Sadly Over-hyped

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

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.

I can now tell my mother I finally viewed the film that inspired her to pursue a career in medicine.Other users say what needs be said in detail, so I'll confine my review to some observations...I half-expected the Minivers in lab smocks. I was proved wrong by both actors from start to finish.Read the biographies on the credited co-screenwriters. Paul Osborn was perhaps better known as a playwright. You may know of On Borrowed Time, but his comedy Morning's at Seven literally walks around your head.In the final scene between Madame Curie and Professor Perot try to take your eyes off of Greer Garson.And once again a film prompts me to read more about its subject. That is a most uncommon and justly deserved result.

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.

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