The Song of Bernadette Page #3

Bernadette said...

Please.

Bernadette!

Are you all right?

Yes, Maman.

There's nothing to worry about.

Nothing to worry about?

Scare me half to death, and you say

there's nothing to worry about.

I left your father's dinner to burn.

I ran through the streets like

a madwoman, and what do I find?

You, sitting there like a...

Like a princess on a throne.

You good-for...!

Don't strike the child.

She's an angel of God.

Angel?

She's the laughingstock of Lourdes.

Come, Maman. Maybe we can get home

before Papa does.

No. I won't budge from this place...

...until you promise me

never again to go to Massabielle.

- Never!

- But, Maman, I can't promise that.

The lady has asked me to return

every day for 15 days.

Promise your mother, Bernadette.

Such excitement's bad for you.

You're sure to be sick from it.

Very well.

I promise you, Maman,

never to go to Massabielle again...

...unless you yourself

give me permission.

And that, I can promise you,

you'll never get.

I'm gonna send you

to your Aunt Bernarde's...

...where you'll forget

this foolishness.

Home with you. And you too.

BERNADETTE:
Thank you for

your kindness, Madame Nicolau.

And thank you too, monsieur.

What do you think of it all, Maman?

Things like that bode no good.

As long as I live,

I'll never see anything more beautiful...

...than the face of that girl...

...as she lay there at Massabielle.

One ought not even touch

a being like that.

[SOBBING]

Maman? Maman?

LOUISE:
Huh? What is it?

- Bernadette's crying.

What's the matter, my lamb?

Come to Mother. We'll sit by the fire.

Oh, Maman.

The lady was so beautiful.

- Just to think of her makes me feel...

LOUISE:
There, there, there.

Girls of your age often see things

that don't exist.

But it passes.

You must just put it out of your mind.

You're a big girl now.

Soon you'll be a woman.

You'll marry a man

and you'll have children...

...just as I did.

Life goes fast...

...my child.

It's hard to believe how fast.

If she stays here, I fear for her health.

She speaks to no one.

She doesn't sleep.

She doesn't eat enough

to keep a bird alive.

Bernarde, could she live with you?

You don't know what it is...

...to have everybody point you out

as the father of "that idiot".

You are also the girl's father.

And you seem to overlook

the fact that you are her mother.

Two people in the world

who should be understanding.

You want to ship her off

like a sack of flour.

- I'm thinking only of...

- Only of yourself.

Bernadette is a simple, honest child.

She hasn't the cunning

to invent anything like this.

She sees this lady. Nobody else does.

Who are you to say that she is wrong

and you are right?

This lady may well be

a heavenly creature.

Heavenly creatures don't appear

in a filthy place like a city dump.

Christ was born in a stable.

This is a wild story Bernadette tells.

But since the lady has asked her to go

to the grotto for 15 days, she must go.

- Oh, I won't allow her to go again.

- You will go with her.

You can't hide your head in the sand...

...as if she were up to

some harmless mischief...

...that doesn't concern you.

This is no joke.

Consider what this means to Bernadette.

- But what'll people say?

- Nothing...

...if you take your place by her side.

All the women of the family

must stand by her.

I'll come.

And when I walk with her,

let anyone dare to laugh.

MAN:
" The matter has been put

before the council and approved.

Therefore, fully convinced

that your request is justified...

...I am forwarding your plan,

as well as my recommendation...

CALLET:

Commissioner.

...To the minister of the interior.

Signed, Baron Massey, prefect".

So you see, gentlemen...

...the ceaseless protestations

of your mayor have borne fruit.

The highest authorities are contemplating

bringing the railroad to Lourdes.

MAN 1:
Splendid!

MAN 2:
Magnificent.

- Commissioner.

- What?

That Soubirous girl. She just went

to Massabielle again. What should I do?

I thought her mother forbade it.

But today her mother went with her.

To think that such a thing could happen

in the middle of the 19th century.

Why, the girl's insane.

Or suffering from hallucinations.

ESTRADE:
Your Honor, may I suggest

you act without delay?

But, monsieur, for the mayor

even to acknowledge...

...the existence of such a situation...

...would only give it importance...

...an importance which

the newspapers would not ignore.

It's a matter

for the imperial prosecutor.

No. Unfortunately, the state

has no charges to prefer.

It's up to the police commissioner.

But no one has broken any law.

It's the duty of the district officer.

- Massabielle's in your district, isn't it?

- Yes.

Then take care of it.

Hi.

I ran ahead to tell you

I'm not alone today.

I hope you won't mind.

Maman, Aunt Bernarde and my sister

are with me...

...and some other people followed us.

I'm sorry, but Maman wouldn't let me

come by myself.

I desire that people should come here.

Where is she?

- Is she here?

- Oh, yes.

She's standing there in the niche.

She's greeting you now. See?

Clear out down there, all of you.

Return to your homes immediately.

Did you hear me? I said, clear out.

This is hopeless.

It's more than one policeman can handle.

LACADE:

It's a scandal! It cries to heaven.

Imagine these penny-a-liners having

the audacity to print such a thing.

All France will be laughing at us...

...and Lourdes was going to have

a railroad connection.

I'd even gone so far as to have the plans

drawn up for the depot.

Do you think they'll

be granted to us now?

Never.

Who's going to run a railroad

into a hole...

...where spooks perform their

medieval antics in dirty caverns?

We're dealing with a whole lot more...

...than the mere babbling

of a little swindler or an imbecile.

The entire future of this town

is at stake.

Something must be done

to stop this nonsense, immediately.

- How?

- How?

That's up to you and the prosecutor.

As much as I'd like to put an end

to this stupidity, I'm helpless.

She goes peacefully

to the outskirts of the city.

There she kneels, says her rosary

and goes home again.

Is there anything unlawful in that?

Yes, on the ground that it's

insulting to religious sensibilities.

DUTOUR:

Really?

You can hardly call seeing the

Blessed Virgin in a veritable cesspool...

...complimentary to the Holy Family.

She hasn't claimed to see

the Blessed Virgin.

- The crowd claims that.

- She says she sees a beautiful lady...

...and the visioning

of a beautiful lady...

...can hardly be construed

as a criminal violation.

It better not be,

or else the entire male population...

...would be spending time behind bars.

This is hardly the moment for levity.

Yes, what is it?

Pardon me, sir,

but Dr. Dozous is here to see you.

- Ask the doctor to wait.

DUTOUR:
Just a moment.

Dr. Dozous might be very helpful to us.

Let's not overlook the vast possibilities

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