Madame Curie (1943) User Reviews

one of the better bio-pics of the 40s

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 2 March 2006]

Hollywood did a lot of biography pictures in the 1940s. Most of them were awfully good, though a little bit too idealized. Almost all were pretty entertaining. Among them, there are some standouts, such as Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet and Madame Curie. This film was reasonably faithful to her real story, though most notably Greer Garson was a tall lady and Ms. Curie was, according to everything I have read, a tiny little woman. And, thankfully, the MGM people didn't change how her husband died (such as having him survive in order to give the movie an upbeat ending). So what we have is a good primer for kids and teens about the accomplishments of this great lady.

Garson and Pigeon did a nice job--give it a try.

"Youth, take the torch of knowledge and build the palace of the future"

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 12 May 2021]

Marie Curie was an inspirational, ahead of her time and important figure, a pioneer in her field while having to deal with and overcome a lot of significant adversity. Her story is a fascinating one as well as complex, and was both intrigued as to whether a feature length would be enough to do it and her justice. It was hard to not say no to seeing 'Madame Curie', as Mervyn LeRoy was a very dependable director who did make some truly fine films (i.e. 'Random Harvest') and the cast promises a lot.

On the whole, 'Madame Curie' was very well done, infinitely superior to the recent 'Radioactive' that had a great lead performance but was mostly very disappointing. It is not easy making an interesting and accessible film of this subject, which absolutely fascinated me but may be too complex and dry for others less familiar with Curie and her contribution to science, but 'Madame Curie' does so admirably if imperfectly. Although it is not perfect, there is a lot to admire.

Will start with what 'Madame Curie' does well. It is impeccably made and produced, with sumptuous sets and costumes complemented beautifully by even more elegant and suitably glossy cinematography. The music doesn't get too melodramatic or over-scored, while still excelling in bringing out the story's emotional core without overdoing it. LeRoy directs sympathetically while still being involved, seldom feeling leaden. The script is intelligent and well meaning, if occasionally rambling.

The story is more respectful to the truth than expected, given the general reputation of biopics straying from the facts. Not only is the personal life element emotionally investable and not soapy, everything with Curie's findings more accessible than expected also. One wasn't too favoured over the other, the characters aren't too sketchy (Curie and Pierre are both interesting) and the film does a far better job than 'Radioactive' at how progressive her findings were, their influence in science and how her mind worked. As well as the extent of the adversity that she faced. The first third is especially entertainingly and sensitively done and the more serious middle act is more serious yet fascinating.

Greer Garson may not look like Curie but her performance is still sincere, forceful and deeply committed. She is great at making Curie an interesting character and a real person rather than an icon or caricature, with so much to admire yet with flaws. Walter Pidgeon is a reliably strong presence, superb in his delivery of the speech to the jeweller, and their chemistry is magic. The rest of the acting shows fine talent giving their all.

It's not perfect, with some very sluggish pacing in the final third. Which also felt too thin, predictable and like the film had run out of steam. Pidgeon is the best thing about this section of the film.

Concluding, very well done and interesting. 8/10.

Showcase For Greer Garson & Walter Pidgeon

[DKosty123 · 7/10 · 23 October 2007]

At times, this M Leroy directed film gets a little heavy handed as this is one of the rare times that Leroy, often an erratic director for hire, did an entire film himself & got credit for it. Overall though, his effort here is very satisfactory.

Based upon Eve Curies book, this film follows along pretty factually the Marie Curie story leading to the couples isolating of Radium in their lab after 4 years of work. The film concentrates on the relationship that forms between Pierre & Marie & the science. The script actually allows for a nice balance there.

Greer Garson is great as Madame Marie Currie. I can't see many other actresses doing as was as she does in this role. Walter Pidgeon is excellent as Pierre & it is these 2 leads that make the film a good one. There is some quick supporting work from Van Johnson but nothing about his cameo really does a lot for this particular film.

This film does show the MGM studio quality as it existed in the 1940's as it goes over very well & is well produced. MGM came into World War 2 as the premiere studio & this film was a strong entry in the biographical film category. It is very obvious that even though the film is set in France near Paris, that Paris was not available for location filming due to the war.

