Customer Reviews

Bernadette (Special 150th Anniversary Edition)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This movie was a wonderful. I have read much about this Saint and the film tried very much to be faithful to the accounts of her visions, etc. Even though I grew up watching "The Song of Bernadette" and loved it, this one is better. Bernadette comes across as more real, yet still with the qualities that a saint would possess. The sequel, the Passion of Bernadette, was even better, as it dealt with the trials Bernadette endured after she entered the convent. My kids love watching Saint movies, and it's so much better for their character development than much of the trash Hollywood puts out. For anyone who wants to give their kids role models who display heroic virtues, as opposed to the criminal and deviant activities and lifestyles of many of today's celebrities, the lives of the Saints are great ways to expose them to true stories of real people who lived extraordinary lives or sometimes very ordinary lives in an extraordinary way. You don't have to be Catholic to admire someone who was. Or Indian to admire Ghandi, etc....

Sydney Penny the enchanting little girl who won the hearts of millions in the classic '83 television series 'The Thorn Birds' stars in the '88 feature film 'Bernadette' the true story of Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879), the seer who was graced by 18 visitations of a beautiful "Lady in White". Though the film wasn't available in the U.S.A. until the DVD was recently released it has been enjoyed by millions of pilgrims to the Catholic shrine in Lourdes, France where it has played daily for the last twenty years.

I'm admittedly an avid fan of Sydney and so my comments may not be as objective as I would like, but I have to say that in my opinion absolutely no one could have played the role of the little peasant girl better. Her angelic face and gentle voice made for the perfect Bernadette. This fact is most evident during the visitation sequences when she falls into ecstatic trance. Even though the mysterious female visitor from Heaven never appears on screen, Sydney's expressive face and superior acting abilities allow the audience to view the supernatural through her countenance.

However there's more to this production than just the choice of the right actress to play Bernadette. The film is lovingly directed by Jean Delannoy who captures the time, place and spiritual events that have changed the hearts and minds of believers and non-believers alike. Not to leave out another essential aspect of the movie, Francis Lai's soundtrack is beautifully simple, yet elegant which brings it into perfect harmony with the story of this beloved saint.

This is my favorite movie on Bernadette and Lourdes. And now this new re-mastered, widescreen version just released by Ignatius has such a great, higher quality picture, along with so many bonus additions, including the first time availability of the French language (original) version, and the wonderful film and radio interviews with the wonderful Sydney Penny. Those interviews add so much to this film package. Its great to see & hear the lovely Sydney Penny in person talk about what it meant to play this role. (This movie was actually filmed in both English and French, shot two times back to back by Jean Delannoy, and both versions are on this DVD.)
PLUS - the glorious voice of the incredible singer Jenifer Warnes and that deeply moving song she and Leonard Cohen wrote, "Song of Bernadette", on the bonus CD in this package. Now hopefully many, many more people will get to hear this lovely song and tribute to Bernadette by this fabulous Grammy-winning artist. It also has a second beauty sung by Jennifer Warnes on the CD, her song "Prairie Melancholy". Another music gem from this heavenly singer.
In this 150th anniversary year of the Lourdes apparitions, this newly packaged re-mastered film, with the audio CD and songs, the Penny interviews, and the 16 page Collector's Booklet, is such a wonderful way to honor the Lourdes story and this inspiring movie.

Sydney Penny the enchanting little girl who won the hearts of millions in the classic '83 television series 'The Thorn Birds' stars in the '88 feature film 'Bernadette' the true story of Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879), the seer who was graced by 18 visitations of a beautiful "Lady in White". Though the film wasn't available in the U.S.A. until the DVD was recently released it has been enjoyed by millions of pilgrims to the Catholic shrine in Lourdes, France where it has played daily for the last twenty years.

I'm admittedly an avid fan of Sydney and so my comments may not be as objective as I would like, but I have to say that in my opinion absolutely no one could have played the role of the little peasant girl better. Her angelic face and gentle voice made for the perfect Bernadette. This fact is most evident during the visitation sequences when she falls into ecstatic trance. Even though the mysterious female visitor from Heaven never appears on screen, Sydney's expressive face and superior acting abilities allow the audience to view the supernatural through her countenance.

However there's more to this production than just the choice of the right actress to play Bernadette. The film is lovingly directed by Jean Delannoy who captures the time, place and spiritual events that have changed the hearts and minds of believers and non-believers alike. Not to leave out another essential aspect of the movie, Francis Lai's soundtrack is beautifully simple, yet elegant which brings it into perfect harmony with the story of this beloved saint.

*This Special Edition re-release of 'Bernadette' is the one to purchase even if you have the earlier DVD. While the earlier version was in full-screen format this one is widescreen. To further persuade you to get this one, it has also been remastered, providing the audience for a more enchanting viewing experience. There are also some great extras, my favorite being a recent audio interview with the films star Sydney Penny.

