Based on the novel of the same title written by Franz Werfel , just the year before, provided with a lavish budget, and a stable of excellent supporting actors to interact with the star: Jennifer Jones, in her first film with her new name. Jennifer was, at this time, switching her romantic affiliation from actor husband Robert Walker to wealthy producer David O. Selznick, who loaned her to Fox, to star in this film. Reportedly, she was chosen partly because of her innocent youthful-looking beauty, and her superior ability to look as if having a mystical experience.
Werfel was a Jewish playwright refugee from Nazism, who fled from Paris, initially to Lourdes, near Spain, during the unexpectedly quick conquest of France by the Germans. Several families in Lourdes protected his family from the Germans, while he learned about the most famous local historical resident : Bernadette Soubirous, whose story somewhat resembles that of Joan of Arc: another illiterate obscure peasant teen, whose apparently divinely -inspired visions eventually excited the French people into celebrating her as chosen by God to have special gifts relevant to others. In appreciation, Werfel vowed to write a novel based on her life. This he did not long after escaping to the US, incorporating some fictional events and persons.
As reproduced in this film, Werfel sought to use the example of Bernadette in an attempt to somewhat restore the credibility of tales of supernatural interventions and visitations against the scathing skepticism of non-believers, most clearly represented in this film by Vincent Price's Imperial Prosecutor: Vital Dutour. The latter is probably largely based upon the French novelist Emile Zola, whose "Lourdes" provided a scathingly negative view of the many claimed miracle cures from drinking water from the seemingly magically-appearing spring in the grotto where Bernadette experienced her visions.
The film is quite long at more than 21/2 hours, for a screenplay that seems better suited to a play than for a film audience. Initially provoking marked skepticism and suggestions of intent to profit from notoriety, Bernadette eventually wins over nearly all her doubters, including the jealous Sister Vauzous: her school teacher, who labeled her a lazy stupid girl, and who later reenters her life when Bernadette joins the same convent. There is the local doctor(played by Lee Cobb), who tries to keep an open mind as to whether she is suffering from a mental condition, faking her visions, or is really experiencing divine visitations. He is also involved in assessing some of the reported cases of apparent cures from drinking or bathing in water from the grotto spring. The most celebrated claimed cure comes from the empress, in regard to her feverish son. Interestingly Bernadette is unable to cure herself of her debilitating asthma, or her later lethal bone TB problem. She states that "the spring is not for me", an interpretation of the statement by 'the lady in white' that she could not promise Bernadette happiness in this life, only in the next. Bernadette is also denied the opportunity to live the normal life of having a husband and children, partly because of her asthma, and partly because her protector: Father Peyramale convinced her that "since heaven has chosen you, you must chose heaven", meaning that she was meant to serve God and her community by becoming a nun rather than a wife and mother. Her repeating "I love you", during 'the lady's' last visitation, as she is dying, sounds almost lesbian. Father Peyramale had initially been skeptical of the validity of her visions, but came to be her chief non-peasant supporter against her doubters, who tried to have her declared insane or having criminal intent. Clearly, Jennifer developed a close relationship with Charles Bickford, who played Father Peyramale. When he died, several decades later, the then reclusive Jennifer immediately tried to commit suicide, apparently by a combination of drugs and drowning. That she very barely survived was a miracle worthy of being include in this film!
This film is not for everyone. As I said, it's overly long for a mostly grim drama, and was filmed in B&W, which will put off many viewers today. If you don't believe in miracles and divine interventions, that won't help appreciating this story. Jennifer's Bernadette isn't terribly charismatic, like Joan of Arc: being very soft spoken and humble throughout, although being very persistent about the validity her visions. Jennifer isn't really called upon to do a lot in her acting to earn her Oscar. It does give a reasonable snapshot of provincial French society during that era. and a dramatization of the events which led to Lourdes becoming a major pilgrimage destination for Christians throughout the world.
Yes, I believe some people have special spiritual attributes. For example, my wife once was put into a trance by an Indonesian shaman, in an attempt to find an American who had not returned from a solo trek on a volcano. Supposedly, the American's soul was called to enter her body and speak through her where he was. Well, this worked. He had fallen down a ravine and had a broken leg. Previous searchers had missed him, not searching in this unexpected area.
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