This is a very good film for it's era, being factually based & really painting a positive portrait of who Marie & Pierre Curie were & why they were important in the history of science. It does give short shrift to the couples kids but at over 2 hours the film has too much to cover to do otherwise.

MGM's smoothest, creamiest entry for 1943.

[tjonasgreen · 29 February 2004]

This picture illustrates everything wonderful about the confidence, expertise and narrative power of Hollywood films near the end of the classic period: it is entertaining, intelligent and carefully made in every department. A smooth celebration of scientific theory and of the romantic partnership of two scientists.

The first third of the film is in many ways the best: a very funny and sensitive depiction of the courtship of two gauche scientists. Often filmed in long-shot on beautifully detailed, cavernous sets, we see Garson and Pigeon sometimes isolated in space, sometimes haltingly moving through crowds, tentatively finding their way to each other. Though Mervyn Leroy could be a stolid director, here he shows great delicacy and judgment and he perfectly sets a mood of gentle comic romance.

The middle third deals with the engrossing scientific mystery that led to the discovery of radium. The lightness of touch and the humor of the first third are not entirely abandoned here, but there is a greater seriousness and a kind of reverence for knowledge and scientific endeavor that is virtually absent from films today (the exception would be A BEAUTIFUL MIND, which I kind of hated). There are some striking visuals, including a tracking shot across hundreds of bowls of evaporating chemicals and a haunting image of a glowing dish of radium in a large, dark shed.

The last third is the dullest and most conventional portion of the film: fame and celebration for the Curies and a renewal of their love just before Pierre died prematurely in a traffic accident. The high point here is what surely won Pigeon his Oscar nomination for Best Actor: the speech to a jeweler in which he describes the beauty of his wife just before his untimely death. There is also the evocative image of a wet umbrella broken under a wagon wheel.

Of course, what you think of this idealistic, creamy and sure-footed vehicle (which must have packed 'em in at Radio City Music Hall) depends entirely on what you think of Greer Garson, as well as your opinion of the popular Garson-Pigeon screen team. Their looks and personalities were perfect matches, templates of feminine and masculine 'virtues'. There was nothing sexy about them but they suggested a platonic ideal of what every child would wish their parents to be. They were the last stars to make middle age look glamorous and desirable.

As for me, I like her. Her mannerisms are kept to a minimum in this restrained performance. The famous tinkling laugh, the arched eyebrow, the flaring nostrils -- so overused in some other films -- are not much in evidence here. But her best qualities are: the sense of intelligence, of quiet watchfulness, self-possession, dignity and tact are all here. The source of her screen personality has always seemed sane and tranquil, relaxing to watch and finally, to me, admirable. I can understand why some people (like critic Pauline Kael) felt that Hollywood's ladylike stars presented an outdated, oppressive ideal for women. But from this distance, Garson's confidence and ease, her capability, her self-containment all strike me as civilized and even sophisticated traits. She played grownups, and we have never had enough of those on screen . . .

Handsome Bio

[kenjha · 7/10 · 30 December 2011]

This is the biography of the Curies, who discovered radium. This one gets off to a fine start as the socially awkward scientist Pidgeon finds himself drawn to Garson, a student with great scientific aptitude. Having worked with each other so often, the two stars have terrific chemistry (and physics?) and are quite believable in the roles of the famed scientists. Then comes the experimentation that lead to the discovery of radium and the concept of radioactivity. This is fascinating stuff but does not make for great cinema, causing things to bog down in the latter parts of the film. Still, it's a handsome production that's well worth watching.

Garson and Pidgeon, A Perfect Fit

[bkoganbing · 9/10 · 19 June 2007]

For their third MGM collaboration, Walter Pidgeon and Greer Garson were cast as Pierre and Marie Curie in this epic biographical drama about the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in science. The Curies contribution to science was a newly discovered element radium which did nothing less than alter how we think about matter itself.

