Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Man in the White Suit

  • 1951
  • Approved
  • 1h 25m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
10K
YOUR RATING
The Man in the White Suit (1951)
Trailer for The Man in the White Suit
Play trailer2:46
1 Video
99+ Photos
ComedyDramaSci-Fi

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.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.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.

  • Director
    • Alexander Mackendrick
  • Writers
    • Roger MacDougall
    • John Dighton
    • Alexander Mackendrick
  • Stars
    • Alec Guinness
    • Joan Greenwood
    • Cecil Parker
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    10K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Alexander Mackendrick
    • Writers
      • Roger MacDougall
      • John Dighton
      • Alexander Mackendrick
    • Stars
      • Alec Guinness
      • Joan Greenwood
      • Cecil Parker
    • 91User reviews
    • 53Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 1 win & 3 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Man in the White Suit
    Trailer 2:46
    Watch The Man in the White Suit

    Photos102

    Alec Guinness and Joan Greenwood in The Man in the White Suit (1951)
    Alec Guinness, Michael Gough, and Howard Marion-Crawford in The Man in the White Suit (1951)
    Alec Guinness and Mandy Miller in The Man in the White Suit (1951)
    Alec Guinness in The Man in the White Suit (1951)
    Fred R. Krug and Cecil Parker on the set of "The Man in the White Suit" in 1950.
    The Man in the White Suit (1951)
    Alec Guinness and Vida Hope in The Man in the White Suit (1951)
    Patric Doonan and Duncan Lamont in The Man in the White Suit (1951)
    Olaf Olsen and Cecil Parker in The Man in the White Suit (1951)
    Ernest Thesiger in The Man in the White Suit (1951)
    Laurence Hepworth in The Man in the White Suit (1951)
    Charlotte Mitchell and Cecil Parker in The Man in the White Suit (1951)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Alec Guinness
    Alec Guinness
    • Sidney Stratton
    Joan Greenwood
    Joan Greenwood
    • Daphne Birnley
    Cecil Parker
    Cecil Parker
    • Alan Birnley
    Michael Gough
    Michael Gough
    • Michael Corland
    Ernest Thesiger
    Ernest Thesiger
    • Sir John Kierlaw
    Howard Marion-Crawford
    Howard Marion-Crawford
    • Cranford
    • (as Howard Marion Crawford)
    Henry Mollison
    Henry Mollison
    • Hoskins
    Vida Hope
    • Bertha
    Patric Doonan
    Patric Doonan
    • Frank
    Duncan Lamont
    Duncan Lamont
    • Harry
    Harold Goodwin
    Harold Goodwin
    • Wilkins
    Colin Gordon
    Colin Gordon
    • Hill
    Joan Harben
    • Miss Johnson
    Arthur Howard
    • Roberts
    Roddy Hughes
    Roddy Hughes
    • Green
    Stuart Latham
    • Harrison
    Miles Malleson
    Miles Malleson
    • The Tailor
    Edie Martin
    Edie Martin
    • Mrs. Watson
    • Director
      • Alexander Mackendrick
    • Writers
      • Roger MacDougall
      • John Dighton
      • Alexander Mackendrick
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    The Lavender Hill Mob
    7.5
    The Lavender Hill Mob
    The Ladykillers
    7.6
    The Ladykillers
    Kind Hearts and Coronets
    8.0
    Kind Hearts and Coronets
    Passport to Pimlico
    7.1
    Passport to Pimlico
    Whisky Galore!
    7.1
    Whisky Galore!
    Crash of Silence
    7.4
    Crash of Silence
    The Titfield Thunderbolt
    7.0
    The Titfield Thunderbolt
    High and Dry
    6.9
    High and Dry
    The Horse's Mouth
    7.0
    The Horse's Mouth
    The Detective
    6.7
    The Detective
    Our Man in Havana
    7.2
    Our Man in Havana
    The Promoter
    7.1
    The Promoter

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Quotes

      Mrs. Watson, Sidney's landlady: Why can't you scientists leave things alone? What about my bit of washing when there's no washing to do?

    • Connections
      Featured in Tuesday's Documentary: The Ealing Comedies or Kind Hearts and Overdrafts (1970)

    User reviews91

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    another Ealing Studios gem!
    I can't say whether the post-WWII British comedies produced at the Ealing Studios are an acquired taste or not, but I am completely addicted, and The Man in the White Suit is one of the best. No need to go into the well-known plot about the threat posed to both the textile industry and the textile unions by an indestructible, dirt-resistant fiber. Suffice it to say that the slings and arrows suffered by the naively idealistic Sidney Stratton in pursuing his polymer vision make for a comedic delight. Many of the well-known faces from the world of British character actors - the nervous Cecil Parker, the suavely devious Michael Gough, and the bluntly ruthless Ernest Thesinger - put in wonderful performances. Guinness - as always and forever - is superb, and Joan Greenwood is delectable as Daphne (just the way she enunciates the word "Daddy", makes the entire movie worth seeing).

    "Knudsen!!!!!!!"
    helpful•46
    1
    • rupie
    • Feb 4, 2000

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 1952 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Der Mann im weißen Anzug
    • Filming locations
      • Piccadilly Road, Burnley, Lancashire, England, UK(Van & Cars crossing left to right looking down street.)
    • Production company
      • Ealing Studios
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $8,718
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,874
      • Nov 18, 2012
    • Gross worldwide
      • $8,933
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 25 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    The Man in the White Suit (1951)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Man in the White Suit (1951) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.