The Song of Bernadette (1943)
The Song of Bernadette is a silver screen classic, so if you haven’t seen it yet, go ahead and round out your education. There’s a whole list of revered classics that are overrated, and Bernadette belongs there alongside High Noon, Casablanca, Citizen Kane, Going My Way, and The Grapes of Wrath. Believe me, I wouldn’t insult this movie if I didn’t truly believe it was warranted. Jennifer Jones is one of my favorite actresses, and the supporting cast of Charles Bickford, Vincent Price, Gladys Cooper, Lee J. Cobb, Linda Darnell, Anne Revere, Roman Bohnen, Charles Dingle, Jerome Cowan, Alan Napier, and Sig Ruman is a draw for any old movie lover.
But the execution of this very simple story doesn’t belong in the highest echelon of silver screen titles. It feels both stylized and modern, hardly projecting the 1850s time period for audiences. Jonesy is extremely green in front of the camera, and she never should have won an Oscar for this first attempt. Just like Marty, had this movie not been so popular and given so many accolades, it could have just been another mediocre black-and-white period piece. But for the movie that won Jennifer Jones her Oscar, I would expect it to be even better than Duel in the Sun and Madame Bovary – which it isn’t. Although, it is ironic that an actress who got her start as innocent Bernadette quickly got typecast as a sultry, fallen woman.
There’s a funny story from my family about The Song of Bernadette. My maternal grandfather saw the movie in the theaters, and he was so convinced by Jennifer Jones’s innocent performance, when she had a bit of a scandal in her personal life (leaving her husband for another man), he refused to believe it. Bernadette wouldn’t commit adultery, he said. Speaking of adultery, Linda Darnell had been studio head Darryl Zanuck’s mistress when he insisted she be cast as the Virgin Mary. She was also pregnant at the time of filming!
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "The Projection Room" for posting!
More Lee J. Cobb movies here!
More Jennifer Jones movies here!
But the execution of this very simple story doesn’t belong in the highest echelon of silver screen titles. It feels both stylized and modern, hardly projecting the 1850s time period for audiences. Jonesy is extremely green in front of the camera, and she never should have won an Oscar for this first attempt. Just like Marty, had this movie not been so popular and given so many accolades, it could have just been another mediocre black-and-white period piece. But for the movie that won Jennifer Jones her Oscar, I would expect it to be even better than Duel in the Sun and Madame Bovary – which it isn’t. Although, it is ironic that an actress who got her start as innocent Bernadette quickly got typecast as a sultry, fallen woman.
There’s a funny story from my family about The Song of Bernadette. My maternal grandfather saw the movie in the theaters, and he was so convinced by Jennifer Jones’s innocent performance, when she had a bit of a scandal in her personal life (leaving her husband for another man), he refused to believe it. Bernadette wouldn’t commit adultery, he said. Speaking of adultery, Linda Darnell had been studio head Darryl Zanuck’s mistress when he insisted she be cast as the Virgin Mary. She was also pregnant at the time of filming!
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "The Projection Room" for posting!
More Lee J. Cobb movies here!
More Jennifer Jones movies here!