Rating: 
Summary: Bernadette gets the Fox dvd treatment
Review: Finally, one of the greatest films from the 40s gets released on dvd and Fox has done a wonderful job here. I will skip the details about the film itself (which have already been written here) except to say that it is a very compelling film and features one of the best casts ever. You don't have to be religious to enjoy the film either (I'm not) and despite the length, it doesn't seem that long (it's that good). Jennifer Jones gives an inspired performance and is luminous in her Oscar winning performance. The image quality is very good - there are a few noticeable nicks and scratches but nothing to be concerned about. A restoration comparison is provided and when compared with the older prints, it is excellent indeed. Extras include a brief clip of a visibly nervous Jennifer Jones accepting an award from the GIs. Also, a superb A&E Biography titled "Jennifer Jones - Portrait of a Lady" which covers her life in detail and provides many excellent clips from her illustrous film career. Commentary is provided by Jones biographer Edward Epstein, Hollywood historian Donald Spoto and Alfred Newman biographer John Burlingame. I was a tad disappointed with the commentary. Epstein is by far the most interesting with his commentary that discusses Jennifer Jones. Spoto is an expert on religion (as well as Hollywood history) and I found his thoughts on the relgious aspects of the film to be quite boring and seemingly pompous. Burlingame's comments on Newman are interesting but I would have rather heard about the film itself. What would have been wonderful - a commentary with Jennifer Jones! I wonder if Fox tried to contact her? Overall, well worth the price and a valuable addition to your dvd library!
Rating: 
Summary: INSPIRING FILM - DISMAL TRANSFER
Review: "The Song of Bernadette" is a film that by all accounts should be distilled into a religious pot boiler. And yet there is something haunting, awe inspiring and yes, even stirring about this tale of a child who, after witnessing visions of the Virgin Mary, begins to have miracles performed in her small French town. Jennifer Jones is the lead and her angelic visage tenderly conveys the warmth, tenderness and poignancy of the tale. Anne Revere, Vincent Price, Charles Bickford and Gladys Cooper give vivid performances that really enhance the story. As far as entertainment value goes, "The Song of Bernadette" will enthrall, captivate and move you.
THE TRANSFER: Fox gives us a poor looking DVD that, while improved from previous VHS and Laserdisc versions, still has a long way to go to be just as jaw-dropping as the film's subject matter. Though the B&W scale and sharpness of the image is much improved, botth digital and film grain are excessive and distract. Aliasing and shimmering of fine details is evident throughout. Pixelization is another down fall of this transfer. The audio has been cleaned up and is well presented.
EXTRAS: The Jennifer Jones Biography, an audio commentary, a Movietone trailer, some Fox promotional stuff for other movies in their classic series, a restoration film to video comparison that proves that at least some work was done on the transfer before sending it out to DVD and this film's original theatrical trailer.
BOTTOM LINE: Fox really didn't look after their library of classic films and the deterioration in their camera negatives or fine grain print masters shows. But digital technology has made it possible to all but reverse the ravages of time. All a studio need do is take the time, effort and money to meticulously restore a movie back to its original brilliance. Remember what Paramount's Sunset Blvd. looked like before its complete restoration? - That's right; painful. And now, a vision of loveliness. That sort of committment is needed to make films like "The Song of Bernadette" truly live again on DVD. Sadly, Fox doesn't seem to be taking the hint!
ASIDE: Other Fox titles to steer clear of: Heaven Knows Mr. Allison, The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, The Towering Inferno and all of the Rodgers and Hammerstein titles. Most of these are available in review form by me at this sight. Check listings for specifics.
