Madame Curie (1943) - Mervyn LeRoy

Once more Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon are brought together for a lavish MGM production. Garson hot off the heels of her Oscar win for Mrs. Miniver delivered another of what would come to be her signature prestige roles. Not to detract from Garson, in fact quite the contrary she was never less than spectacular. Her role as Marie Curie earned her another Oscar nomination, and well deserved I'd say. Now the film might not have the lush beauty of LeRoy and Garson's previous Blossoms in the Dust but that isn't to say its a worse film. In fact its very much the same picture, taking place in a similar time frame and also about a famous woman in history. Walter Pidgeon's character seems too "let's just give up" that it starts to wane as Garson's Marie is deified. Interesting on the DVD is a short called Romance of Radium directed by a then unknown Jacques Tournieur. Another curiosity in the "history told by Hollywood" cycle of films so popular with Academy voters at the time. One of Robert Walker's very first film roles, he plays Curie's initial assistant.

*Madame Curie was nominated for best picture, best actor (Pidgeon), best actress (Garson), black and white art direction, black and white cinematography, best score, and best sound.