Mariola Marczak, Melodrama conventions in a hagiographic film at the example of The Song of Bernadette by Henry King
Key words:
hagiography, biography, transcendence, melodrama conventions, narrative structures, personal example, Christian values, Henry King
Summary:
A film hagiography is a part of film biography. It derives from the confessive literature, especially from the stories of saints` lives. As a genre within popular literature, from the Middle Ages up to the Second World War, hagiology created personal examples and reinforced Christian values. From the beginning of the twentieth century feature films (especially, religious films) began to take over these functions. The Song of Bernadette by Henry King is an outstanding example of how melodrama conventions, as means of cultural communication imprinted in the film narration, approach aims similar to those of the medieval hagiography. As Grażyna Stachówna reminds (see G. Stachówna, Niedole miłowania, Kraków 2001), melodrama conventions serve to preserve conservative values. The analysis of the genre structures, including the narrative ones in The Song of Bernadette emphasizes their persuasive power and influence on viewers’ emotions and concerns. Revealing melodrama conventions in the film brings to the conclusion that they build up personal examples and popularize conservative (that is – Christian) values, thus assuming functions of the medieval confessive writing and adopt them to the demands of modern cultural communication.