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itsallgrace
Guest
Has anyone else seen this movie? It’s playing all over the country at local parishes this weekend. It was HORRIBLE and should have been rated R for some of the content!
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Peace-bwu
Guest
No, what was so bad about it? Who wrote /directed it?
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itsallgrace
Guest
Jean Delannoy directed, and Sydney Penney (soap-opera star) portrayed the saint. (Both are Protestants, according to Penney.)
In the movie, Bernadette isn’t humble (as expected), but rather confident, cocky, and oftentimes disrespectful. She didn’t come across as someone to be admired or emulated, in my opinion.
There was also a scene where one of the older nuns was mortifying herself with a whip…you didn’t see it happening, but you saw her opening the door to Bernadette, still pulling her gown back on. That made my antennae go up. I’ve been shocked by too many movies in the past that were rated “PG” and should have been rated “R”.
I didn’t have to wait long. While Bernadette was treating one of the older nuns with lesions on her breast, I’m sitting there thinking, “This is a movie about a saint…there are children here watching the movie…they won’t show anything…will they???” They did. I left. Now I’m emailing everyone to warn them. This isn’t a matter of being a prude or not. I don’t want my young children seeing private parts of the female anatomy, diseased or not, at all. Period! But to view this trash in a Catholic church of all places. Boy I’m steamed!!!
In the movie, Bernadette isn’t humble (as expected), but rather confident, cocky, and oftentimes disrespectful. She didn’t come across as someone to be admired or emulated, in my opinion.
There was also a scene where one of the older nuns was mortifying herself with a whip…you didn’t see it happening, but you saw her opening the door to Bernadette, still pulling her gown back on. That made my antennae go up. I’ve been shocked by too many movies in the past that were rated “PG” and should have been rated “R”.
I didn’t have to wait long. While Bernadette was treating one of the older nuns with lesions on her breast, I’m sitting there thinking, “This is a movie about a saint…there are children here watching the movie…they won’t show anything…will they???” They did. I left. Now I’m emailing everyone to warn them. This isn’t a matter of being a prude or not. I don’t want my young children seeing private parts of the female anatomy, diseased or not, at all. Period! But to view this trash in a Catholic church of all places. Boy I’m steamed!!!
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Peace-bwu
Guest
Why would Catholic Churches show such a disrespectful representation of Bernadette made by Protestants. Why would they make a movie about a Catholic saint? That sounds odd to me.
ignatius.com/Videos/bernadette/pbsydneypennyqa.htm
Hmm… I watched part of this on EWTN tonight but couldn’t watch it all. I didn’t see the parts of the movie you are talking about. I thought what I saw was pretty good, but I didn’t see it all. From what I am gathering from this interview, there are two movies.
Bernadette and Passion of Bernadette. I think I saw the first one not the one you watched.
ignatius.com/Videos/bernadette/pbsydneypennyqa.htm
Hmm… I watched part of this on EWTN tonight but couldn’t watch it all. I didn’t see the parts of the movie you are talking about. I thought what I saw was pretty good, but I didn’t see it all. From what I am gathering from this interview, there are two movies.
Bernadette and Passion of Bernadette. I think I saw the first one not the one you watched.
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Peace-bwu
Guest
**
What was it like to work with director Jean Delannoy on these films?
I never think of films, even these films we did, as religious. Really they’re not. He went about—with both of these films—to tell this amazing woman’s story. But he has a very strong spiritual sense and I do think he has the great ability to highlight the spiritual side as well as the very secular side that people display. Like in the first film, he brought out how the townspeople thought this was the most embarrassing thing for Lourdes because no one ever would want to come there because they would think they were backswoodsy and stupid. He has a very good perspective. Sometimes in films that are purely made to elevate faith or just to retell an old story you miss a lot of the angles. So, I think that what makes these films really rich is that they are told from a filmmaker’s point of view; they’re not told from any partisan point of view and it allows for a lot more color. He didn’t really have an agenda. And that’s what’s interesting about these because neither did Bernadette. She’s just living her life and he’s just telling her story and what you come away with, he doesn’t color too much. He just gives you a really clear portrait of her.
Is he Catholic?
No, he’s not Catholic; he’s Protestant. So am I. That’s what so funny about this. So when we first did the film—the French press were asking “Why are you guys involved in this?” The answer is because it’s a wonderful story for a director and an actress—it draws you to the story and to her. It’s just nice; it’s nice to be near her.
How did the making of the two movies, Bernadette, and The Passion of Bernadette, affect you?
On many different levels the movies affected me. They are something I’m very proud of. The films are now part of Lourdes legend. On a personal level, I don’t think anyone ever watches her or learns about her story and doesn’t come away with something that relates to himself personally. I think it helps me retain my sense of wonder.
**
So from this I have gathered that they are both Protestant, that these are not intended to be religious movies… that they think Bernadette had no “agenda” and she calls Lordes a “Legend”… and from what you say they seem to like emphasizing the fact that nuns are naked under their clothes. Hmm…
What was it like to work with director Jean Delannoy on these films?
