A Few Words About A few words about...™ The Song of Bernadette -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

Once again, The Song of Bernadette is a beautiful nitrate production from Fox in a slightly "challenged" format, based upon secondary elements.

Photographed by Arthur C. Miller, I'd have loved to have seen what this might have looked like from the original negative, or a high end fine grain master.

Mr. Miller began his career in 1909, working for Bison, and quickly moved on to Pathe, Keystone and Astra, before joining Famous Players / Paramount in 1919.

Along the way, he photographed the original Perils of Pauline (1912), The Cheat (1923). Those interested can research him further, but he ended up at Fox in 1932, and stayed there. A short list of him accomplishments:

The Little Colonel
Pigskin Parade
Wee Willie Winkie
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
Little Miss Broadway
The Little Princess (3-strip)
Submarine Patrol
Young Mr. Lincoln
The Rains Came
The Blue Bird (3-strip)
Johnny Apollo
Brigham Young
The Mark of Zorro
Tobacco Road
How Green Was My Valley
The Ox-Boy Incident
The Song of Bernadette
Lifeboat
Dragonwyck
Anna and the King of Siam
The Razor's Edge
Gentlemen's Agreement
A Letter to Three Wives
Whirlpool
The Gunfighter

You see where this is going.

All of them.

Destroyed in the mid-1970s.

With apologies, I see these things, and I get angry.

The Song of Bernadette is not some Bible-thumping melodrama. This is a quality film that will have it's way with the viewer.

Great film, in it's roadshow form. Great performances and direction.

And it look very decent.

Image - 3.5

Audio -4

Recommended.

RAH

When I was attending parochial elementary school in Katonah many years ago I saw The Song of Bernadette in the old school auditorium once a year for several years. I'll have to take another look at it.

The Song of Bernadette has been a favorite in our family for years. I first fell under its spell when watching it on the old ABC Sunday Night Movie. Jennifer Jones never gave a better performance, although it's a testament to her range that audiences accepted her in roles such as Madame Bovary and Duel in the Sun's Pearl Chavez after being introduced here as Bernadette. I'm glad to hear that the roadshow overture has been included, as it's one of Alfred Newman's finest works.

I too first saw this film on that ABC Sunday Night Movie slot. I was completely placed under the spell of this fine film that holds the distinct honor of being one of a handful of pre-50's films that first saw broadcast on a national network rather than sold to local stations in a package. Wonderful to have the isolated score and the long forgotten overture that adds a special feeling to this presentation. I too feel disappointment in that a stellar image will never be seen due to the loss of the original negative, but I found this transfer to be a couple notchs above the DVD. A very enjoyable film with excellent acting, wonderful cinematography, and that luscious Alfred Newman score.

Have this in my possession now and will be viewing it during Holy Week...fell in love with this movie while attending parochial school as a kid and am grateful to have this to experience in my later years...thank you for your favorable assessment regarding its picture and sound quality presentation, Robert!!!

It's a nice touch to include the Overture track as a way of duplicating the roadshow version. I must say though, that as much as I'm glad to have the Blu-ray, the picture quality isn't much of a step-up from the DVD - at least not on my 47" screen.