Skirts in the lab: Madame Curie and the image of the woman scientist in the feature film

Recent research has appropriately emphasized the significant role played by feature films in the creation (as well as the reflection) of popular stereotypes of the scientist. However, no particular study has yet been devoted to the depiction of women scientists in the cinema, even though it is quite clear that this presents its own distinctive features. Taking the influential Madame Curie (Mervyn LeRoy, 1943) as a starting point, this paper attempts to give a first overview of the subject.