Reviews of The Man in the White Suit 1951
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After LadyKillers, I became very interested to check out Ealing studio gems and I am glad I found this one. This is great! A masterful mix of comedy, satire and political commentary this is an evergreen classic!
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One of the most visually inventive comedies I've seen, but what elevates it to greatness is Guinness's comic prowess and a Coen-like farm team of distinctive supporting players. Extra-credit for an adept handle on what makes capitalism inherently ridiculous while admitting that it's not as simple as it might seem to change it.
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Incredible Ealing Comedy and one of the best.
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A very clever script made even better by the superb Alec Guinness, a fantastic supporting cast and the pitch perfect direction of Alexander Mackendrick.
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Truly wonderful cocktail of Sci-Fi, Screwball comedy, and prescient social drama.
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A theory of scientific revolutions: people fear them. A comedy that fools on Marxist traditions.
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Amusing, thoughtful and incredibly inventive. Alec Guinness is once again superb in this Ealing comedy that feels a lot more like a drama, at times. Not as funny as Kind Hearts and Coronets, and ultimately now quite as good, but the film holds a lot of dramatic weight in the ethics of the white suit, as well as a very emotive finale to the film which provoked a reaction from me more than most dramas do. There's a number of…
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Really enjoyed this one. It’s.. lightly dark, if that makes sense. Handles serious themes with a sense of whimsy. It reminds me of The Hudsucker Proxy in this way. Really smart, and really fun take on the schemes and shifty dealings of modern industry when it comes to putting profit over the good of humanity. Hilariously bitter.
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Film 5 in my short series of 1950's British classics.
The great Alec Guinness stars as Sidney Stratton, a chemist who invents a cloth that doesn't wear and tear and repels dirt.
Fearing the collapse of the clothing industry and mass unemployment both bosses and unions attempt to suppress Sidney's invention.
The supporting cast includes 2 of my favourites from the period, Joan Greenwood and Cecil Parker.
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In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ealing virtuoso Alexander Mackendrick, The Man in the White Suit finds itself on the receiving end of a restoration and re-release.
Mackendrick’s amusingly sardonic tale, based on his cousin Roger McDougall’s play, gives Alec Guinness a chance to shine as the stubborn genius, Sidney Stratton. Following a dismissal from his previous bout of employment, Sidney finds himself working in the research laboratory of a textile factory in a non-descript corner…
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A fantastic little anti-capitalist, pro-humanist, screwball comedy romance with a bit of a sour bite. I've only seen a few Ealing comedies, but this is my favorite so far. Alec Guinness is as great as ever, but Joan Greenwood deserves special kudos, her rich-girl-with-a-heart-of-gold is scene-stealing.
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"Alec Guinness plays a scientist who invents a yarn that will make clothes that won't get dirty or wear out. The trade unions and mill owners join together to protect their interests. The idea of an indestructible yarn must have seemed like science fiction when the film was made - we can now get stockings that won't ladder from M&S!"