The film carries the story of Marie Curie's life when she was a young student at the Sorbonne from Poland under her maiden name of Sklodowska. The mere fact she was a student there and a brilliant one was highly unusual for women in the 19th century. Her brilliance attracts the attention of young instructor there Pierre Curie, first her mind and then her heart.

Pierre and Marie Curie seem such a perfect fit for each other mainly because Pidgeon and Garson worked so well together on screen. Both got nominations for Best Actor and Actress for 1943, repeating what they had done for Mrs. Miniver in 1942. This was Pidgeon's second and last nomination. They lost to Paul Lukas and Jennifer Jones in their respective categories. The film itself was nominated for Best Picture but lost to Casablanca.

What I like most about Madame Curie is that you don't need a degree in physics to understand what's happening. The actors, the direction by Mervyn LeRoy and the script all are at their best.

Look for up and coming MGM stalwarts like Robert Walker and Van Johnson to play brief roles. Easy to tell why both became stars.

I think Madame Curie and her husband would both have liked the way they were portrayed in this film.

To Catch a Star on Your Fingertips

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 12 June 2014]

Fine old Hollywood biopic starring the queen of biopics, Greer Garson. Greer plays Marie Curie and her frequent costar Walter Pidgeon plays her husband Pierre. It goes without saying these two have perfect chemistry (no pun intended) and both give excellent performances. The supporting cast is terrific. Henry Travers and Dame May Witty play Pierre's parents and pretty much steal every scene they're in. Robert Walker is Pierre's assistant. His reaction upon first setting eyes on lovely Greer Garson is priceless. Vets Albert Bassermann, C. Aubrey Smith, and Reginald Owen are among the other great actors in the cast. Van Johnson has a small role as a reporter.

They don't make biopics like this anymore. If they made it today there would be much more focus on tragedy and scandal rather than the inspirational. You should definitely check this one out, even if you have no knowledge of the Curies. It's a good movie made with the elegant touch one expects from classic MGM.

a star at your fingertips

[blanche-2 · 10/10 · 6 January 2016]

Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon star in "Madame Curie," the story of the famous scientist.

Actually what is included in the film is quite accurate but much is left out, which is normal. The film begins with the Polish Marie meeting Pierre when she is a student in Paris and shares his laboratory. Both of them are too involved in their science careers to get married, but they fall in love and do marry.

When Marie becomes interested in uranium rays, Pierre gives up his research, and the two work together. It's grueling, disappointing work, but they don't give up. The movie shows just how detailed and difficult it was in their makeshift lab.

This is a beautiful film about a great woman. I happen to think Greer Garson is wonderful, as is Walter Pidgeon. They worked so well together, just as Marie and Pierre did - true partners. Of course, Marie is in her sixties (she died at 66) at the end of the film and looks 90. Typical Hollywood aging - either no aging or decrepit.

Marie Curie, of course, didn't understand the dangers of radium and used to put isotopes in her pocket and in her drawer, and would comment on the light emitted from the drawer. She had several medical problems due to radiation poisoning and eventually died of it, as did her younger daughter and son-in-law. Strangely, her daughter Eva died in 2007 at the age of 103! Go figure. Eva chose Greer Garson to star in the film.

If you want to look at Marie Curie's papers and books today - they are still radioactive and one has to wear protective clothing. Like Marie Curie, they still emit light.

Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon shine in this fictionalized biography

[jacobs-greenwood · 7/10 · 9 December 2016]

Directed by Mervyn LeRoy, with a screenplay by Paul Osborn and Paul Rameau that was based on Madame Ove Curie's book, this above average biographical (if fictionalized) drama features Greer Garson in the title role, with Walter Pidgeon as her husband and co-discoverer.

It relates the first years of the woman scientist's educated life, from her early years as Polish student, Maria come Marie Sklodowska (Garson), of Professor Jean Perot's (Albert Bassermann) at the Sorbonne in Paris in the late 19th Century, to her working in Pierre Curie's (Pidgeon) laboratory, their marriage and then research which led to the discovery of radium (and the Nobel Prize in 1903).

