You've got to hand it to the golden era of Hollywood. Studio bosses were so self-assured, no true-life story seemed too dry or esoteric for a bona fide cinematic makeover. After all, Marie Curie's discovery of radium in the early years of the 20th century might not seem like the stuff dreams are made of. But MGM's 1943 biopic, Madame Curie, might just make you a believer.

Based on the book by Eve Curie (Marie Curie's youngest daughter), the movie begins with young Marie Sklodowska (Greer Garson), a Polish immigrant, studying mathematics and physics at the Sorbonne in Paris. She is brilliant, but so consumed with her studies that she apparently forgets to consume anything else. Marie faints from hunger during a classroom lecture. Being that she looks like Greer Garson, however, the male students rush to her aid.

In the ruckus, Marie attracts the attention of a kindly professor (Albert Bassermann) who takes her under his wing and gets her a job in the research laboratory of physicist Pierre Curie (Walter Pidgeon). It takes a while for romance to blossom. Marie and Pierre are both cerebral, single-minded and socially clumsy. "Women and science are incompatible," Pierre grouses to his assistant, David (a wonderfully ebullient Robert Walker). Once Pierre discovers the extent of Marie's intellect, however, it's only a matter of time until their mutual admiration turns into geek love.

Madame Curie's first half is curiously frothy stuff. MGM schmaltzes up the proceedings with the trappings of a sweet romantic comedy. Surprisingly, it works. As Garson and Pidgeon had proven in 1942's Mrs. Miniver -- for which Garson won the Best Actress Oscar - they have real chemistry together; fittingly, the amorously inept Pierre compares their relationship to sodium chloride. You sense a poignancy and affection in their interaction. Marie and Pierre are painfully awkward, but they find a kindred spirit in each other.

Alas, Madame Curie loses a bit of eclectic charm once it veers into more familiar biopic fare. Still, venerable director Mervyn LeRoy does an impressive job turning the tedium of scientistic research into an engrossing adventure. There are the obligatory montages of lab tests with our intrepid researchers tinkering with beakers and bowls and things that go buzz. It makes for solid enough entertainment. LeRoy is particularly adept at distilling all the talk about pitcheblendes and elemental properties into something that Forties-era audiences wanted to see, dressing up the scientific mumbo-jumbo in the lush style of MGM.

Greer Garson is appealing enough, but she reserves her most evocative moments for the single arched eyebrow. You can only dream what Greta Garbo, who was originally slated to portray Curie, would have done with the part. Walter Pidgeon, on the other hand, is a joy. With his tall, lanky frame and rigid mannerisms, he brings a lovable earnestness to his performance of a man who becomes Marie's biggest cheerleader. Regardless of what your humble reviewer thinks, both Garson and Pidgeon earned Oscar nominations for the picture. Oh, and cinephiles will want to be on the lookout for Van Johnson in an early role.

The movie is also of some interest for what it leaves out of its telling. There is only token mention of the lethal carcinogens that the Curies handled in their experiments. And even though the film is based on Eve Curie's book, Madame Curie all but forgets the Curies' two children. Just who was watching the kids when mom and dad were up to their elbows in radioactive material?

The picture, preserved in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio, isn't quite up to the standards of other Warner DVD releases of Hollywood classics. The quality is hampered by occasional scratches and pops -- perhaps common with films of the 1940s, but unfortunate, nonetheless.

The mono audio track is clear, dependable and gets the job done. There is no noticable dropoff or distortion. English is the only audio track available, with subtitles also English-only.

Romance of Radium (9:40) is a nifty short film directed in 1937 by Jaques Tourneur, who would go on to greater fame making such Val Lewton-produced horror classics as Cat People and I Walked with a Zombie. The flick is a straightforward and intiguing telling of Marie Curie's discovery.

Other than the short, the only supplemental material includes trailers for Madame Curie and a gaggle of other Greer Garson gems: Goodbye, Mr. Chips; Pride and Prejudice; Mrs. Miniver and Random Harvest.

Not a great biopic but certainly handsomely crafted and consistently entertaining, Madame Curie works best when it focuses on scientists in love. No wonder, then, that chemistry is so strong between leads Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon.