The Man in the White Suit

1951 social comedy

Rating: 17/20

Plot: Sidney Stratton's an inventive chemist and fabric genius who gets jobs with clothing factories in order to surreptitiously work on a new indestructible fabric that can never get dirty. After being fired by several factories, he finally has enough time to complete his experiments. At first, his employer thinks it's a terrific idea, but the rest of the fabric community realizes that Stratton's invention might cost them a ton of money.

Awesome comedy! This is suave and sophisticated comedy with just a pinch of cynicism that gives it a sharp edge. The great Alec Guinness is about perfect, and I like the rest of the class playing an assortment of characters, a few of them a little on the kooky side. A guy named Ernest Thesiger almost looks like he's been pulled straight from an offbeat cartoon as the turtle-like Sir John Kierlaw, a sort-of patriarch of the fabric industry. I just loved that character. I also loved the blooping and burping series of test tubes and beakers and other chemistry gadgets that Guinness would assemble everywhere he went. The sound effects used for that sounded like something from Raymond Scott's kitchen! I've got to remember get the mini-disc recorder to sample some of that. The Man in the White Suit is well-written comedy, slyly hysterical and perfectly paced with a great story that has a little to say about capitalism, greed, labor, and the dangers of progress. I also love that movie poster up there. Another Ealing winner!