The film was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, while Garson and Pidgeon received lead actor nominations; its B&W Art Direction- Interior Decoration and Cinematography, as well as its Sound and Score were also nominated. The cast also includes Robert Walker, C. Aubrey Smith, Dame May Witty, Reginald Owen, Van Johnson who appears as a reporter near the end, and Margaret O'Brien (though most of these appear only briefly). James Hilton narrates. #97 on AFI's 100 Most Inspiring Movies list.

Marie was a student who earned the highest honors in her class of physics at the Sorbonne while she worked her last 6 months of school working in Pierre Curie's laboratory, something which had been arranged by her professor, Perot. She had impressed Curie who had previously thought, and communicated with his assistant David Le Gros (Walker), that women had no place in science. After her graduation, Pierre invites Marie to his parents' house in the country, where he plays croquet with his father Eugene (Travers, who like Pidgeon has to sport a ridiculous French mustache and beard) while his mother (Whitty) sizes up Marie.

To keep Marie from returning to Warsaw to become a mere teacher, Pierre proposes to Marie in one of the most awkward, funny, and thoroughly delightful (for its professional nature) ways. During their honeymoon, they discuss her doctorate and she expresses an interest in exploring the special rocks that Dr. Becquerel (Owen, recognizable only by his unmistakable voice) had shown her.

Upon their return, the Curies begin what was a multi-year series of experiments and research which eventually led to their discovery and then the successful isolation (which included crystallization) of a new element, radium, from the others found in ore. Lord Kelvin (Smith) and Perot visited them shortly before their moment of truth, which occurred in the shack that the university president (Victor Francen) had allowed them to use. During these years, the Curies had a child Irene (O'Brien), who was watched after by his father Eugene, who'd moved in with them after his mother had died of cancer. Gigi Perreau (uncredited) appears later, briefly, as their second child, Eve.

Pierre is killed in a street accident and the last 25 years of Madame Curie's research without him isn't shown nor discussed, but merely honored at a speech she gives before an assembly at the film's end.

Outstanding - an overlooked and forgotten masterpiece

[Pelrad · 10/10 · 16 March 1999]

"Madame Curie" is the beautiful and intriguing biography of the scientist who discovered radium. The direction was brilliant; the plot unfolded in such a way that there was never a dull moment. There was a nice balance between Curie's personal life - her falling in love with a fellow scientist and marrying him - and her scientific work. Many of these kind of films are "over the heads" of the average viewers, pretentiously spewing out scientific jargon at such a fast pace that one gets lost. But "Madame Curie" was easy to follow, in fact interesting and exciting. Greer Garson (as Curie) is such a jewel of an actress and has been all-too-forgotten.

What made me so captivated by this film was that the scientific world is quite bereft of female expertise, especially back in those days! It was soothing to see a woman use her intelligence and not be stopped by the social obstacles society threw in her way to discourage her from triumph. Her qualities of perseverance were breathtaking; she just wouldn't give up. A number of years ago, I came across a list, put together by historians, of the 100 most influential people in history. Madame Curie was just about the only female on the list!

"Madame Curie" is outstanding - an overlooked and forgotten masterpiece. (10 out of 10)

Mrs. Miniver with test tubes!

[Pat-54 · 6/10 · 23 September 1998]

M-G-M Studios bought the rights to film "Madame Curie" with Greta Garbo in mind, but Garbo left the studio in 1941 and the world was plunged into the grips of World War II. The studio now worried that wartime audiences would find this story rather drab. But the casting of the magical screen team of Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon guaranteed its success. Both Garson and Pidgeon received Academy Award nominations for their performances.

