Movie Review: The Man in the White Suit (1951)

The Man in the White Suit (1951) co-written and directed by Alexander Mackendrick

Sidney Stratton (Alec Guinness) has been fired from six or seven different jobs at textile factories. He keeps sneaking in to the experimental labs and working on some concoction. His chemical ambitions are seemingly crazy--he wants to make a fabric that won't tear or wear down and it also repels dirt. He finds one factory that will back his research, with the owner Alan Birnley (Cecil Parker) being convinced by his daughter Daphne (Joan Greenwood) to give Stratton a chance. Things go well until word leaks out. Now other manufacturers and Brinley's own employees object, because once people have clothes made from this miracle fabric, they won't ever need new clothes again (or even to wash their clothes). Economic chaos will ensue, they are sure. So they want to stop him, either by buying out his rights or by some other means.

The movie is an interesting satire of a bunch of different subjects. First is the labor versus capital, which morphs over the story. At first, Stratton can only get jobs as a menial worker, so the average workers, who have fought hard to unionize, are on his side. Then Stratton gets chummy with the resident capitalist, Birnley. Once everyone realizes the consequences that are coming, labor and capital work together (or at least they try) to stop Stratton's invention. Another target of satire is the scientific community. Stratton's experiments are very expensive (getting him fired because who wants to foot the bill?) and very destructive. Stratton is a bit clueless about his impact. His ambition to create is too strong to let him see where his creation will lead. The movie also makes fun of the desire to create perfection in this life. Nothing every works out like people initially imagine.

Guinness gives a great performance, mixing a mild-mannered exterior with a intractable devotion to his vision. He's wily enough to see some problems but does not have enough foresight to beat every obstacle. The rest of the cast is good too, giving their stock roles a bit more humanity than they could have had. The comedy is good if not laugh-out-loud funny. The jokes are more subtle and situational. There's some pratfalls and physical comedy but the cleverest humor here is the ideas and whimsical twists on situations.

Recommended.