The Genius of Marie Curie: The Woman Who Lit Up the World

Marie Curie had a life packed with incident. Born in Poland, she showed an early aptitude for science, but was prevented from pursuing her studies by an archaically minded educational establishment. She moved to Paris and changed her name; not only did she become highly qualified, but she achieved an almost immediate reputation as an innovator and radical thinker.

However her reputation was soon lost by a scandal involving her private life. In a closed society women were not supposed to have feelings of their own; hence to be unfaithful to her spouse was considered tantamount to a heinous crime.

Curie was nothing if not tenacious. Having married Pierre Curie she not only restored her reputation but increased it by discovering radium. From then on till her death in her mid-sixties she became an international figure, regularly lecturing in Europe and the United States.

This documentary does not tell us anything new about Curie's life, but serves as an ideal introduction to her work and why it is so enduringly significant.