An altruistic chemist invents a fabric which resists wear and stain as a boon to humanity, but big business and labor realize it must be suppressed for economic reasons.
Find out what movies Jim Gaffigan, Linda Hamilton, and more are watching during the holidays. For more gift ideas, check out IMDb's Holiday Gift Guide, curated with the entertainment lover in mind!
Related News
-
Review: "The Man In The Whte Suit" (1951) Starring Alec Guinness; Kino Lorber Blu-ray Special Edition
21 November 2019 | CinemaRetro -
A High Wind in Jamaica
31 August 2019 | Trailers from Hell -
The Man in the White Suit
24 August 2019 | Trailers from Hell
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: The Man in the White Suit (1951)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
More Like This
The Lavender Hill Mob
(1951)
Comedy
|
Crime
Director:
Charles Crichton
Stars:
Alec Guinness,
Stanley Holloway,
Sidney James
The Captain's Paradise
(1953)
Comedy
|
Romance
Director:
Anthony Kimmins
Stars:
Alec Guinness,
Peter Bull,
Charles Goldner
The Ladykillers
(1955)
Comedy
|
Crime
Director:
Alexander Mackendrick
Stars:
Alec Guinness,
Peter Sellers,
Cecil Parker
Kind Hearts and Coronets
(1949)
Comedy
|
Crime
Director:
Robert Hamer
Stars:
Dennis Price,
Alec Guinness,
Valerie Hobson
Crash of Silence
(1952)
Drama
Director:
Alexander Mackendrick
Stars:
Phyllis Calvert,
Jack Hawkins,
Terence Morgan
Whisky Galore
(1949)
Comedy
|
Crime
Director:
Alexander Mackendrick
Stars:
Basil Radford,
Joan Greenwood,
Catherine Lacey
Passport to Pimlico
(1949)
Comedy
Director:
Henry Cornelius
Stars:
Stanley Holloway,
Betty Warren,
Barbara Murray
High and Dry
(1954)
Certificate: Passed
Comedy
Director:
Alexander Mackendrick
Stars:
Paul Douglas,
Alex Mackenzie,
James Copeland
Our Man in Havana
(1959)
Comedy
|
Crime
|
Drama
Director:
Carol Reed
Stars:
Alec Guinness,
Maureen O'Hara,
Burl Ives
The Titfield Thunderbolt
(1953)
Comedy
Director:
Charles Crichton
Stars:
Stanley Holloway,
George Relph,
Naunton Wayne
The Horse's Mouth
(1958)
Comedy
Director:
Ronald Neame
Stars:
Alec Guinness,
Kay Walsh,
Renee Houston
Last Holiday
(1950)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
Henry Cass
Stars:
Alec Guinness,
Beatrice Campbell,
Kay Walsh
Edit
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:
Should they let him play...or should they put him away? See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
April 1952 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Man in the White Suit See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$3,874, 18 November 2012Gross USA:
$8,718Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$8,718Company 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
Cecil Parker and Alec Guinness would appear together in the classic Ealing comedy the lady killers See more »Goofs
When Hill disturbs Michael Corland at the table, he holds a piece of paper. The paper swaps hands between shots. 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 »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.Contribute to This Page
On IMDb TV, you can catch Hollywood hits and popular TV series at no cost. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free!
Explore popular action and adventure titles available to stream with Prime Video.
I couldn't believe the perfection of this movie. It's so tightly made that nothing is superfluous in its entire run. The dialogs are perfect, witty, sharp, funny; the main idea for the script is superb (to invent a product that defies obsolescence is a No-No in contemporary industry) and the actors are absolute perfection thanks to their own art plus a firm and secure direction by Alexander Mackendrick.
I didn't find Alec Guinness role particularly funny but I found the Elderly Industry Boss (Ernest Thesiger from legendary "The Bride of Frankestein") simply a scream. Every scene he's in, he steals it completely, nobody else exists on the screen. What an actor!
Joan Greenwood was the kind of personality that we only see once in a century. Her voice and delivery are something impossible to duplicate and thoroughly unique. The only wrong thing with her in this movie was her hairdo. Did she comb it herself without looking in a mirror before the first day of shooting and never again till they were through filming? Did she get a hairdressing student rejected by the beauty school? Her hairdo is too dreary to be unintentional.
A fantastic movie, entertaining from beginning to end, with a very clever twist impossible to predict and resolved precisely at the right moment and by a perfectly acceptable chemical explanation. A film that only the British could have made with their sensational Black Humor that nobody else can imitate. You'll find the look of this movie quite old fashioned, but having been made in 1951 we cannot expect anything different right? forget about its looks, sit down, watch it and you'll be thrilled to have discovered this precious jewel of a film.