The Song of Bernadette Series: Saint and Sinner: The Tempestuous Career of Jennifer Jones [May 16 – 24] Director: Henry King, Country: USA, Release: 1944, Runtime: 156
Based on Franz Werfel’s hugely popular novel, The Song of Bernadette was David O. Selznick’s special project and Jones, his 24-year-old discovery, had the inside track despite the availability of other, better-known actresses. The gamble paid off: Jennifer Jones astonished the movie world with her radiant performance as Bernadette Soubirous, a 19th-century French peasant girl who claimed to receive visitations from The Lady and faced persecution as a lunatic and liar by her disbelieving community.
Few films about faith achieve a sense of spirituality that reaches believers and non-believers alike, and much of the credit for this achievement here goes to Jones. She is the calm, unwavering heart of the storm, as the villagers—the Dean of Lourdes (Charles Bickford), the cold-hearted prosecutor (Vincent Price) and a vitriolic nun (Gladys Cooper)––make Bernadette’s life hell. The film was nominated for twelve Oscars, winning four: art direction, cinematography (Arthur C. Miller), score (Alfred Newman, though Stravinsky was the original hire), and Best Actress. The award turned Jones into an overnight sensation. Co-starring Anne Revere, Lee J. Cobb and a pregnant Linda Darnell as the Virgin Mary, barely recognizable through all the veils.