Very Good Biopic

[Mike-764 · 8/10 · 26 October 2007]

The story of Marie Curie who at the beginning of the film is a Polish student at the Sorbonne who is given the opportunity for working with Dr. Pierre Curie on his experiments when the two learn of a fellow professor who has found a rock that seems to give off its own light and energy despite being deep underground for centuries. The two find that it must contain a new element, more radioactive that uranium. The two are able to isolate the new element despite the hardships of inadequate lab equipment, the birth of a young daughter, their colleagues questioning their work, and numerous failed experiments. Excellent film dealing with the hard work of the Curies and the realization that hard work and commitment will pay off (nice ideal during the war years). Garson and Pidgeon build on the great chemistry the two had in Mrs. Miniver, and are helped by an excellent supporting cast. The screenplay and LeRoy's direction do each other perfect justice by combining the romance and drama superbly. Rating, 8.

decent 40's drama

[framptonhollis · 6/10 · 8 December 2016]

At first, "Madame Curie" left me bored and unentertained. However, as the film goes on it gets far better and enjoyable. There's some great performances scattered throughout the film, especially by the two leads, the great Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. I found their love story to be charming, emotional, and romantic and I enjoyed both of their characters.

I also enjoyed the scientific aspect of the film. Because this film is based on the true story of Marie Curie, the scientist who, along with her husband, discovered the element radium and won the noble prize for doing so,there's quite a bit of scientific discussion that I found to be pretty fascinating. It's not often that classic romantic dramas contain a scientific angle.

The film is also very well directed by master filmmaker Mervyn LeRoy, and it is overall recommended for fans of classic cinema and science history.

Very fictionalized

[HotToastyRag · 3/10 · 31 October 2021]

Some true stories, although fascinating, are just too sad to really focus on. Madame Curie's life story is too tragic to qualify a biopic as entertainment. Even though the accomplished Greer Garson portrayed her, I reluctantly watched the film.

As was the case in many Hollywood biopics, this movie was very watered-down. There were many "Hollywood" touches, like Walter Pidgeon's absentminded professor personality, that made it feel a bit corny. Greer was able to put her natural enthusiasm into the character, but she wasn't given the opportunity to use her other dramatic talents. There are a couple of scenes thrown in for dramatic purposes, but it's just too melodramatic to really invest your emotions into it. Ironically, the saddest part of Madame Curie's story isn't included in the film. She realizes the radium is very powerful, but she doesn't suffer any health problems from it; and the movie concludes with her very much alive.

If you like the supporting cast (Dame May Whitty, Henry Travers, C. Aubrey Smith, Robert Walker, Reginald Owen, Van Johnson, Albert Bassermann, and Margaret O'Brien), as well as the frequent pairings of Greer and Walter, you'll probably be drawn to this movie. Just know what you're getting into: a corny, fictionalized Hollywood biopic.

Garson and Pidgeon discover radium...tasteful biography...

[Doylenf · 23 May 2001]

Here we have Greer Garson in the kind of role that would later inspire that wonderful sequence from 'Ziegfeld Follies' (the 'Madame Crematon' impersonation by Judy Garland, a rip-off of Greer in her great lady roles). But, surprisingly or not, Garson and Pidgeon are teamed in a very eloquent and moving biography, one of the more tasteful and dignified bios of the 1940s considering it deals with subject matter not conducive to popular taste.

Their long work in the laboratories finally leads to the discovery of radium--and this is the fascinating story of how they met and married and indulged in their lifelong pursuit of discovery. A young and rather miscast Robert Walker plays a fellow lab worker. Van Johnson has a few brief moments toward the end, as does Margaret O'Brien. But the focus is on Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon and they both deliver Oscar nominated performances.

This is one of the better screen biographies and one that has been sorely neglected over the years. Watch for my career article on GREER GARSON to appear in an upcoming issue of FILMS OF THE GOLDEN AGE.

A Nobel Prize for Greer Garson

[wes-connors · 6/10 · 24 September 2011]

Polish science student Greer Garson (as Marie Sklodowska) goes to study in Paris and is accepted as an intern by reserved physicist Walter Pidgeon (as Pierre Curie). Ms. Garson's amazing beauty immediately causes Mr. Pidgeon and young assistant Robert Walker (as David Le Gros) to become distracted in the laboratory, but they grow accustomed to her attractiveness. When Garson graduates, she plans on returning to Poland, but Pidgeon proposes she stay and become "Madame Curie". Garson has noticed an irregularity which leads the couple to discover the element radium...

