Biased
Films
Although these films maintain Marie Curie's legacy, they do not fully portray the real Marie Curie. They may have some true facts and ideas but there are biased depictions as well. Film audiences may be misled by entertaining yet biased representations of reality.
“In the years after her death, scientists, historians, artists and others have grappled with her story, often highlighting qualities or imputing traits to her that reflected contemporary social values more than biographical truths. Curie’s portrayal in books and movies tended to emphasize her roles as wife, mother and humanitarian at the expense of her importance as a brilliant physicist.” Smithsonian Magazine (2011)
Peter Austin, PhD
Historian, Author
Interview, January 2021
“Most memorably, MGM’s Madame Curie (1943) featured Greer Garson as a devoted wife rather than a sometimes prickly, independent scientist.” Smithsonian Magazine (2011)
"As an in-joke, Nobel-prize winners in physics Pierre-Gilles de Gennes and Georges Charpak make cameo appearances as delivery men hauling rocks used to distill radium." IMDb (2020)
FILMS
"Science biopics are a tough sell to begin with. And the title “Marie Curie: The Courage of Knowledge” — which sounds like a paperback in an abandoned library — does the film no favors. Yet filmmaker Marie Noelle fills the story with passion, debate and human contradiction." Zilberman (2017)
"But while this Polish-born, naturalized French physicist’s achievements in science are found in science textbooks the world over, what’s less well known is how Madame Curie worked through great personal tragedy and controversy, always finding ways to continue helping others, blazing trails for others to follow in her footsteps." Clark (2020)