Madame Curie

Teaching Film Custodians classroom film of excerpts from the 1943 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer feature film, "Madame Curie". Recounts the story of the discovery of radium. Traces the long, arduous work of Marie and Pierre Curie in separating radium from pitchblende after they had ascertained the presence of the new, active element in the ore. Stresses the scientific methodology and processes they followed in identifying radium, and characterizes the stimulating personalities of the couple., Abridged from the feature film. Recounts the story of the discovery of radium. Traces the long, arduous work of the Curies in separating radium from pitchblende after they had ascertained the presence of the new, active element in the ore. Stresses the scientific methodology and processes they followed in identifying radium, and characterizes the stimulating personalities of the couple.

Marie Sklodowska (Greer Garson) is a poor, idealistic student living in Paris and studying at the Sorbonne. She neglects her health and one day faints during class. Her tutor, Prof. Perot (Albert Bassermann) is sympathetic and, finding that she has no friends or family in Paris, invites her to a soirée. Among the guests is physicist Pierre Curie (Walter Pidgeon) who allows Marie to share his lab and finds that she is a gifted scientist.