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00:00Transcribed by ESO, translated by —
00:30Still not well, Pierre?
00:45Who could be well after four years of experimenting in an old drafty shed?
00:51The four years in that shed were a holiday compared to four weeks of dodging reporters.
00:56Well, I can't do anything to make you less popular, but as for a new laboratory, we'd like you to join us here at the Sorbonne as a professor of physics.
01:12I at least expected a little smile.
01:15I'm sorry, it's just... I don't think I'm the best choice.
01:22A bachelor's degree at 16, a master's degree at 18, and now a Nobel Prize.
01:30Who could be a better choice than Pierre Curie, hmm?
01:35Marie Curie.
01:38But your wife is a woman.
01:43My wife is a scientist, Professor Bouty, one who has changed the world.
01:49Uh, I think you're exaggerating, Pierre.
01:53Marie was just your assistant.
01:55Not at all.
01:56If anything, I assisted her.
01:59There's never been a woman professor at the Sorbonne, Pierre.
02:03Or anywhere in Europe.
02:05It's just not done.
02:07Marie has been doing what women have never done all her life.
02:12You can't expect a tender-hearted woman to teach her a classroom of independent young men.
02:20If you'll allow me a few minutes, I will convince you without question that no one is more qualified for the post at Professor than Marie Slodowska Curie.
02:32To be a professor at the Sorbonne, one must have some natural brilliance.
02:41Agreed?
02:42Of course.
02:43Absolutely.
02:45Marie has always shown brilliance, even as a little girl in Poland.
02:50Her country was ruled by Russia, so everyone was forced to learn the Russian language.
02:56Ye, Ye, Gipta, Dria, Driv, Driv.
03:05Oh, Papa, it's too hard.
03:08Just ten more minutes, Boronya.
03:11I'll never get it.
03:12Then you'll never be a doctor.
03:15Oh.
03:15I wish the Russians would just go back to Russia.
03:22Perhaps they will someday.
03:25Until then, no one goes to university without learning Russian first.
03:32Driv,
03:34Nye,
03:35Vo,
03:37Tza,
03:38Tzar,
03:39Tzar,
03:40Tzaritza.
03:42It means queen.
03:44My teacher read this poem in class yesterday.
03:55How did you do that?
04:11It's easy.
04:12Although years younger than Boronya,
04:15Marie was always the better student.
04:18And yet,
04:20she was always humble about it.
04:22I think you'll agree that humility serves a professor well.
04:27Oh,
04:27there's nothing worse than an arrogant professor.
04:29Marie,
04:30Papa says we should go.
04:40This is for you.
04:41Your own Russian dictionary.
04:43It's brand new.
04:45You can't start at the university with that old one.
04:47I figured I could keep that.
05:00Come, Marie.
05:01It's so good to see you,
05:06Vladi.
05:07I keep telling the Russians here.
05:09You won't find a better physics teacher than Vladislav Sklodowsky.
05:14They're willing to hire you,
05:15Vladi.
05:16I won't teach in Russian,
05:18Alec.
05:19I'm a Pole,
05:20and this is Poland.
05:23But my daughter,
05:24Bronia,
05:25here,
05:25has come to enroll.
05:27I'm afraid that isn't possible.
05:30But her grades were perfect.
05:32She was the top Russian speaker in her class.
05:35That makes no difference,
05:36Vladi.
05:37As of last week,
05:39all Russian universities
05:40are closed to
05:43women.
05:45No.
05:47No.
05:50Bronia's dream
05:51had come to an end.
05:54For the moment,
05:56no one has a greater passion for learning than Marie.
06:00After graduating as the top student in her class,
06:04she risked her life daily
06:07for the sake of learning more.
06:10Every night,
06:10she would sneak to the local museum.
06:13It's too cold.
06:14There's no man tonight.
06:18Let's go back now.
06:21I guess you're right.
06:31It wasn't just a museum,
06:34of course.
06:34It was also
06:36a secret university
06:38where everything was taught in Polish.
06:42Pierre,
06:43no one doubts
06:44that Marie has a passion for science
06:46or that she is kind.
06:48But
06:48it takes more than this.
06:50I've only just begun,
06:52Professor Lipman.
06:53You accuse her of being tender-hearted,
07:00Professor Bouty.
07:02All students should have a professor
07:05with a heart like hers.
07:07She cares more about the dreams of others
07:10than she does her very own.