This was a prestige project from MGM, which they secured for Greta Garbo. She telegrammed, "Wonderful plans," but requested a complete manuscript. After some scrambling, there was no complete script. At the time, Garbo felt the roles the MGM offered to her were too repetitive. In hindsight, "Madame Curie" doesn't appear all that different from other Garbo roles, so it may have ended well. Garson and "Two-Faced Woman" (1941) photographer Joseph Ruttenberg certainly showed he would good with Garbo, if she was interested in hiving him another shot. The MGM team shows their usual skill throughout, although the resulting film was less than indicated by seven "Academy Award" nominations.

****** Madame Curie (12/15/43) Mervyn LeRoy ~ Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Albert Bassermann, Robert Walker

Greer Garson Is Luminous--So to Speak--as Polish-French Discoverer of Radium

[LeonardKniffel · 10/10 · 5 September 2016]

I've watched a lot of Hollywood films with an eye for those that feature Polish or Polish-American characters. Paris in the early part of the last century is the backdrop for this beautiful love story starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon, released in 1943 as World War II raged in Europe. My favorite parts are the references to Poland and the stubborn Polishness that made Marie Skłodowska one of the greatest scientists who ever lived. If you've never seen a Greer Garson film, or haven't seen one lately, she is one of the most beautiful and talented actresses Hollywood ever produced, and totally under- appreciated today. Listen for these lines: "She's a very obstinate girl," says Pierre Curie to his mother. "Well, after all, Poland is her home," the mother explains.

Oh, Lady, Nobility Is Thine.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 19 August 2010]

Greer Garson is Marie Curie from Poland, a brilliant student of physics at the Sorbonne. Her professor, Walter Pidgeon, falls for her and vice versa. Together -- through thick and thin, so to speak -- they pursue the elusive, dangerous element of radium, finally with success. They are a happy couple, Pierre and Marie. They lead irenic lives. They never have arguments like the rest of us. They're joined at the hip by their shared obsession with radioactivity. They have two lovely children too, one of them being Margaret O'Brien. Just as their life seemed most fulfilling, their joy serene, their rapture divine -- little did they know that tragedy lay just around the corner. Walter Pidgeon gets run over by a horse-drawn cart full of wine barrels. Suffering in silence, despite the comfort offered her by her older mentors and her loving family, Greer Garson finally pulls herself together and goes on to win the Nobel Prize and the film ends with the stalwart gray-haired woman giving a speech in Stockholm.

Boy, is she noble. The movie is divided about fifty-fifty into the story of the search for radium and her family life. Both of these life spaces are studded with failures of one sort or another but Garson sets her considerable jaw and looks fearlessly ahead.

I frankly don't know what all that family stuff is doing in there. It could have been sketched in with more brevity. Walter Pidgeon is hardly more than an ancillary character, in the movie only to provide the heroine with a love interest and a climactic tragedy. Here's how they work together in their research. Something like this. Garson: "Suppose the radium did NOT disappear. What if the living element itself were in the stain at the bottom of the bowl? Suppose the energy could be used to destroy unhealthy tissue as well as healthy?" Pidgeon (excited): "Yes -- go on!"

There was a BBC production of "The Double Helix" back in the 80s that managed to make scientific research exhilarating without debasing it with factitious triumphs, tragedies, and emotional epiphanies. I don't know how much of this movie is made up. I suppose it sticks roughly to the historical facts in its broad outline. We can certainly believe, for instance, that Marie and Pierre Curie were married and that they had children and that they discovered radium and that she won a Nobel Prize. (She won two, I believe, in physics and in chemistry, but I'm too lazy to look it up.) The conversations -- both the intimate ones between the married couple and the more public ones involving their families -- are concocted, but probably not more than most run-of-the-mill studio productions of the period. This particular example comes from MGM. Some of the best came from Warner Brothers.

One of the film's virtues is the way that the research process is spelled out. It's explained in a way that the alphabet is explained to kindergärtners, and that's fine with me. I was really fascinated when they measure the radioactivity of thorium and uranium and realize that there must be a powerful third element in the batch. I wish they had gone into it in more detail, and skipped the cute stuff involving the irascible father of Walter Pidgeon. We never do find out what radioactivity is. No one at the time knew anything about the dangers of radiation poisoning. Marie Curie may have died of its effects. Wilhelm Roentgen, who discovered X-rays, probably killed his own wife by unwitting overexposure during the same period.

