Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Madame Curie Blu-ray Movie Review

A Nobel life.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III March 11, 2022

MGM's biopic Madame Curie, nominated for a whopping seven Academy Awards in 1943, traces the exploits of Polish scientist Marie Curie (Greer Garson) who, along with husband Pierre (Walter Pidgeon), isolated and named the new element of radium after years of work in the 1890s. Their working and personal relationships are respectively shown as tireless and free from the usual domestic drama, leaving no room for the petty squabbles that often clog up husband-and-wife business partnerships. Important life events are glimpsed and the Curies take just one well-earned vacation during this 124-minute affair, which follows Marie's life from a student at the Sorbonne through adulthood and ends on a flash-forward to the mid-1920s. Yet despite the presence of hard science and an obvious appreciation for Curie's work, Madame Curie's glossy Hollywood sheen ultimately distracts from its central figure.

Based on the eponymous 1938 novel by Marie's youngest daughter Ève, Madame Curie gets many of its checkpoint goals exactly right. It's the rare Hollywood biopic that doesn't take too many liberties with its backbone, immediately showing her exhaustive focus (an early scene depicts her fainting in the middle of class after forgetting to eat) and introduction to absent-minded Pierre at a party thrown by her tutor's wife. Immediately sensing a kindred spirit, Pierre invites Marie to share his lab... much to the surprise of his assistant David LeGros (Robert Walker) who, like Pierre, believes that science and woman are mostly incompatible but, you know, she's cute. For both reasons, they eventually fall in love and get married, yet clearly (and almost inevitably) stoke the the flames of work more than a fiery, intense passion for one another -- which makes it hard to believe they eventually had a child, let alone two.

But before she's even pregnant for the first time, Marie's unyielding interest is piqued by radioactive energy produced by a piece of pitchblende rock (later known as Uraninite) and she decides to devote her doctoral studies to its unique properties. After her measurements don't add up, Marie believes a missing third radioactive element exists in the rock. The Sorbonne's physics department is not fully convinced of her hypothesis but still allows the Curies to use a run-down building on the university grounds, whey they eventually isolate the new element using a method of crystallization. The rest, as they say, is history, though not without cost: Marie's careless handling of the radioactive material led to curious burns on her fingers, which resulted in a real-life serious condition strangely not mentioned in the film.

Madame Curie admirably -- and quite appropriately -- takes a slow and mostly methodical approach to its story, traveling at a very steady pace that, as mentioned earlier, primarily focuses on the events above and nothing more. No mention is made of outside family members, homework trouble, lover's spats, or Marie's devotion to political activism, and we don't even get a whiff of disobedient children. A few detailed scientific explanations of the Curies' work -- some of which were trimmed for select showings -- are even presented as seamless segment breaks and narrated by novelist and screenwriter James Hilton (Foreign Correspondent, Lost Horizon). But the Hollywood sheen of its overall flow, which includes the overly emotional dialogue, tends to break the illusion and does a disservice to its source material. Greer and Pidgeon, who appeared together in seven other films together and were regularly Oscar-nominated during this decade, do what they can with the material and, at times, it's too much: we get the feeling that while most of these events actually happened, very few conversations or external monologues are even close to exact.

Such are Hollywood biopics, which as recently as King Richard tend to paint central figures in a colorfully exaggerated light... but it comes with the territory, so just take Madame Curie at face value and enjoy. If nothing else, it certainly exceeded expectations at the time and at least seems more level-leaded than 2019's painfully dramatic Radioactive. For now, this 1943 production shines as brightly as ever on Warner Archive's Blu-ray which, as usual, serves up a top-tier A/V presentation that supports the film's excellent cinematography and original score. It's also currently on sale for less than $10, which makes Madame Curie a decent blind buy for those interested in the subject matter.

Madame Curie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released during a time when Warner Archive press releases weren't as detailed as usual, the specifics of Madame Curie's restoration were not clearly advertised but the end result, as usual, is drop-dead gorgeous. The film's nitrate roots shine on this clean and crisp 1080p transfer, which routinely features soft but stable close-ups that contrast nicely with wide shots that show off lavish and low-rent locales alike. Textures are maintained thanks to a pleasing amount of natural film grain and excellent contrast levels, which showcase respectable amounts of shadow detail and bright whites with no apparent clipping, crush, or posterization. Overall, it's another stable and film-like presentation that's clean as a whistle, thanks to the boutique label's usual round of careful cleanup and minimal image processing. Easily surpassing both previous DVDs, Madame Curie looks fantastic here and long-time fans of the film will be very pleased.

Madame Curie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix is likewise aimed at purists, as it features a strong dynamic range during music cues and very clear dialogue with overly distracting damage but a few stray pops and hisses. Crowded conversations overlap nicely with good placement that creates modest depth while retaining its original one-channel roots. Like the audio, this Blu-ray's optional English (SDH) subtitles -- which are cleanly formatted and very legible -- show no sync issues either. It's a faithful and exceedingly clean presentation that rarely calls attention to itself but impresses nonetheless.

Madame Curie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with original one-sheet poster artwork and no inserts of any kind. Both bonus features are carried over from earlier DVD editions, including Warner Archive's own 2012 disc.

• Pete Smith Specialty Short: "Romance of Radium" (9:43) - This Oscar-nominated 1937 short, directed by Jacques Tourneur (yes, that Jacques Tourneur), briefly covers the accidental 1896 discovery of radioactivity in uranium by Henri Becquerrel, which led to the dedicated work of Marie and Pierre Curie who isolated the new element "radium"; the three of them would later share the 1903 Nobel Prize for their efforts. It's charming in the dated way that most of the Smith Specialty shorts are and obviously pairs well with the main feature.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:06) - This vintage promotional piece can also be seen here.

Madame Curie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mervyn LeRoy's Madame Curie is admirable in that it recounts a very dramatic story rooted in hard science and mostly does so in an accurate, accessible, and informative way -- especially by 1943 standards. It's also partially held back by sugary Hollywood treatment that makes a few of the critical moments, relationships, and dialogue ring hollow, but very strong fundamentals -- production design, cinematography, music -- still keep the ship afloat. Warner Archive's Blu-ray presentation plays to the film's inarguable strengths by offering yet another outstanding A/V presentations, with a few short but appreciated bonus features for good measure. If you're at all interested in the cast or subject matter, it's even worth a blind buy... especially at its current bargain price point, which is less than $10 as of this review.