An altruistic chemist invents a fabric which resists wear and stain as a boon to humanity, but both big business and labor realize it must be suppressed for economic reasons.
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Title: The Man in the White Suit (1951)
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Cast
| 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 |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (28) »
Storyline
Sidney Stratton, a humble inventor, develops a fabric which never gets dirty or wears out. This would seem to be a boon for mankind, but the established garment manufacturers don't see it that way; they try to suppress it. Written by John Oswalt <jao@jao.com>
Plot Keywords:
invention | capitalism | clothing industry | textile industry | capital vs labor |Taglines:
Guinness is Back...Working Wonders With Wile, Whimsey and Wit! See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
April 1952 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
El hombre del traje blanco See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$3,874, 18 November 2012, Limited ReleaseGross USA:
$8,265, 27 January 2013Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System) (Gaumont-Kalee)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
Alan Birnley: Now that calm and sanity have returned to the textile industry, I feel it my duty reveal something of the true story behind the recent crisis, a story which we were able, happily, to keep out of the newspapers at the time.
See more »
Did You Know?
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. See more »Goofs
When Mr. Harrison is called by a woman because he is wanted by Mr. Corland, he is blowing into a glass vial on a side counter which was not there in the previous shot. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Alan Birnley: Now that calm and sanity have returned to the textile industry, I feel it my duty reveal something of the true story behind the recent crisis, a story which we were able, happily, to keep out of the newspapers at the time.
See more »
Connections
Featured in Tuesday's Documentary: The Ealing Comedies or Kind Hearts and Overdrafts (1970) See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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"Man in the White Suit" is perhaps, along with "Kind Hearts and Coronets," the pinnacle of the Ealing film. It's a very sophisticated and subtle comedy/farce that takes a dig at a number of the cultural institutions that characterise northern England. It's not so much a satire directed at capitalism but an opprobrium of the suspicious relationship between capital and labour and the broader unworkable relationship of commercial achievement with scientific progress. The success of the film resides in the subtlety with which these issues are explored and the even-handedness by which they are dealt with. At a more basic level the film is an excellent example of a farce as the frustration, misinterpretation and exaggerated comedy are delivered with a breath-taking pace. Very well written, even better direction and uniformly spot-on performances make this one of the great British films of the 1950s.