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IMDbPro

The Man in the White Suit

  • 19511951
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 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.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
10K
YOUR RATING
    • Alexander Mackendrick
    • Roger MacDougall(play)
    • John Dighton(screenplay)
    • Alexander Mackendrick(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Alec Guinness
    • Joan Greenwood
    • Cecil Parker
    • Alexander Mackendrick
    • Roger MacDougall(play)
    • John Dighton(screenplay)
    • Alexander Mackendrick(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Alec Guinness
    • Joan Greenwood
    • Cecil Parker
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 91User reviews
    • 52Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar

    Videos1

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

    Photos101

    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
    • 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
      • Alexander Mackendrick
      • Roger MacDougall(play) (screenplay)
      • John Dighton(screenplay)
      • Alexander Mackendrick(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    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

      Sir John Kierlaw: Now. Some fool has invented an indestructible cloth. Where is he? How much does he want?

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

    User reviews91

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Witty, Satisfying Satirical Comedy
    Alec Guinness, an interesting story, and some effective dry humor make this a witty and satisfying satirical comedy. Like a number of the Ealing comedies, the initial plot premise is interesting, yet it is really only a pretext for presenting material that affords some opportunities for subtly caustic commentary. In this case, the far-fetched invention by Guinness's character is used cleverly to point out the ways that various persons feel about science, change, and technology.

    Guinness plays an innocent, even naive, character here, which is rather different from most of those he played in other Ealing features. There is a good assortment of supporting characters this time, and some of the minor roles feature some effective performances. Cecil Parker, Michael Gough, and Ernest Thesiger make a good trio of heavies, and Joan Greenwood works well as a character in the middle of things.

    The ironic, understated tone of most of the humor keeps things low-key but effective. It's the kind of approach that is far more challenging than direct ridicule, and it takes disciplined film-makers to make something like this work. Not least among the movie's strengths is Guinness's own skill in making his character believable in addition to sympathetic.

    While in some ways the comparison may be a stretch, there are some rather interesting parallels between "The Man in the White Suit" and the much more recent "Jurassic Park". The style and characters are much different (though "Jurassic Park" is not entirely without its own moments of dry humor), but in both cases an amazing - and entirely fictional - invention is shown to provoke all kinds of differing reactions, as others seek to exploit it, to close it down, or to control it. In both cases, the point is not whether the invention is valid, but rather the ways that everyone responds while barely understanding or appreciating the actual development itself.

    While "The Man in the White Suit" is not one of the best-known Ealing features, it is another good one, with wit, solid characters and story, and an approach that combines style and substance.
    helpful•20
    6
    • Snow Leopard
    • Nov 8, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 1952 (United States)
      • United Kingdom
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Piccadilly Road, Burnley, Lancashire, England, UK
    • Production company
      • Ealing Studios
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 25 minutes
      • Black and White

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