Madame Curie (1943)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Mervyn LeRoy

Writers:

Ève Curie (book)
Paul Osborn (writer)

Release Date:

February 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

MR. and MRS. MINIVER together again

Plot:

Despite himself, accomplished physicist and avowed bachelor Pierre Curie falls for brilliant student Marie, and together they embark on the discovery of radium.

Plot Keywords:

Marie Curie | Based On Book | Character Name In Title

Awards:

Nominated for 7 Oscars.

Cast

Greer Garson	...	Marie Curie
Walter Pidgeon	...	Pierre Curie
Henry Travers	...	Eugene Curie
Albert Bassermann	...	Prof. Jean Perot
Robert Walker	...	David Le Gros
C. Aubrey Smith	...	Lord Kelvin
Dame May Whitty	...	Madame Eugene Curie
Victor Francen	...	President of University
Elsa Basserman	...	Madame Perot
Reginald Owen	...	Dr. Becquerel
Van Johnson	...	Reporter
Margaret O'Brien	...	Irene Curie (at age 5)
James Hilton	...	Narrator (voice)

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved (PCA #9500)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Director Mervyn LeRoy replaced Albert Lewin, who was fired shortly before production began.

Goofs:

Factual errors: On New Year's Eve, Pierre and Marie try to stay awake all night in an attempt to crystallize radium. At some point, they decide to take a nap. When Marie awakens, she asks Pierre the time and he says it is 5:00AM. In their laboratory, there is full daylight and one can see sunlight appearing through the windows. At the beginning of January in Paris, the sun does not rise by 5:00AM and thus, the room should have still been dark.

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies (2006) (TV)

Madame Curie ***1/2 Great Chemistry Between Stars Mingles With the Physics

Faithful rendition of the tale involving physicists Marie and Pierre Curie.

Fresh out of their "Mrs. Miniver" roles, Walter Pidgeon and Greer Garson again etched unforgettable characters. Pidgeon here is even better here then as Clem Miniver. In this film, he shows a frigidness, never depicted by him before in films. He appears afraid and incapable of any human relationship. How the two find their way to love is an inspiration to us all.

The early part dealing with the separation of radium from barium was tedious at best. Not one to be a science scholar, this is some ways reminded me of a horrible chemistry teacher that I had in high school. She too was frigid and very incapable of forming lasting relationships.

Fine support is offered from Albert Basserman and Henry Travers, the latter being memorable in "Mrs. Miniver" as well. Dame May Witty briefly appears as Pidgeon's devoted mother. The resurfacing of Garson, Pidgeon, Travers and Witty was like a reunion of the Miniver characters.

Garson really pours on the acting as the film develops. She is devoted to her experiments in physics but shows memorable emotion with the tragic death of Pierre Curie.