07:12Her sister, Bronia,
07:14could tell you about that.
07:15Ah, the Sorbonne.
07:29It's beautiful.
07:30My friend has a cousin
07:32who actually studies there.
07:33Just think,
07:35to be studying in Paris
07:38at the oldest,
07:39most...
07:40most famous university
07:44in all the world.
07:45You're going there, Bronia.
07:47I barely have enough to get to France,
07:50let alone study there.
07:51Not if we put our money together.
07:53I've taken a job as a governess.
07:58It's far away,
08:00but it pays 500 rubles a year.
08:02Marie, you...
08:03Let me finish.
08:05If we save everything we can,
08:07you should be able to leave next year.
08:09While you're studying in Paris,
08:10I'll keep working here,
08:12sending you the money you need to keep going.
08:15When you've become a doctor,
08:17it'll be my turn to go.
08:19And then, Bronia?
08:21Then we'll both come back
08:22and teach the people
08:23what we've learned,
08:25what they could be learning
08:26if Poland was free.
08:34You should go first.
08:36You're the gifted one.
08:37No.
08:38You've waited the longest.
08:41But my studies will take five years.
08:44And I will miss you every day
08:45of every year.
08:46Perhaps we should close that window, huh?
08:55Yes, I...
08:57I think some dust flew in.
09:01Or pollen, maybe.
09:03Could have been pollen, yes.
09:06Did you know, Professor Liepman,
09:08that when Marie finally got to France,
09:11that she did not understand
09:13a single word of your lectures,
09:16she had never heard a Frenchman speak French before,
09:20especially on the topic of physics.
09:23But after 18 months of study
09:25and living in absolute poverty,
09:29she earned a master's degree in physics.
09:32Not only that,
09:34she was first in her class.
09:37And 12 months after that,
09:40she received her master's degree in mathematics.
09:43Yes, perfect grades.
09:46Above all,
09:47Marie is guided by a single promise.
09:51I will do what is best for mankind.
09:54Lucky for me,
10:00that promise brought Marie and I together.
10:04One more week,
10:05and you'll be back in Poland.
10:07I can't wait to start teaching.
10:10You know,
10:10the secret university
10:11may have been found out
10:13and shot down.
10:15Then I'll start another.
10:17I'll do whatever it takes for freedom.
10:19Is freedom your only dream?
10:23I mean,
10:25it's a wonderful dream,
10:26but I wonder,
10:28could you ever...
10:30What I mean to say is...
10:33Will you marry me?
10:36I can't.
10:39I can't stay here, Pierre.
10:41Do you love me?
10:43Oh, yes.
10:45Then I will go to Poland with you.
10:47No, Pierre.
10:48You wouldn't be free to study there.
10:50And what about your experiments?
10:52Your gifts would be wasted in Poland.
10:54What about your gifts, Marie?
10:57I have no doubt
10:57that you can work miracles in Poland.
11:00But all your miracles,
11:01there would not be a fraction
11:03of what you can do here.
11:05I'm sorry, Pierre.
11:09I'm sorry.
11:11There is no shame in leaving me, Marie.
11:14I'm just a foolish man.
11:15But you have no right
11:18to abandon science.
11:20Here is where you can do the most
11:22for suffering mankind.
11:23I'll never leave you.
11:48I must confess.
11:52These are things I never knew.
11:56A woman professor.
11:58Why must we think of it that way?
12:01A woman professor.
12:03Marie has her doctorate.
12:05She is a doctor of science.
12:07Not a woman doctor of science,
12:09mind you,
12:09but a doctor.
12:10Just like both of you.
12:12I have no such degree.
12:14Well, yes,
12:15but you,
12:16you're,
12:17well, you're,
12:18a man.
12:21Gentlemen,
12:21the research for Marie's doctorate
12:23has changed the world forever.
12:25I remember the day
12:27she explained
12:28the ideas for her thesis.
12:31She stood right over there.
12:33This picture was taken
12:35two years ago
12:35by a German scientist.
12:36He did it
12:39by using invisible light rays
12:41coming from this
12:42uranium.
12:45You can't see the rays,
12:47but they're strong enough
12:48to go through metal.
12:50They're called
12:50X-rays
12:52because no one knows
12:54what they really are
12:55or where they come from.
12:57I want to find out
12:58what the X means.
