre -- but the theatre had shut down for the season. I finally got to see this on DVD recently. I was aware that the version with Jennifer Jones, "The Song of Bernadette" took quite a few dramatic liberties with the story so I was eager to see how this version compared. The attempt here is to present a more accurate re-telling of both the miracles as well as Bernadette's family life. We don't have the antagonists in this like we do in the original and we don't have much of the dramatic conflicts that drive the original so as a narrative, this doesn't work as well, but the story is told with beauty and simplicity. The settings far more accurately represent what Lourdes really looked like too. I think this is well worth watching for anyone interested in Lourdes.
6 Reviews
The second song of Bernadette.
dbdumonteil28 December 2004
Critically speaking ,this new version of Bernadette Soubirous' s life was greeted with a poor reception in its native France.Coming just after critically-acclaimed Alain Cavalier's "Therese" (de Lisieux) ,the movie got unanimous thumb downs.And yet what can you expect from Jean Delannoy ,Jean Luc Godard's favorite bete noire?This movie seems to have been made a long time ago.Delannoy,however, has always had spiritual concerns (Dieu a besoin des hommes,la symphonie pastorale)and I'm not sure that,at almost 90,he was trying to capitalize on Cavalier's success.
"Bernadette" did not deserve such a harshness.As Delannoy says in the cast and credits ,Bernadette was simplicity itself and that's what we tried to do here.A naive uneducated girl ,her answers to the shrinks ,the priests and the bourgeois were not unlike those of Joan of Arc during her trial:simple but witty.And I dig the last lines (A nun) -C'est ça Bernadette? (the Saint) -Oui,c'est ça!
Jean Delannoy was to continue in the pious vein with "Marie de Nazareth" but that last effort lacks even the humor we find in "Bernadette" and it was a disappointment.
"Bernadette" did not deserve such a harshness.As Delannoy says in the cast and credits ,Bernadette was simplicity itself and that's what we tried to do here.A naive uneducated girl ,her answers to the shrinks ,the priests and the bourgeois were not unlike those of Joan of Arc during her trial:simple but witty.And I dig the last lines (A nun) -C'est ça Bernadette? (the Saint) -Oui,c'est ça!
Jean Delannoy was to continue in the pious vein with "Marie de Nazareth" but that last effort lacks even the humor we find in "Bernadette" and it was a disappointment.
Bernadette
BandSAboutMovies31 March 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Leave it to Golan and Globus to make a Catholic movie.
In 1858, a 14-year old asthmatic and illiterate girl named Bernadette (Bernadette Soubirous) saw a light with a beautiful young woman inside. You may know the miracle by the town she lived in, Lourdes.
Made two years after Alain Cavalier's Thérèse, this Cannon-produced movie was filmed in both English and French. We may never see what she sees, but we come to believe that in the face of unbelievers, including the church, Bernadette must be telling the truth. Director Jean Delannoy's also made a sequel, The Passion of Bernadette, so if this seems to end before the story does, that could be the reason.
This movie plays non-stop in one of the shrines in Lourdes, so it must be pretty faithful. No pun intended.
In 1858, a 14-year old asthmatic and illiterate girl named Bernadette (Bernadette Soubirous) saw a light with a beautiful young woman inside. You may know the miracle by the town she lived in, Lourdes.
Made two years after Alain Cavalier's Thérèse, this Cannon-produced movie was filmed in both English and French. We may never see what she sees, but we come to believe that in the face of unbelievers, including the church, Bernadette must be telling the truth. Director Jean Delannoy's also made a sequel, The Passion of Bernadette, so if this seems to end before the story does, that could be the reason.
This movie plays non-stop in one of the shrines in Lourdes, so it must be pretty faithful. No pun intended.
Accurate, funny, but not a masterpiece
JLarson200624 March 2001
This movie gets a lot of details right (or almost right) concerning the life of St. Bernadette. Song of Bernadette was beautifully written, but there wasn't as much effort to be accurate. Hence, this movie is great if you want a clearer idea of the life of this saint, and the circumstances she experienced. She is interpreted quite a bit differently from Song of Bernadette: with an emphasis on her human weaknesses to the point of melodrama. The movie received a PG rating because of some strong derogatory language that is aimed at Bernadette by some who were against her. The movie ends with her entrance into the convent, and the story is picked up in a sequel: The Passion of Bernadette, which I consider to be a better, more focused movie than this one.
This movie is perfect
jkrc71722 July 2020
I've seen The Song Of Bernadette which I love very much. It's a great movie, accurate enough and highly rated. Loved by many. I've wanted to watch this version for years, but I always held off because it's not rated very high and got some criticism. I'm a Catholic who loves the Saints and Marian apparitions. Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes are two of my favorites. But I try to stay away from low rated films especially if they're not accurate enough. I assumed this wasn't going to be very good. There's something about Sydney Penny as Bernadette on the cover that kept drawing me in. So I watched this and the Passion of Bernadette a few days ago. I have no idea why this movie is rated low or received criticism. Especially when being compared to The Song of Bernadette. My only guess is because The Song of Bernadette is very well directed. The cinematography and editing is great. It looks like and plays like a blockbuster Hollywood production. This one does not. So that's my only guess. However, it is still good. I'm not concerned with the production value. I only care about the story. It's more accurate and I can honestly say I like this one better. As of right now it's my favorite movie. Whoever is reading my review, do not be discouraged. Watch it. This isn't so much for people just wanted to watch an interesting movie. The Song of Bernadette is more for them. But if you are a Catholic and want to watch a beautiful movie, this is for you. Watch it. You won't regret it.
Bernadette the movie
rosbrowne2 May 2018
I love this film. I'm almost addicted to it. It is factual and very moving without being sentimental. I take nothing away from THE SONG OF BERNADETTE, but it would have been better not to show the virgin. It is difficult to avoid sentimentality when trying to portray her, and this film is down to earth and anything but sentimental.
My only criticism, if it is one, is that the DVD can only be purchased in Italian! Why is this? It can be seen in English on YouTube so why can it not be bought in English on DVD? PLEASE release it in English! You Tube can be unreliable. I can no longer watch it on Television as I am told the You Tube App I have is for some reason now invalid on my machine. Watching it on a device or a PC I find it uncomfortable. A lovely film, though; anyone who does not know Lourdes or heard of Saint Bernadette, should see it
My only criticism, if it is one, is that the DVD can only be purchased in Italian! Why is this? It can be seen in English on YouTube so why can it not be bought in English on DVD? PLEASE release it in English! You Tube can be unreliable. I can no longer watch it on Television as I am told the You Tube App I have is for some reason now invalid on my machine. Watching it on a device or a PC I find it uncomfortable. A lovely film, though; anyone who does not know Lourdes or heard of Saint Bernadette, should see it
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
