In an earlier I said that this movie should be colorized, and someone replied that leaving it black and white is better in order to convey the stark and depressing life that Bernadette lived. I agree wholeheartedly, but how about if they left it all black and white except for the Virgin Mary? That would be really effective.
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Color is not necessarily better. Colorizing any portion of this would have been gimmicky and take away from the moment. We, as the audience would then have that horrible 'ooohh look... that part is COLOR'.... breaking the power of the scene in favor of pointless 'effect'. I'll even challenge a 'holy grail' moment like the one you suggest... in Schindler's List....(is this where you got this Spielbergian kitchy idea?) the little girl in red.... think how much more impressive it might have been if the camera just started to 'find' her, without her being in color...letting us know Schindler has noticed her... and letting the intelligence of the audience learn and see it for themselves... not have it be the elbow-in-the side 'get it? get it?' 'See... she's in COLOR'...
Leave Bernadette alone. Leave Black-and-White art alone.
If anyone were to make a remake of this film (forgetting the colourisation question), I believe it would be a huge mistake. Yes, visual effects in movies are better these days but you really can't top this classic original. I agree, too that this film is better in black and white, as it is and should be left.
shareI'll even challenge a 'holy grail' moment like the one you suggest... in Schindler's List....(is this where you got this Spielbergian kitchy idea?) the little girl in red.... think how much more impressive it might have been if the camera just started to 'find' her, without her being in color...letting us know Schindler has noticed her... and letting the intelligence of the audience learn and see it for themselves... not have it be the elbow-in-the side 'get it? get it?' 'See... she's in COLOR'...
It's hardly a Spielbergian kitchy idea, as this element was borrowed from other movies, most notably Akira Kurosawa's HIGH AND LOW (1963), a b/w feature, but there is a scene where we see smoke, colored pink, to indicate the importance of what was exactly burning. In addition, there is another Jennifer Jones movie, PORTRAIT OF JEANNIE (1948), where most of the movie is in b/w except the ending, where there are blue and orange tinted scenes and when we finally see the portrait of Jeannie in the end, it is in color.
But I agree, leave THE SONG OF BERNADETTE in b/w. It makes it very timeless and also gives us that beautiful surreal look. Bravo to Jennifer Jones for a great performance and Vincent Price, though only in his early thirties here, already giving us that great sinister persona we would see in his future movies.
I can't think of a successful colorized movie. It always looks tacky.
If this movie is remade, it would be far better done by the French. With few exceptions, the characters in this film looked American with barely a French mannerism to be seen.
France has some amazing film makers. Let them do it.
they did a remake called "bernadette in 1988, sydney penny played bernadette in that color version.
shareIf "Bernadette" is the movie I am thinking of, I rented and watched it, and it is vastly inferior to "The Song of Bernadette."
As for making a black and white movie with color scenes, the earliest example I can think of is MGM's 1925 "Ben-Hur, A Tale of the Christ." The movie, for the most part, is filmed in black and white. However, all the scenes with the Christ are filmed in two-toned Techicolor. (This was an early form of color film and is not as bright as the Technicolor of the '30s & '40s.)
I would hate a remake of this, the world is too cynical now and they would want to remove all the religious aspects
shareMost of the acting in “Song” is superb. Jones creates a superb character, a saint who is not in the least mawkish. If they could find an actor who could do it better, I would be surprised. There is even comedy: the confrontation of Bernardette with the Imperial prosecutor and the police chief is so well-done.The serious scenes between her and the Dean, played by that very strong actor, Charles Bickford are excellent.
shareNo need for a remake
shareHmmm. I had to think about that.
I think that leaving the Virgin Mary scenes would be more effective in black-and-white, as opposed to color.
It would represent austerity and simplicity. You would not want those scenes to come off as "showy" or gaudy. Which is what I think color would do.