Marie Curie

BBC mini-series with Jane Lapotaire in the title role. The programme chronicles the work of scientific pioneer Marie Curie as she conducts her research into radioactivity, makes the famous discovery of Radium and wins Nobel Prizes for both Physics and Chemistry. The programme also looks at key events that affected the soon-to-be famous revolutionary including the devastating death of her husband (Nigel Hawthorne) and her subsequent controversial affairs.

This is an excellent five part drama series covering the arc of Madame Curie's adult professional and personal life. It reflects (accurately, I assume) her single-minded drive and purpose in devoting herself to studies and science. It was well worth watching with only a couple of small negatives for me. One was the voice over at the beginning of each episode, as documentaries often utilize, bringing the viewers up to speed on where the episode starts up. It isn't terrible or anything, just an unnecessary distraction. Also, although the show probably reflects her workaholic nature accurately, it is almost depressing to see how little enjoyment she gets out of her life. Her children seem to love and respect her, so I assume she was a good mother. It might have been a bit more balanced if they had shown more of the small happy moments of family life. But it is a great show, and despite being produced in the 1970s, it didn't feel dated to me.