Rating:
Summary: A Moving Story
Review: Jennifer Jones gives the performance of her career in The Song of Bernadette. She plays a fourteen-year-old girl who, while out collecting firewood, sees a vision of a beautiful lady. When it becomes apparent that this lady is the Virgin Mary, Bernadette finds herself in conflict with both the secular and church authorities. Jones is utterly convincing in her performance. Somehow she is able to portray faith in such a way that it becomes impossible to doubt her. Everyone, to begin with, is against Bernadette. Her claims seem unbelievable, the product of a deranged mind or the schemes of a charlatan. But through the faith that can be seen in her face and her simple determination to tell only the truth, she gradually wins over the doubters. For this process to be depicted on film something very special is required from an actress. Anyone who views the story with an open mind cannot fail to be moved deeply by a performance which has the power to suspend disbelief. The Song of Bernadette is one of the best religious films, because it shows the life of a Saint without being too pious. Moreover it is willing to be critical of a church which could at times be harsh and even cruel. The town prosecutor scoffs at religion as much as he scoffs at Bernadette, but initially he has an ally in the local priest. A nun treats Bernadette with cruelty and ridicule. It is the opposition that the girl has to overcome which gives the film its dramatic power. This conflict works so well because the actors who perform opposite Jones give fine performances. Vincent Price as the cynical prosecutor is particularly good and shows that he was capable of dramatic acting of the highest quality. The print used on the Fox DVD is very good indeed. The DVD includes a restoration comparison, which shows how the print has been cleaned up. There are still a few visible scratches, but overall the film looks wonderful with clear sharp images and beautiful black and white photography. The sound is likewise very good. The music and dialogue sound find and there is no hiss. As extras the DVD includes a trailer for the reissue of the film in the late fifties, a brief piece of newsreel of Jones accepting an award from the GIs, a commentary and a documentary. The documentary lasts about an hour and is fairly interesting with a good number of clips from Jones's films. This is a fine DVD of a classic film. It should interest anyone who is the least bit curious about Saint Bernadette of Lourdes.
Rating:
Summary: A great movie not many seem to know about!
Review: I first saw this movie late one night on AMC and thought it was going to be the kind of show that would try to spoonfeed me religious dogma and convert me to a particular spiritual point of view. Not at all. This is an incredible movie that presents a young woman's claim of seeing the virgin Mary in a very realistic, objective way. A friend of mine who isn't religious at all watched this film and loved it. Check out this seemingly forgotten movie about faith, persistence, and tolerance. One of the best films I have ever seen.
Rating:
Summary: Faith is a wonderful thing.
Review: I love this movie and never get tired of watching this loving, emotional story of true belief in the Holy Mother. Miracles are a wonderful thing but to actually take part in one must have been the wonders of all wonders.As far as the acting goes, they couldn't get a better actress for this role than Jennifer Jones. I swear she is the queen of depressed characters. You can always be sure that whatever movie she plays in it will have a sad or sad/happy ending which usually end with tearful eyes.This was a wonderful movie for its time and the acting by everyone is exceptional. If you love spirtual movies as i do this is right at the top of my list next to "The Miracle" 1959 staring Caroll Baker which is my all time favorite to this date.
Rating: 
Summary: EXCELLENT, IF INACCURATE IN SOME SPOTS...
Review: This is a Hollywood rendition, thus you must expect some problems. (Good grief, they don't even get her sister's name correct). In essence, the heft of Bernadette's spiritual life is left out, especially that which pertains to the love she bore for Christ. In fact His Name is not even mentioned, at least not more than once, in this film. It focuses on Bernadette's visions of the Blessed Mother, whom she loved dearly. As with all good Catholics, however, Mary is a most excellent means to Our Lord Jesus Christ, but not an end in herself, and this movie distorts that. Where is mention of the beautiful poems that she wrote to Our Lord, or the love with which she received the Blessed Sacrament?
In other details as well, this film lacks...especially in regard to her parents. It is written that the two never fought during their marriage, and yet Francois Soubirous is portrayed here as irritable, somewhat lazy, and there is even an insinuation that he drank. The Soubirous' were good holy people, and this movie doesn't do them justice. In additon, if you read the life of Bernadette, no love interest is mentioned; it would seem that the film fabricates one for entertainment value.
