Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21025 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-11-13
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Formats: Black & White, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 82 minutes

Synopsis
Based on the play by Roger MacDougall, Alexander Mackendrick's THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT is the director's second film, a winning comedy about the battles between labour, capitalists, and scientific dreamers. Sidney Stratton (Alec Guinness) works quietly at the textile mill of Michael Corland (Michael Gough) amid the wonderful gurgle, fizz and plop of his equipment, until his mysterious, costly lab experiments are discovered. Fired by Corland, Stratton takes a menial job at Alan Birnley's (Cecil Parker) mill in order to continue his work on the sly. When Daphne (Joan Greenwood), Corland's fiancee and Birnley's daughter, discovers his secret, she threatens to expose Stratton. The desperate scientist reveals to Daphne that he has invented an indestructible cloth that never gets dirty and never wears out! Close to realising his vision, Stratton celebrates by having a suit made of the fabric, and because it repels dye it is a brilliant gleaming white. When the unions and management find out, fearing for the future of their industry, the chase is on to keep Stratton quiet, one way or another. But there's flaw in his fabric formula...

Customer Reviews

Great Ealing Adventure.
Alec Guinness is brilliant as Sidney Stratton, slightly madcap scientist it seems specializing in fabrics?. The farcical elements of the story don't matter much though, in many ways it all adds to the charm. I'm sure this film is well on the way to being remade/ruined. I haven't seen the Ladykillers remake but even a small clip from it showed Tom Hanks with a totally unconvincing English accent. Surely if Ealing films are going to be remade can't we at least drum up some good young British actors/actresses to play the leads?. There's plenty about at the moment. The film's 85 minutes whizz past and the end credits are rolling before any hint of boredom can set in. The film seems to be very well paced, with guinness convincingly playing the hounded scientist with a top secret and also a slapstick clown [ the scene were he's trying to get into his bosses house is classic farce.] In films today these kind of scenes would be cut as they perhaps don't progress the story. Although the plot is nonsense and the science seems very creaky even from a future perspective, its great fun anyway.

Fairly Entertaining Ealing Offering
This film will not be to everyone's taste despite an excellent performance from Alec Guinness as the eccentric young scientist Sidney Stratton who invents a material that puts the whole British fabric and laundry business into jeopardy. There is a strong management vs. workers message here (although not to the extent of "I'm All Right Jack"). The industrial "closing of ranks when threatened" works well, but the film suffers from a rather contrived ending which leaves the viewer rather frustrated (we want Sidney to succeed, despite the consequences!). The white suit also looks rather odd in the greyness of Britain in the 1950's (but maybe that was the point). Although there are some funny and entertaining moments, this is a second-rank Ealing offering.

a fine weave
This comedy caper from the Ealing Studios has a terrific cast running amok through a suitably wacky story - but, best of all, it is carried off with gusto and stage conviction, beautifully knit together by craftsman-director Alex MacKendrick. Alec Guinness fans will not be disappointed, and Joan Greenwood shows once more why 'tis more the pity she did not do a greater number of screen rolls. Thoroughly good fun, with some serious themes intermixed. Only the print is showing a little instability...