- Actors: Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker, Michael Gough, Ernest Thesiger
- Directors: Alexander Mackendrick
- Writers: Alexander Mackendrick, John Dighton, Roger MacDougall
- Producers: Michael Balcon, Sidney Cole
- Format: PAL
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: U
- Studio: Ealing studios
- DVD Release Date: 21 Jun 2004
- Run Time: 85 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B000260OY4
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 24,028 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
Ealing Comedy--cosy, gentle and whimsical, right? In this case, think again. Alexander Mackendrick was always the most politically aware of the Ealing directors, and in The Man in the White Suit he takes the studio's favourite theme of the little man up against the system and gives it a sharp satirical twist. Sidney Stratton (Alec Guinness at his most unworldly), a maverick scientist working in a Northern textile mill, invents a fabric that never gets dirty and never wears out. He's hailed as a genius--until management and unions alike realise what his brainwave implies.
Mackendrick's humour is exact and pointed, and the satire turns savage as a lynch mob of bosses and workers hunt Sidney down through dark narrow streets. Mackendrick's disenchanted view of hidebound, class-ridden British society still rings horribly true, and he draws note-perfect performances from the cream of British character actors: Cecil Parker as the liberal mill-owner (based it's said, on Ealing boss Michael Balcon); Ernest Thesiger as the evil old godfather of the industry; and, wittily sensual as Sidney's confidante, the ever-wonderful Joan Greenwood. Plus, listen out for the "voice" of Sidney's bizarre apparatus, the funniest and most unforgettable sound effect ever devised. --Philip Kemp
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Alec Guinness displays all his comic genius in this Alexander Mackendrick saga of dirty dealings up at t' mill. The special effects of the mad scientist's machinery and sound effects are exceptionally good for their time.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
As so often in Ealing comedies, the common man against the system is the theme of this film. In this much, "The Man in the White Suit" echoes the the battle to save a village railway in "The Titfield Thunderbolt", and the ordinary Londoners' stand against arrogant officialdom in "Passport to Pimlico". Mild-mannered genius Alec Guinness invents an everlasting fabric, making himself unpopular with textile workers and bosses alike, but making him a big hit with Joan Greenwood. Throughout the film, he remains single-mindedly devoted to his miracle fabric, and somewhat oblivious to the amorous attentions of both Greenwood and one of his factory co-workers played by Vida Hope. The film includes some brilliant comic moments, particularly as a succession of unwitting employers discover just how much of their money Guinness has been syphoning off to pay for the development of his invention.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I recently purchased The Horse's Mouth (1958) from Amazon as well as "The Alec Guinness Collection" which includes The Man in the White Suit (1951) plus four others: Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), The Captain's Paradise (1953), and The Ladykillers (1955). Frankly, I was amazed how well each of the six films has held up since I first saw it.
Directed by Alexander MacKendrick (who also directed The Ladykillers four years later), what we have in The Man in the White Suit is Guinness' own version of the naive, indeed eccentric visionary/inventor/humanitarian. Sidney Stratton's dream is to create a fabric which never wears out and cannot be soiled. Endless (sometimes explosive) experiments involving various gurgling contraptions prove unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Stratton is fired from his job in one research laboratory, continues his research in another, and eventually succeeds. Or so he thinks.
One of these film's several delights is Joan Greenwood's portrayal of Daphne Birnley, daughter of the owner of the company in whose laboratory Stratton finally discovers the correct formula for the miracle fabric. Her father is played with great style by Cecil Parker who is almost as eager to marry off his daughter as he is to save his company. Only a spoilsport would reveal the climax of this entertaining film, one which may surprise viewers as much as it does Stratton and Alan Birnley. Sadder but wiser, Stratton ambles (as only Guinness can) into an uncertain future. Nowhere else throughout the plot is the special soundtrack more effective than it is in this final scene.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Oh what a tangled web we weave
An independent inventor Sidney Stratton (Alec Guinness) invents a new polymer. The bourgeoisie incarcerates him. Read more
Published on 4 April 2010 by bernie
Trouble at the Mill
"The Man in the White Suit" is a whimsical and at times surreal tale about an unorthodox , yet persistent, scientist who invents a type of cloth which never wears out and never... Read more
Published on 18 Jan 2006 by L. Davidson
Classic British film making.
A classic film from the days when Britain really knew how to do it.
The legendary Sir Alec Guiness excells in this classic, which you can watch time and time again and never... Read more
The legendary Sir Alec Guiness excells in this classic, which you can watch time and time again and never... Read more
Published on 12 Dec 2004 by Freddie Valentine
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