This is my favorite movie on Bernadette and Lourdes. And now this new re-mastered, widescreen version just released by Ignatius has such a great, higher quality picture, along with so many bonus additions, including the first time availability of the French language (original) version, and the wonderful film and radio interviews with the wonderful Sydney Penny. Those interviews add so much to this film package. Its great to see & hear the lovely Sydney Penny in person talk about what it meant to play this role. (This movie was actually filmed in both English and French, shot two times back to back by Jean Delannoy, and both versions are on this DVD.)
PLUS - the glorious voice of the incredible singer Jenifer Warnes and that deeply moving song she and Leonard Cohen wrote, "Song of Bernadette", on the bonus CD in this package. Now hopefully many, many more people will get to hear this lovely song and tribute to Bernadette by this fabulous Grammy-winning artist. It also has a second beauty sung by Jennifer Warnes on the CD, her song "Prairie Melancholy". Another music gem from this heavenly singer.
In this 150th anniversary year of the Lourdes apparitions, this newly packaged re-mastered film, with the audio CD and songs, the Penny interviews, and the 16 page Collector's Booklet, is such a wonderful way to honor the Lourdes story and this inspiring movie.

it was a pretty good film. pretty good acting. pretty good writing. pretty good, but not great like it should have been.

watching this movie gave me the impression that the filmmakers watched the earlier b&w jennifer jones classic and loved it so much that they were desperate to remmake it... but they lacked the vision to do anything more than make an inferior copy of the original. scene after scene was replicated in a murkier, less clear, less dramatic, less faith inspired, and ultimately inferior manner. it seemed like a slavish copy even to the point of hiring an actor to dub bernadette's father who was virtually a sound-alike to the old 20th century fox picture. my favorite thing that this new film adds is the various republican v. royalist political mumblings scattered throughout the picture. it gives you another context for the skepticism against bernadette. the tiny coda showing her incorrupt body is also wonderful, such as it is.

probably the most fruitful thing about this new version would be to compare it to the old b&w to consider how storytelling and the clarity of drama, and the boldness to proclaim a message have changed. the most startling thing to notice is how riddled with skepticism this new film is when compared with the old hollywood effort, even though this new film was created by a catholic film company, for religious purposes, while the old film, though far more supercharged with unapologetic faith, was ultimately made only to sell tickets and make money. yes, there are skeptics, brilliant atheists, corrupt politicians in the old film, but they are decisively defeated one after another, so you have no doubt where the film stands; eg. compare vincent price's defeat at the end of the film, or the corrupt mayor's 'turnaround' to all the characterizations in the new film. the main thing is, they understood in the past that what moves hearts sells tickets, even if the filmmakers had no interest in the subject matter themselves.

i love father fessio and all the books published by ignatius press. i would die for the catholic church if god would give me the grace. but that doesn't mean we must blindly love everything made with pious catholic intent without any critical discernment at all. many modern films in this new independent catholic wave lack the self critical eye that could have made these films classics enough to evangelize, as i was evangelized by 'man for all seasons,' 'nuns story', 'song of bernadette' etc. even skeptical, atheistic, or anti-catholic films like the french 1980 'therese' or the heretical martin sheen/trevor howard film 'catholics', the ultimately syncretist, anti-catholic 'blackrobe' evangelized me more than this film, because at least they were well made films, making strong clear statements of the church and the faith they were trying to undermine. i doubt i would ever have been evangelized by this pious but murky and mildly modernist 'bernadette'. if you want to see what i mean by an anti-modernist treatment that doesn't pull any punches, consider mel gibson's 'the passion', especially the element of jesus explicitly battling satan in the garden, throughout the film, and then literally defeating him and leaving him screaming in the pit of hell at the end. compare this to the vague treatment of our lady never appearing in voice or visual anywhere in this new bernadette film. consider the jennifer jones original where our lady comes both in voice and visual at key moments, especially at bernadette's deathbed. no shyness about depicting the reality of the supernatural by these secularist jews in old hollywood, yet we modernists who call ourselves devout catholics don't have the guts to say what we really mean. in this era it takes a schismatic sedevacantist like mel gibson to carry our faith for us.

i suspect films like this one (like the pious but amateurish new films 'guadelupe' and 'bella') can only preach to the choir. that may be fun, but how useful is it really in the end?

I very much enjoyed this version of Bernadette (Anniversary edition). It is similar to the 1943 Song of Bernadette (which I also love) in the story, but is different in that this version captures the beauty of the Pyrenees and Sydney portrays Bernadette a little more assertive than Jennifer Jones while still being humble. Also, Sydney's real age during filming was much closer to Bernadette's than Jennifer. I'm looking fwd to the sequel; her life after entering the convent.

Saint Bernadette is portrayed in a very natural and sympathetic way. The influence of the supernatural is given place rather indirectly which proves most its strenght and raises questions and impulses for both believers and non-believers. In the jubilee year of the Marian apparitions in Lourdes (1858-2008) this movie seems most adequate for an impressive introdution in what happend 150 years ago in this place in France and what continues to go on in miracles of faith and healing!

An amazing story of how God chooses the young to accomplish big things. Bernadette is such a simple and loving child who is open to God's plan in her life. Through her cooperation she brings much healing to those in Lourdes through God's wonderful graces. A wonderful example of how we should all pray and live. I will watch this over and over. Excellent acting quality.

Highly recommend this movie,it'll be a treasure for your home monie collection for years to come.