Another admirable feature of the film is the attention it brings to the discrimination against women that was so common at the time. And it accomplishes this without being strident. It's mentioned a few times, notably by Pidgeon, but it doesn't sound as if his objections are written for an audience of feminists, probably because such an audience, to the extent that it existed in 1942, was to the general audience what radium was to pitchblend, an almost infinitesimal fraction of a fraction.

Anyway the movie does what it set out to do. It introduces us to a couple of courageous scientific geniuses, their professional achievements and their family lives. The stuff on the family, which I've derided, was a specialty of the MGM house.

Exceptional biographical film that made me feel as if I was living and persevering through Madame Curie's trial and tribulations myself

[Ed-Shullivan · 8/10 · 20 March 2020]

What an extraordinary biographical film that is now more than 3/4's of a century old and yet still holds up extremely well when compared to many of today's biographical vanity projects. Greer Garson who plays Madame Curie and the love of her life Pierre Curie (Walter Pidgeon) not only persevere through years and then decades of toil and failure after failure until they stumble upon their breakthrough which leads them to discover the chemical compound of radium and what it can do for science, medicine and mankind.

I would like to propose that all high school students watch this film at least twice and complete a report on what the film meant to them. Maybe it would inspire even a very small percentage of our future scientists to maintain a semblance of perseverance, get rid of their cell phones and social media presence and remember how difficult life and romance was for Marie and Pierre Curie.

This is a romantic and epic documentary film that all teenagers should enjoy sitting through and learning a bit about the hardships that our predecessors and science leaders endured for our benefit and the better future of all mankind.

A deservedly 8 out of 10 rating

ROMANCE & SCIENCE, A LOVELY MIX...!

[masonfisk · 7/10 · 12 October 2020]

A reunion of Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon & director Mervyn LeRoy (after their Blossoms in the Dust from 1941) finds itself in this 1943 film about the famed scientist. Following her career in the sciences in France after coming from Poland, Garson soon finds herself partnered w/Pidgeon & they begin working together, along Pidgeon's young charge, played by Robert Walker, as they work diligently to discover the element Radium which will cement their notoriety in the world of chemistry but while that happens they navigate a tentative romance (Pidgeon keeps mostly to himself but makes fleeting amorous overtures to her) which culminates when he brings her home to meet his family on the eve of her needing to return home. Unless you're into radium, you won't get much from this film which makes paint drying exciting but the performances from the leads (in 1 of 8 co-starring efforts) are completely winning w/Garson the luminous entity that commands the screen w/a portent look & her effortless beauty. Pidgeon is quite affecting here as a man who's brought out of his shell by the love of an incomparable woman & their shared passion for their vocation. Not as off kilter as the recent Radioactive, the Curie biopic w/Rosamund Pike, this film still succeeds by sticking to its meat & potatoes approach to the material. Also starring Margaret O'Brien & Henry Travers (Clarence from It's a Wonderful Life) as Pidgeon's parents & an early perf from Van Johnson who plays a reporter.

Showing the human side a great scientist

[rclay-1 · 8/10 · 18 August 2015]

What can I say. She was a giant of science. The only person to win two Nobel Prizes in different science subjects (physics and chemistry.) But for all that this film made me cry a little bit (ruffy tuffy biker ex sea-farers don't cry, although they might leak a bit from the eyes, my excuse and I'm sticking to it.) Showed the long arduous task of scientific exploration and I have to say, Hollywood were at their best when making films like this. And being honest rather than sensational.

Even if you have no interest in science, the human story alone is worth seeing. But the more you know about Marie Curie the more you realise how incredible she was, and how she had to fight against incredible discrimination against her purely on the basis of her gender. Makes you realise how stupid that such feelings really are.

