The Man in the White Suit (1951)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Alexander Mackendrick

Writers:

Roger MacDougall (play)
Roger MacDougall (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

April 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sci-Fi | Drama

Tagline:

Should they let him play...or should they put him away?

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Inventor | Factory | Invention | Clothing Industry | Social Commentary

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

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

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

UK:U | Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:S (video rating) (1991) | USA:Approved | Finland:K-8 (1959) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Brimsdown Station, Enfield, Middlesex, England, UK

Company:

Ealing Studios

Trivia:

The strange noises made by the laboratory apparatus were produced for the sound track by a tuba and a bassoon.

Goofs:

Plot holes: Stratton asks for a set of paper patterns to cut out the suit pieces. However as he needs to use a blowtorch to cut the fabric, these pieces would go up in flames as he did so.

Quotes:

[Daphne laughs at Sidney's suit]
Sidney Stratton: What's funny about it?
Daphne Birnley, Alan Birnley's daughter: It's just the suit. It looks as if it's wearing you.
Sidney Stratton: It's still a bit luminous but it'll wear off.
Daphne Birnley, Alan Birnley's daughter: Oh, no!
Sidney Stratton: No?
Sidney Stratton: No. Makes you look like a knight in shining armor.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Just a Minute: (#2.2)" (1994)

Delightfully wicked satire of British industry

Alec Guinness is a genius who is beyond geekiness, he's obsessive. He lives in poverty and obscurity, he takes dead-end jobs that barely pay the rent, all so that he can complete his research and present the weary post-WWII world with a miracle: A fabric that will never get dirty, wrinkle, or wear out. Nobody will ever have to do laundry, iron, or spend for new clothes ever again. Of course, when he tries to start production not only do the captains of industry realize that it'll put them out of business, so do the unions. Chaos ensues, to say the least.

A very funny film, in that particularly witty, intelligent, satirical, slightly evil style found in the best post-war British films. This film is worthy to stand with "Kind Hearts and Coronets" and "The Lavender Hill Mob", all made by Ealing Studios and starring the subtle Alec Guinness.