13:01Well, it's,
13:02it's certainly worthy research
13:04for a doctorate,
13:05but, uh,
13:08Marie,
13:08no woman
13:10has, uh,
13:11ever received
13:12a doctorate degree.
13:14I don't mind
13:15being the first.
13:17Within just a few weeks,
13:19her experiments
13:20led her
13:20to her now famous theory.
13:23Only future generations
13:24will understand
13:25its importance.
13:27The atom,
13:28the tiniest,
13:29most basic building block
13:31in the universe.
13:33For years,
13:34we have believed
13:34it to be constant,
13:36stable,
13:36and unbreakable.
13:38I'm not so sure.
13:41I believe
13:42X-rays come
13:44from the uranium atom,
13:45which is constantly
13:46disintegrating.
13:48The Academy of Science
13:49is no place
13:50for wild and careless theories.
13:52She's trying to change
13:53the understanding
13:53of matter itself.
13:55The theory
13:56of radioactivity.
13:59It was a leap
14:00of genius.
14:01men have been
14:02made professors
14:03for much less,
14:05and still we haven't
14:06come to her
14:06most famous achievement.
14:08She discovered
14:09a new element.
14:12And yet,
14:12when we say
14:13discovered,
14:14people think it
14:15merely fell into her lap.
14:19Nothing could be
14:20further from the truth.
14:21To find radium,
14:24Marie did the work
14:26of both scientist
14:27and slave.
14:29She would haul wood
14:30for an outside fire,
14:32then set a giant
14:33cauldron on it.
14:35She would treat
14:36each ton of rock
14:38with 60 tons
14:39of water
14:40and five or six tons
14:42of acid.
14:44The steel rock
14:45she used to mix it
14:46with was taller
14:47and heavier
14:48than herself.
14:49The mixture itself
14:52gave off
14:52a noxious fume
14:54that burned
14:54her throat
14:55and eyes.
14:57When it rained,
14:58she would have
14:59to break everything
15:00down and
15:01hold it inside.
15:02Inside,
15:03the fumes
15:04were more intense,
15:05but she kept
15:06working.
15:07In a few months,
15:09we had our
15:10first results.
15:11It must be
15:12800 times
15:14stronger than uranium.
15:15And it's still
15:16not even pure yet.
15:17I'm giving up
15:19all my experimenting
15:20to help you.
15:21I'll be your
15:22assistant.
15:23No, Pierre,
15:23you can't.
15:25I must.
15:26Marie,
15:26you found
15:27something wonderful.
15:29I know.
15:30You...
15:31It was the
15:32happiest time
15:33of our lives.
15:35One year
15:36later,
15:37we had a small
15:38dish of
15:39radium salts.
15:40But it took
15:43Marie three
15:44more years
15:45of dissolving
15:45rock
15:46before she
15:47could purify
15:47one half
15:49a gram
15:50of radium.
15:54Perhaps
15:55we should
15:55end our
15:56conversation
15:57there, huh?
15:58No,
15:58not yet,
15:59please.
16:00We understand
16:02the point
16:02you're trying
16:03to make here.
16:04You can't
16:05understand
16:06unless you
16:07hear this
16:07last part.
16:08Please.
16:08Please.
16:10The true
16:11taste of
16:12Marie's
16:12devotion to
16:13science and
16:14mankind
16:14came after
16:16the value
16:17of radium
16:18was discovered.
16:21Something wrong.
16:23The Americans
16:23have heard
16:24that radium
16:25kills cancer.
16:27They want
16:27all the
16:28information
16:28they can get.
16:29Let's send
16:30it right away,
16:31then.
16:31I was just
16:32about to.
16:33Then I thought
16:34we'd better
16:35talk.
16:36The whole
16:37world wants
16:38to know
16:39the secret
16:39of radium.
16:40We have
16:41a choice
16:42to make.
16:43We can
16:44give it
16:45away,
16:46or we
16:47can say
16:47that it
16:48belongs to
16:49us.
16:50If someone
16:50wanted it,
16:51they'd have
16:52to buy it
16:52from us.
16:53I never
16:54thought
16:54the secret
16:55of radium
16:55belonged to
16:56us.
16:57Neither
16:57did I,
16:58but we
16:59must
16:59understand
17:00this.
17:01Once
17:02this letter
17:03is sent,
17:04there's
17:04no turning
17:05back.
17:05we
17:07are
17:07choosing
17:07poverty
17:08over
17:09wealth.