Greer and Walter Add Onscreen Life to Real Life Dullsville

[ldeangelis-75708 · 7/10 · 12 February 2023]

Once again, Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon use that remarkable chemistry of theirs to liven up what was probably the world's most boring real-life couple! (I saw a miniseries about Marie and Pierre; they actually spent what should have been a romantic picnic talking about uranium, tellurium, and all those other iums that turned them on more than each other! I'm surprised they didn't name their daughter after their "darling" radium!)

Greer was her usual best as Madame Curie, though without doubt more charming than the real persona, and ditto for Walter as Pierre. The movie does put emphasis on their dedication to their scientific careers, and you feel as though you're going through it all right along with them, as they try and try (and try) again to isolate radium. Such perseverance! I'd have quit after two or three tries! (Then again, I'm no scientist, thank you God!)

By concentrating on their career and relationship, the movie leaves out quite a bit, like Marie's family, and her first love, Kazimierz Zorawski. (In real life, it didn't take her long to move on to Pierre.)

Also, not long after Pierre's death, Marie took up (or should I say hooked up) with a former student of Pierre's, Paul Langevin, who was a married man. Not exactly something the Production Code would approve of, so of course it was omitted. (I'm also surprised Marie took time off from her scientific discoveries to engage in adultery, of all things! Guess she wasn't such a bore, after all.)

While I was never impressed with the real couple, the onscreen one always has my approval! The stars in my rating are for the stars on the screen, as Greer and Walter are always winners!

Unforgettable portrayal of an unforgettable duo

[srikant · 9/10 · 19 January 1999]

The movie depicts very realistically and very endearingly, the dedication of Pierre and Marie Curie in search of the new element radium. Flawless acting from Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. Takes you back in time to the turn of the 20th century.

Rather Dry Biopic

[evanston_dad · 6/10 · 4 February 2018]

Mervyn LeRoy was a major director for a couple of decades during Hollywood's golden years, and he was certainly prolific, but there is just no denying that he was hopelessly dull. He was like the Ron Howard of the 1940s, making safe, middle brow entertainments for people who don't want to be remotely challenged by having to have a thought of their own while watching a movie.

"Marie Curie" stars Greer Garson and Walter PIdgeon as the duo whose scientific explorations resulted in the discovery of radium. The film tries awfully hard to make this exciting, but while I'm sure radium is really important and all, it's just not quite the stuff of edge of your seat film making, at least not as delivered here. This is one of about a billion movies made over the years that is only notable now because it was nominated for a bunch of Oscars in its day, but is nothing special when watched all these years later.

Garson and Pidgeon both received Oscar nominations a year after they achieved the same feat for "Mrs. Miniver" (Garson won for that film, and deservedly so). "Madame Curie" was also nominated for Best Picture, Best B&W Art Direction (the lab sets do create a very strong sense of time and place), Best B&W Cinematography, Best Dramatic or Comedy Score, and Best Sound Recording.

Grade: B

lazy writers of the techie dialog

[roedyg · 5/10 · 6 January 2012]

This movie is supposed to be a movie about a real person. The problem is movie uses gibberish whenever Madame Curie speaks technical dialog. Surely the writers could have asked a physicist to write them some plausible dialog. The dialog is about on the same level as the Walter Mathau comedy about Einstein.

That is so jarring it breaks the spell of the movie every time she does it.

The opening lecture is not believable. I have never seen a prof meander aimlessly like that in flights of poesy, not even in an English literature class.

In one scene, Pierre tries to convince other scientists to accept the validity of Marie's hypothesis solely on the basis of his recommendation. That is religion, not science. He would would have been hooted had he tried that in real life. Whoever wrote the dialog had not the slightest clue how scientific argument works.

We are suppose to accept that Marie is a genius, but we never see her do much brilliant, just toil and toil. Pierre tells us she is is unique and brilliant, but we don't see much evidence.

I think the problem is the screenwriters wanted a love story starring Greer Garson and Walter Pigeon to reprieve Mrs. Minniver. The science part was just a gimmick that they did not take all that seriously. It is a bit like doing the story of Gandhi and spending 90% of the time of his almost non-existent love live.