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The Man in the White Suit (1951)

The Man in the White Suit

| Film | 1951 | UK | B&W | Comedy, Drama | 1h 25min |

Stars: Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker

A scientist produces a fabric that never gets dirty and never wears out. Unions and management are equally aghast

The most satirical of Ealing’s comedies, played as a farce and put together with meticulous cinematic counterpoint. Alec Guinness, by now the most ubiquitous of Ealing faces, plays a would be research chemist who invents a fabric which will never soil or wear out. Before the threatened unions and business owners can destroy his formula a flaw is revealed - the fabric disintegrates! One of the highlights is Joan Greenwood’s rapt response to Guinness’ scientific jargon - an enchanting piece of screen comedy and surely a contributor to the Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

The strange noises made by the laboratory apparatus were produced for the sound track by a tuba and a bassoon.

Guinness is Back…Working Wonders With Wile, Whimsey and Wit!

Cast (25)

+ Show full cast (15 more)

News (2)

Poster from from Man in the White Suit musical (2019) featuring Stephen Mangan as Sidney Stratton and Kara Tointon as Daphne Birnley. Written and directed by Sean Foley (1)

The Man in the White Suit musical to open in September 2019

Date posted

30^th August, 2019

Stephen Mangan stars as the eponymous Sidney Stratton in a new stage musical of the 1951 film, The Man in the White Suit.

Poster for Six of the Best, a season of Ealing Comedies at UGC cinemas

Ealing Studios’ 100th anniversary celebrations

Date posted

10^th August, 2002

Popular Ealing films screened and a DVD boxset released to celebrate 100 years of Ealing Studios.

Screening soon at BFI Southbank

Main title from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (10) featuring Alec Guinness as Sidney Stratton and Cecil Parker as Alan Birnley

The Man in the White Suit + intro by actor Stephen Mangan
24^th September at 8.30pm in NFT1

Book tickets from the BFI

Blu-ray and DVD

The Man in the White Suit Blu-ray [2012]

Front cover of The Man in the White Suit Blu-ray featuring Alec Guinness. Part of the Vintage Classics series from Studio Canal.

Released:
19th November, 2012
Price: £13.00

The Man in the White Suit DVD [2006]

The Man in the White Suit DVD from aling Studios, 2006

Released:
13th November, 2006
Price: £11.99

Film clips

The Man in the White Suit (1951) opening credits (1m 28s)

Main title from The Man in the White Suit (1951). A scientist produces a fabric that never gets dirty and never wears out. Unions and management are equally aghast.

Long chain molecule (1m 03s)

Daphne chides her father for his actions towards Sidney with a barrage of scientific jargon

I hate this town (55s)

Joan Greenwood and Alec Guinness in a film clip from The Man in the White Suit

Director

Alexander Mackendrick

Producer

Michael Balcon

Writer

Roger MacDougall (play)

Production company

Ealing Studios

Pictures (48)

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Main title from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (10) featuring Alec Guinness as Sidney Stratton and Cecil Parker as Alan Birnley — The Man in the White Suit (1951) photograph (10) | Guinness, Parker

Photograph from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (9) featuring Alec Guinness as Sidney Stratton — The Man in the White Suit (1951) photograph (9) | Alec Guinness

Front cover of The Man in the White Suit Blu-ray featuring Alec Guinness. Part of the Vintage Classics series from Studio Canal. — The Man in the White Suit Blu-ray from Studio Canal

Joan Greenwood (as Daphne Birnley) looks pensive in a photograph from The Man in the White Suit (1951) — Joan Greenwood looks pensive in The Man in the White Suit (1951)

Scottish-American director Alexander Mackendrick (1912-1993) drills actors Joan Greenwood and Michael
Gough for the next scene, during production of ’The Man in the White Suit’ at Ealing Studios — The Man in the White Suit (1951) screenshot (3)

Lobby card from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (5) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) lobby card (5)

Alec Guinness (as Sidney Stratton) in a Belgian video cover from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (1) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) Belgian video cover (1) | Alec Guinness

Chinese DVD cover of The Man in the White Suit (1951) (1) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) Chinese DVD cover (1)

Italian poster for The Man in the White Suit (1951) (1) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) Italian poster (1)

Video cover from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (3) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) video cover (3)

Alec Guinness (as Sidney Stratton) in a video cover from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (4) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) video cover (4) | Alec Guinness

The Man in the White Suit DVD from aling Studios, 2006 — The Man in the White Suit (1951) DVD cover (Ealing Studios, 2006)

French DVD cover of The Man in the White Suit (1951) (1) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) French DVD cover (1)

Joan Greenwood (as Daphne Birnley) in a photograph from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (8) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) photograph (8) | Joan Greenwood

Photograph from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (8) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) photograph (8)

Main title from The Man in the White Suit (1951) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) opening credits

Photograph from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (7) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) photograph (7)

Photograph from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (6) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) photograph (6)

Film Complet magazine with Joan Greenwood in The Man in the White Suit. 4th July, 1950, issue number 381. (French). L’homme au complet blanc. — Film Complet magazine – Joan Greenwood – July 1950

Joan Greenwood (as Daphne Birnley) in a photograph from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (4) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) photograph (4) | Joan Greenwood

Lobby card from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (4) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) lobby card (4)

Lobby card from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (2) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) lobby card (2)

DVD cover of The Man in the White Suit (1951) (3) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) DVD cover (3)

Polish poster for The Man in the White Suit (1951) (1) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) Polish poster (1)

Lobby card from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (3) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) lobby card (3)

Poster for Six of the Best, a season of Ealing Comedies at UGC cinemas — Six of the Best poster, UGC Cinemas 2002

Spanish poster for The Man in the White Suit (1951) (1) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) Spanish poster (1)

Mexican lobby card from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (4) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) Mexican lobby card (4)

Mexican lobby card from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (3) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) Mexican lobby card (3)

Mexican lobby card from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (2) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) Mexican lobby card (2)

Mexican lobby card from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (1) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) Mexican lobby card (1)

French poster for The Man in the White Suit (1951) (2) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) French poster (2)

French poster for The Man in the White Suit (1951) (1) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) French poster (1)

Argentine poster for The Man in the White Suit (1951) (1) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) Argentine poster (1)

Poster for The Man in the White Suit (1951) (3) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) poster (3)

Photograph from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (4) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) photograph (4)

Video cover from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (1) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) video cover (1)

Photograph from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (3) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) photograph (3)

Photograph from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (2) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) photograph (2)

Poster for The Man in the White Suit (1951) (2) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) poster (2)

DVD cover of The Man in the White Suit (1951) (1) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) DVD cover (1)

Poster for The Man in the White Suit (1951) (1) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) poster (1)

Photograph from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (1) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) photograph (1)

Photograph from The Man in the White Suit (1951) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) photograph

Video cover from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (6) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) video cover (6)

Video cover from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (5) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) video cover (5)

Italian lobby card from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (2) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) Italian lobby card (2)

Italian lobby card from The Man in the White Suit (1951) (1) — The Man in the White Suit (1951) Italian lobby card (1)

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