I never think of films, even these films we did, as religious. Really they’re not. He went about—with both of these films—to tell this amazing woman’s story. But he has a very strong spiritual sense and I do think he has the great ability to highlight the spiritual side as well as the very secular side that people display. Like in the first film, he brought out how the townspeople thought this was the most embarrassing thing for Lourdes because no one ever would want to come there because they would think they were backswoodsy and stupid. He has a very good perspective. Sometimes in films that are purely made to elevate faith or just to retell an old story you miss a lot of the angles. So, I think that what makes these films really rich is that they are told from a filmmaker’s point of view; they’re not told from any partisan point of view and it allows for a lot more color. He didn’t really have an agenda. And that’s what’s interesting about these because neither did Bernadette. She’s just living her life and he’s just telling her story and what you come away with, he doesn’t color too much. He just gives you a really clear portrait of her.
Is he Catholic?
No, he’s not Catholic; he’s Protestant. So am I. That’s what so funny about this. So when we first did the film—the French press were asking “Why are you guys involved in this?” The answer is because it’s a wonderful story for a director and an actress—it draws you to the story and to her. It’s just nice; it’s nice to be near her.
How did the making of the two movies, Bernadette, and The Passion of Bernadette, affect you?
On many different levels the movies affected me. They are something I’m very proud of. The films are now part of Lourdes legend. On a personal level, I don’t think anyone ever watches her or learns about her story and doesn’t come away with something that relates to himself personally. I think it helps me retain my sense of wonder.
**
So from this I have gathered that they are both Protestant, that these are not intended to be religious movies… that they think Bernadette had no “agenda” and she calls Lordes a “Legend”… and from what you say they seem to like emphasizing the fact that nuns are naked under their clothes. Hmm…
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itsallgrace
Guest
There are TWO movies. I saw “Passion of Bernadette”. After that fiasco, I was too afraid to view the original “Bernadette” on EWTN.
I don’t know why churches volunteered to show this film, unless they never got a chance to view it beforehand. I’ve racked my brain, wondering if I’m too sensitive, prayed for hours about it. Catholic organizations and bloggers speak well of this movie, but I just have to go with my gut instinct on this one. My base reaction was one of disgust.
I don’t know why churches volunteered to show this film, unless they never got a chance to view it beforehand. I’ve racked my brain, wondering if I’m too sensitive, prayed for hours about it. Catholic organizations and bloggers speak well of this movie, but I just have to go with my gut instinct on this one. My base reaction was one of disgust.
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Toni
Guest
I watched the old and new movies on Bernadette not the passion of Bernadette. The other two were very good movies.
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dympnha
Guest
I don’t know about the sequel but Bernadette was a beautiful film.
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tom.wineman
Guest
**No, I haven’t seen this new Bernadette movie but oddly I had just reviewed the old Song of Bernadette movie of 1943 just the day before your post. It won four Academy Awards. That was when they meant something. **It was the movie that launched Jennifer Jones to stardom. Although playing a saint didn’t seem to rub off on her because shortly afterwards she divorced her husband, Robert Walker, and married her Hollywood mentor David O. Selznick.
**The movie itself had interesting origins because the screen play was based on a book written by a Czechoslovakian guy who escaped the Nazis **in his country by coming to France only to be trapped by the Nazis when they invaded France. He headed to the border of France and Spain to be smuggled across and spent some time in Lourdes. Where he learned the history of the miracles and wrote a best selling book about her.
**He ended up in Hollywood where Twentieth Century Fox thought it would make a good movie. Funny Hollywood thought spiritual movies were a good thing then. **For a Hollywood effort I thought it was very well done, when I saw it in 1943, and when I saw it last week.
Interesting that the actress that appeared in the apparition scenes of the “beautiful lady” was at the time completely unbilled however it was later revealed that it was Linda Darnell.
**The movie itself had interesting origins because the screen play was based on a book written by a Czechoslovakian guy who escaped the Nazis **in his country by coming to France only to be trapped by the Nazis when they invaded France. He headed to the border of France and Spain to be smuggled across and spent some time in Lourdes. Where he learned the history of the miracles and wrote a best selling book about her.
**He ended up in Hollywood where Twentieth Century Fox thought it would make a good movie. Funny Hollywood thought spiritual movies were a good thing then. **For a Hollywood effort I thought it was very well done, when I saw it in 1943, and when I saw it last week.
Interesting that the actress that appeared in the apparition scenes of the “beautiful lady” was at the time completely unbilled however it was later revealed that it was Linda Darnell.
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Donna_Mc
Guest
I watched the Bernadette movie on EWTN the other night and
thought that one was very good. Recently the new one was
being dicussed on our local Catholic radio station. It was
shown last weekend at a shrine in our area that has a visitor’s
center. The hosts of the show were very excited to see it after
being familiar with the first one. I couldn’t go to the screening
but was interested in ordering it after the way they spoke about it.
