This story takes place in the nineteenth century in a little town in France named Lourdes. Bernadette is a peasant girl who sees a vision of The Blessed Virgin Mary. She experiences a lot of suffering because of her chosen status as a messenger of the holy virgin. Her family also bore some ridicule as a result. There is much drama involved, and miracles are depicted. Vincent Price has a strong role as a cynic. One miracle was reported in the press of the day, and it involved the Lourdes grotto onlookers becoming soaking wet from a downpour; when suddenly, the sun appeared and seemed to be heading straight toward the earth. People reportedly were hysterical, and naturally, many promised to change their lives. Then the sun stopped its direction, and returned to its position in the sky. The movie was a smash hit in 1943, and its lead actress, Jennifer Jones, won the Academy Award for Best Actress. There are powerful performances in the supporting categories, which earned oscar nominations for Gladys Cooper, Anne Revere and Charles Bickford. The director, Henry King also was a nominee, as was the film. "The Song of Bernadette" wound up with 12 oscar nominations. It won in several categories. 