17:11If
17:11radium
17:11has the
17:12power
17:12to help
17:12those
17:13who
17:13suffer,
17:13then there's
17:15no other
17:15choice but
17:15to give
17:16it away.
17:16you
17:19know the
17:20rest of
17:20the story.
17:22She
17:22received her
17:22doctorate and
17:23three months
17:24after that,
17:24the Nobel
17:25Prize.
17:26The first
17:27woman to
17:27do either
17:28one.
17:29If
17:30honors
17:30make a
17:32professor,
17:32gentlemen,
17:34then
17:34Marie is
17:35most
17:35worthy.
17:36You
17:42have
17:42accomplished
17:43your
17:43goal,
17:44Pierre.
17:45One
17:45cannot
17:45imagine
17:46a better
17:47choice for
17:47professor
17:48than
17:49Madame
17:49Curie.
17:50Nevertheless,
17:52I'm
17:53afraid
17:53a
17:54compromise
17:55is the
17:55best we
17:56can do.
17:58I
17:59will be
17:59your
17:59chief
18:00assistant?
18:01I'm
18:01sorry,
18:02Marie.
18:03Sorry?
18:05It's
18:05the
18:06greatest
18:06thing
18:06that
18:06could
18:06ever
18:07happen.
18:07But
18:08you
18:08deserve
18:09better,
18:09Marie.
18:10I
18:10came
18:11from a
18:11place
18:11where
18:11I
18:12was
18:12not
18:12allowed
18:12to
18:13learn.
18:14And
18:14now
18:14I
18:14will
18:14be
18:14the
18:15chief
18:15assistant
18:15to
18:16Professor
18:16Curie
18:17at the
18:17Sorbonne?
18:19No
18:19one
18:20deserves
18:20better
18:20than
18:21that.
18:30Young
18:31people,
18:32you
18:33must
18:33remember
18:34this.
18:35the
18:37dream
18:37of a
18:39true
18:39scientist
18:40is to
18:41serve
18:42mankind.
18:44And
18:44because
18:45that is
18:45his
18:45dream,
18:47he
18:50must
18:50take
18:51this
18:52vow
18:52that
18:55no matter
18:56what.
19:05We'll
19:05finish
19:06tomorrow.
19:07Let's go.
19:37We are about to begin a new year at the Sorbonne.
19:44Finding a professor to replace Pierre has not been easy.
19:50The truth is, Marie, no one is qualified.
19:55No one except you.
19:58We would like you to join us as a professor of physics.
20:04But...
20:06No.
20:07We're sorry for not choosing you before, Marie.
20:14It has nothing to do with that, Professor Bouty.
20:17Without Pierre, science no longer interests me.
20:22Oh, I've been asked to tell you your old laboratory, the shed.
20:36Something new is being built there, so it must be destroyed.
20:40If you'd like us to gather your things there, we can...
20:47If you'd like us to gather your things there, we can...
20:51We could go to carefully.
20:52Oh, my God.
20:58If you're here to come, see me.
21:00Must be full of her.
21:01akat what part ofuting the graveyard has isent treasurer, honey.
21:03It must be the truth.
21:05It must be the truth.
21:06Well, there's 24 hours.
21:08I've got to go, isn't it?
21:09Not a clue?
21:09I've got to be back there.
21:10I've got to pleasure sightseeing you once before you've ever seen me.
21:11Oh, this drafty shit.
21:34Please, Pierre, go home and I'll call for the doctor.
21:37I can't go home. We're just days away from pure radium.
21:42It's not worth dying for. If I lost you, I could never go on.
21:47You mustn't say that, Marie. This work has the power to make the world a better place.
21:56No matter what happens, promise me, Marie, you will go on.
22:04I promise.
22:07I promise.
22:14I promise.
22:21The dream of a true scientist is to serve mankind.
22:37And because that is his dream, he must take this vow.
22:43No matter what happens, no matter how difficult life may seem, he or she must never give up.
22:53Oh, look at this one.
23:00Oh, look at this one.
23:02Oh, look at this one.
23:04Oh, look at this one.
23:06Come on.
24:07So give up the glory but never the fight
24:13And give up the honor of men
24:19And give up the treasures that money can buy
24:27And promise to never give in
24:32So give up the glory
25:02But never the fight
25:05And give up the honor of men
25:11And give up the treasures that money can buy
25:18And promise to never give in
25:25So give up the honor of men
25:33And give up the award of men