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The Man in the White Suit (1951)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
April 1952 (USA) moreTagline:
Should they let him play...or should they put him away? morePlot:
An altruistic chemist invents a fabric that resists wear and stain as boon to humanity but both capital and labor realize it must be suppressed for economic reasons. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 nominations moreUser Comments:
Lasts forever and never wears out moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Alec Guinness | ... | Sidney Stratton | |
| Joan Greenwood | ... | Daphne Birnley | |
| Cecil Parker | ... | Alan Birnley | |
| Michael Gough | ... | Michael Corland | |
| Ernest Thesiger | ... | Sir John Kierlaw | |
| Howard Marion-Crawford | ... | Cranford (as Howard Marion Crawford) | |
| Henry Mollison | ... | Hoskins | |
| Vida Hope | ... | Bertha | |
| Patric Doonan | ... | Frank | |
| Duncan Lamont | ... | Harry | |
| Harold Goodwin | ... | Wilkins | |
| Colin Gordon | ... | Hill | |
| Joan Harben | ... | Miss Johnson | |
| Arthur Howard | ... | Roberts | |
| Roddy Hughes | ... | Green |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
85 minCountry:
UKLanguage:
EnglishColour:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)Certification:
UK:U | Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:S (video rating) (1991) | USA:Approved | Finland:K-8 (1959) | Sweden:15Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Alec Guinness performed the stunt of climbing down the side of the mansion. He was convinced by a technician that the piano wire holding him up would not break, since only piano wire with kinks in it would be prone to breaking. As he got to about four feet from the ground, the wire did in fact break. moreGoofs:
Continuity: When Hill disturbs Michael Corland at the table, he holds a piece of paper. The paper swaps hands between shots. moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more
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Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Man in the White Suit (1951)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
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| Oddly enough... | frannywentzel |
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| Review | mob61uk |
| Who's side is this movie on? | crushtv-1 |
| The White Suit with Jackie Chan | MCRUSE3997 |
| Great movie | roftd |
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For me this is Ealing Studio's most perfect film - as fresh and relevant half a century later as it was the day it was released.
As a satire on economic notions of 'growth' and the commercial need for in-built obsolescence, it could scarcely be more up-to-the-minute. And of what other film can it be said that the hero literally wears the plot?
Oddly, there are parallels with Jurassic Park, in which messing with the environment will literally turn round and bite you. But Spielberg shied away from the book's brilliant central conceit to tack on some nonsense about 'children'. Hmmm.
In The Man In The White Suit, Alec Guiness plays an idealistic young scientist who comes up with a cloth that never gets dirty and never wears out. Suddenly workers and capital at the northern English mill where he is working are united as never before in protection of their livelihoods.
Of course, being Ealing, it's a comedy, but it needn't have been. The complex interplay of vested (should that be suited?) interests plays out beautifully, as one by one all parties realize that 'progress' is a threat, and that disposability and waste are what keep the looms turning.
But, yes, this is a comedy - albeit a pointed one - and amid the political ironies are delicious performances, and some good old-fashioned knock-about laughs.
Nonetheless, it's the biting satire that endures - dazzling and white.