They even announced where you could order it from, and just
prior to reading this thread I went on the website they mentioned,
but did not see it there, only the old one.
I am shocked at what you saw itsallgrace! I was really looking
forward to this and now from what you said, I will be skipping
it. I like to have good Catholic videos in my house for all of
us to watch, but sadly this can’t happen with this one!
thought that one was very good. Recently the new one was
being dicussed on our local Catholic radio station. It was
shown last weekend at a shrine in our area that has a visitor’s
center. The hosts of the show were very excited to see it after
being familiar with the first one. I couldn’t go to the screening
but was interested in ordering it after the way they spoke about it.
They even announced where you could order it from, and just
prior to reading this thread I went on the website they mentioned,
but did not see it there, only the old one.
I am shocked at what you saw itsallgrace! I was really looking
forward to this and now from what you said, I will be skipping
it. I like to have good Catholic videos in my house for all of
us to watch, but sadly this can’t happen with this one!
D
Della
Guest
I just saw The Passion of Bernadette last evening with my dh. While it didn’t have the power of The Song of Bernadette, it filled in a lot of the details of her life in the convent and was much more realistic.
We liked it, overall, although it wasn’t up to the film standards of mainstream film-making. Sidney Penny did a credible job and the others were good too. Bernadette was presented in an unsentimental way with faults and fears and needs just like the rest of us, but as one who had a special relationship with God that carried her through everything, which is really what a saint is, not a stained glass window. She also had the gift of prophecy, which was brought out again and again, and a wonderful way with children and the patients in the hospital. Those things are what make the film worth viewing.
As to the one and only scene of “nudity,” it was of an elderly nun being treated for some kind of large lesion on her breast. Bernadette is shown picking maggots off the wound while a potential novice assists her. I found nothing objectionable about it. There was no lasciviousness in the scene or suggestion that a woman’s breast ought to be an object of lust. It was shown as a wounded part of the body, nothing more. It may not be suitable for young children but more for the showing of the wound with maggots than for its being a woman’s breast, imho.
We liked it, overall, although it wasn’t up to the film standards of mainstream film-making. Sidney Penny did a credible job and the others were good too. Bernadette was presented in an unsentimental way with faults and fears and needs just like the rest of us, but as one who had a special relationship with God that carried her through everything, which is really what a saint is, not a stained glass window. She also had the gift of prophecy, which was brought out again and again, and a wonderful way with children and the patients in the hospital. Those things are what make the film worth viewing.
As to the one and only scene of “nudity,” it was of an elderly nun being treated for some kind of large lesion on her breast. Bernadette is shown picking maggots off the wound while a potential novice assists her. I found nothing objectionable about it. There was no lasciviousness in the scene or suggestion that a woman’s breast ought to be an object of lust. It was shown as a wounded part of the body, nothing more. It may not be suitable for young children but more for the showing of the wound with maggots than for its being a woman’s breast, imho.
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Rosalinda
Guest
My goodness! I ordered the DVD, “Passion of Bernadette” from Ignatius Press and viewed it with one of my favorite aunts. Such a reaction to such an innocuous film.
The scene of Bernadette treating the elderly nun with breast cancer was powerful and effectively illustrated the wisdom of the saint as she used the suffering of the nun as a teaching moment for a young novice. The festering, rotting, decaying flesh was unpleasant, yes; nonetheless, the scene would have been senseless without it. While I respect your sensitivity it is unfair to label that shot “nudity” and to give readers the impression it was a gratuitous, Janet Jackson moment. Your posting, frankly, shocked me more than that scene. Death and disease is not a pretty sight. Jesus hanging on the cross was not a pretty sight. This movie has every right to be shown in a Catholic Church. Even if thePassion of Bernadette did not include that particular scene it was never intended for a young audience. (There already is a 30 minute cartoon of the young Bernadette intended for children.) As for the portrayal by Sidney Penny of St. Bernadette she showed her wit and sense of humor.
Without wishing to be impertinent may I be so bold to ask, itsallgrace, “Did you see the Passion of the Christ”?
The scene of Bernadette treating the elderly nun with breast cancer was powerful and effectively illustrated the wisdom of the saint as she used the suffering of the nun as a teaching moment for a young novice. The festering, rotting, decaying flesh was unpleasant, yes; nonetheless, the scene would have been senseless without it. While I respect your sensitivity it is unfair to label that shot “nudity” and to give readers the impression it was a gratuitous, Janet Jackson moment. Your posting, frankly, shocked me more than that scene. Death and disease is not a pretty sight. Jesus hanging on the cross was not a pretty sight. This movie has every right to be shown in a Catholic Church. Even if thePassion of Bernadette did not include that particular scene it was never intended for a young audience. (There already is a 30 minute cartoon of the young Bernadette intended for children.) As for the portrayal by Sidney Penny of St. Bernadette she showed her wit and sense of humor.
Without wishing to be impertinent may I be so bold to ask, itsallgrace, “Did you see the Passion of the Christ”?
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