Film script: Project work for Class 12

Film script

Marie Curie – the woman who changed the world

Scene-1 Take 1

[Camera closes upto a door. Slightly lit, focuses on the door, a large gathering in front of the door]

Agitated voices

“Husband Stealer! Get the foreign woman out!”

[Voice became gradually louder] “Out...out...out”

[A stone struck the house, breaking a glass pane (sound of breaking of glass)]

[camera rolls slowly into the house, doors and windows are closed, lights are off, pin-drop silence inside]

[Camera closes upto a corner of the room, A woman and her seven-year-old daughter huddled white-faced and silent, striking of stones and agitated voice growing louder and louder]

An old man (outside at a corner of the mob, holding a hand of a little one)

What the hell they are doing! They don’t know who she is. De gratia, one day they will realise and the whole world too.

Little boy

Granpa, who is she?

Old man

[Camera focuses on the lips of the old man]

She is Marie Sklodowska Curie, inventor of Radium, the first woman in this male-dominated world of science to receive the prestigious Nobel Prize twice both in Physics and Chemistry.

Little boy

Twice!!! O Granpa, Tell me about her.

Old man

Come, my child. We shall talk about it there on that bench.

                                                                        Cut...

Scene 2, take 1

[Camera focuses on the old man, sitting on a bench with his grandson]

Old man

Fifty years ago Paris was a light-hearted city the goal of many a traveller but some came not for gaiety but to work to study at one of the world's most famous university the Sorbonne. To its lecture room and classes students came from all over the world and among them were a young girl. She was poor. She was beautiful. She had left her homeland and family and here in Paris, she was alone haunted by dreams and invincibly eager to go out alone into space. Go out alone.

Shot 2

 [in a grey scale] Setting : Warsaw, Poland

[Camera rolling slowly into a room not much furnished. A woman on her death bed. A small girl with pale cheek sitting beside her.]

Woman on the bed

Don’t come near me Marya. I love you very much, my darling. Don’t come. It will kill you.

[Camera focuses on the cheeks of the small girl.]

Girl [Tears rolling down]

Father, what happened to mom? Why can’t I go near her?

Father

You can’t my child. You can’t. [Embraces the girl, kissed her with tears on his eyes]

[The lady on the bed breathed her last.]

                                                            Cut...

Scene 3 take 1 [Scale chages] [focus on the old man and little boy]

Boy

Who are they?

Old man

That was Marie’s father Vladislav and mother Bronislawa Sklodowski. Marie was sitting there.

[Again in grey scale]

Camera rolls on a room

Anna

Three Mia whoa sir.. ...[trying to pronounce Russian] o papa it’s too hard. I can’t.

Father

You have to, my child. If you want to be a doctor. It’s the Russian you have to learn first.

Anna

Three mia sir sir sirrr..

Marie

[Whispering voice] Koroleva.. it means queen.yesterday my teacher read this poem.

Father handed a book on Marie’s hand.

Marie began to read in perfect Russian pronunciation

Anna[amazed]

How did you do that?

Marie

It’s so easy.

Shot 3 take 1

[office room of a university in Poland, Marie came with her sister and father to a university]

Principal [sitting on a chair]

It’s so good to see you Vlade. I keep telling the Russians here you don’t find a better Physics teacher than Vladislav. They are willing to hire you buddy.

Vladislav

I won’t teach in Russian, Alec. I am appalled and this is Poland. But my daughter Branya has come here to enrol.

Principal Alec

I am afraid that isn’t possible.

Vladislav

But she was great. She was top Russian speaker in her class.

Alec

But it does not make any difference, Vlade as of last week all Russian Universities are closed to women.

[a sad music on]

[Marie and her sister broke down with tears.]

                        Cut...

Scene 4 take 1

Sorbonne University, Paris

A Professor

You are feeling better? Sit.  Sit still a moment. You fainted.

Marie

I... Im sorry I interrupted the lecture so stupidly.

Professor

You can get the notes from some other students. Your name is Marie Scholoscka?

Marie

Yes.

Professor

You are working in two master degrees. One in physics and one in mathematics. You passed first in the... mathematical examination last year. What did you have to eat today?

Marie

Eat?

Professor

Yes, eat. What did you have?

Marie

I don't remember. I have some lunch. Salmon. All sort of things.

I'm interested in physics and mathematics.

Yes, so am I.

Yet, I have a wife and a home a daughter and two granddaughters

I'm afraid I will not be up to that.

Your desire is to go back to Poland and teach?

Yes.

Your parents are still in Warsaw

My father is a physics professor. He is old. When I have my degrees I shall go back and live with him.

You love Poland.

Oh, yes. I love Poland.Physics and mathematics and Poland.

However, I know a scientist of great merit who works in the school of physics and chemistry. Perhaps he might have recommendation available.  Come and have tea Sunday with my wife and me. I will ask him to come, too. You probably know his name. It is Pierre Curie.

Oh, thank you so much. Thank you ..You have been very kind. Not at all. Not at all.

Good bye then. Until Sunday.

Sunday. Good night.

Good night.

Next shot [camera rolls on a new man ]

Professor

Ah. Professor Curie. How nice? You two had met? Have not had the honor in the hallway. This is Mdme. [camera on Marie] Marie Scholoscka.

Pierre stares at Marie.      Cut...

Scene 5 take 2

[Camera rolls in a study room of Pierre. Pierre is writing a letter.]

Paris

It was in Paris that she met Pierre Curie, who was then chief of the laboratory at the School of Physics and Chemistry. He was a renowned Chemist, who had conducted many experiments on crystals and electronics. Pierre was smitten with the young Marya and asked her to marry him. Marya initially refused but, after persistence from Pierre, she relented. Until Pierre’s untimely death in 1906, the two become inseparable. In addition to co-operation on work, they spent much leisure time bicycling and travelling around Europe together.

Scene 6

 Camera focuses on the bench

Grandfather

Marie pursued studies in radioactivity. In 1898, this led to the discovery of two new elements. One of which she named polonium after her home country. There then followed four years of extensive study into the properties of radium. Using dumped uranium tailings from a nearby mine, very slowly, and with painstaking effort, they were able to extract a decigram of radium.

Little boy

What is remarkable about radium?

Grandfather

Radium was discovered to have remarkable impacts. In testing the product, Marie suffered burns from the rays. It was from this discovery of radium and its properties that the science of radiation was able to develop. It was found that radium had the power to burn away diseased cells in the body. Initially, this early form of radiotherapy was called ‘curietherapy. The Curries agreed to give away their secret freely; they did not wish to patent such a valuable element. The element was soon in high demand, and it began industrial scale production. For their discovery, they were awarded the Davy Medal (Britain) and the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903. Marie Curie was the first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize.

                                                                                               Cut...

Scene 6 take 1

[Camera rolls on the lips of the old man]

Old man

In 1911, she was awarded a second Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of actinium and further studies on radium and polonium. The success of Marie Curie also brought considerable hostility, criticism and suspicion from a male-dominated science world. Now can you realise why they gathered their? They are jealous.

                                    Cut ...

The End