Is there a plus side? Yes, of course. It is beautifully devotional, and it explains the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Berndette is inspiring in her patient suffering, and it is a great lesson in the power of prayer and humility.
Bernadette here triumphs because she is willing to face the scorn of the people and even her relatives for the sake of being obedient to Heaven. How many today can say the same thing? In conclusion, this is a beautiful movie, if not an accurate rendition. I would highly recommend reading a good biography on this beautiful saint, especially the one by Abbe Trochu.
Rating:
Summary: BELIEVE THE UNBELIEVABLE
Review: The Song of Bernadette is perhaps one of the most impressive and stimulating stories any family can view, study, and ponder together. It is a story of Faith, even for those who had lost faith due to adverse esperiences in situations where positive actions were met with negative outlook by others who should have been giving encouragement. Miss Jones is magnificent.She is steadfast without seeming to be stubborn and self-centred. The standard of behaviour she exhibits in face of the severest attacks from several directions enables us to take a closer look at ourselves,our lives and our situation in an environment, wherein those who are placed in positions of leadership and trust tend to undermine us at every turn. The essence of the story and Miss Jones' performance will help us to withstand the forces that are often set against us when we seek and strive to do what we believe to be reasonable, right and directing us to our destiny. But most of all, it strengthens us and our faith in the Almighty God, and makes us believe the unbelievable.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Movie
Review: A haunting black-and-white account of a French peasant girl who sees a vision. Simple minded in the extreme, Bernadette nonetheless impresses everyone with her obvious truthfulness and her insistence that she saw what she saw. The movie also has valuable nuances that make it fascinating. The mother superior who does not believe Bernadette is a tacit rebuke to those who believe that works or social standing alone is any indicator of entitlement to salvation.
Rating:
Summary: Black and White History
Review: I really enjoyed this movie. It is a good story that everyone in the family can watch and enjoy. It is remarkable that it is it was made in an era for movies that is long gone and still very satisfying to watch. It is the story of Bernadette who is a young woman all alone in that she can see the Virgin Mother where as everyone in her family and community cannot, they still can feel her presense and benefit from her miracles yet they still cannot be supportive of the girl and plot to have her committed or jailed along with her family, she is honest and faithful to the lady and she is rewarded at the end. The only thing that I did not like about it was the picture quality, it had a wonderful soundtrack. It made my wife cry with happiness.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, But Still Missing...Something
Review: This is a wonderful, even classic, adaptation of Franz Werfel's haunting, heartbreaking story of the Lourdes apparitions. The cinematography is excellent, the characters are handled with respect and realistic flair, and Jennifer Jones seems to be channeling Bernadette Soubirous in convincing fashion. The film's flaws? Sentimentalism in some cases bogs it down, especially when the angelic choirs start to sing lauds as the 'vision' makes its appearance. Corny to the extreme, if you ask me. The initial moment of the apparition was a stark and frightening one for Bernadette, according to the gathered records of the incident(s), not an experience accompanied by cheery seraphic warblings. This scene should have been filmed in a stark manner, to capture the surprise, abruptness, initial terror, and realism of the experience. Secondly, the actual Virgin Mary figure (played by a somewhat plumpish Linda Darnell) is also a bit garish: she resembles any of the cheesy, cheap, grotesque plaster "Mary" lawn ornaments that are the hallmark of Catholic kitsch.This stereotypical Mary is an unfortunate cop-out. The film makes no attempt to capture the haunting dignity and true historical nature of Bernadette's visitor, whom the seeress herself described in early testimony as "ou petito damizelo"--a "little pixie-girl," no more than 13 or 14 years of age and certainly not maternal in any way whatsoever. What the film DOES successfully capture is the impact of the many miraculous, mysterious events that descended upon a real town, among real people. It also captures a glimpse of the special, undeniable love shared between Bernadette and the enigmatic being who revealed herself only (and perhaps with a wistful sense of irony) as 'the Immaculate Conception.' A fine, fine film and worth owning for anyone of pure heart.
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