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.

Movie Review: The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)

The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) directed by Charles Crichton

Henry Holland (Alec Guinness) is a meek and fussy bureaucrat in 1950s London whose job is to escort gold bars from the refinery where they are shaped to the bank where they are stored. He has a very precise routine which gets eye-rolls from the guard and the driver. Every trip he thinks some vehicle is following them, rings the alarm bell, and has the guard check around the next corner to see if the car is waiting. The still water of his facade hides a plan he has been thinking about for twenty years. He has a fortune literally within his grasp but how can he steal it and get away with the crime? He lucks out when Pendlebury (Stanley Holloway) moves into the boarding house where Holland lives. Pendlebury is an artist, mostly sculpting and painting, though his day job is making touristy knick knacks, including lead Eiffel Towers that are painted gold. They are sold at the real Eiffel Tower. Holland recruits Pendlebury though they need some extra accomplices to make the scheme work. 

The movie is a charming con-game anchored by Guinness's excellent performance. He's able to switch convincingly between Holland's nebbish self and Holland's scheming self. Even though what he is doing is clearly wrong, the viewer still roots for him to succeed. The plan is well thought out and the complications are natural and lead to lots of comic moments. The movie is a comedy and gives everyone in the cast a chance to shine. The script is very clever and delightful.

Highly recommended--if you've only seen Alec Guinness in the Star Wars stuff, you need to watch this or Kind Hearts and Coronets to see what a phenomenal actor he is.

I watched this on Kanopy, a stream service available from most American public libraries. Ten free streams a month!