The Man in the White Suit
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| The Man In The White Suit | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover of The Man in the White Suit |
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| Directed by | Alexander Mackendrick |
| Produced by | Michael Balcon |
| Written by | John Dighton Roger MacDougall Alexander Mackendrick |
| Starring | Alec Guinness Joan Greenwood Cecil Parker |
| Music by | Benjamin Frankel |
| Cinematography | Douglas Slocombe |
| Editing by | Bernard Gribble |
| Release date(s) | 1951 |
| Running time | 85 mins |
| Language | English |
The Man In The White Suit is a satirical comedy movie made in 1951 by Ealing Studios. It starred Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood and Cecil Parker, and was directed by Alexander Mackendrick. It followed a common Ealing Studios theme of the "common man" against the Establishment. In this instance the hero falls foul of both trade unions and the wealthy mill owners who attempt to suppress his invention.
The scientific breakthrough is similar to carbon nanotubes, which were discovered in 1952, a year after the film's release. Carbon nanotube fiber now exists.
[edit] Plot
Guinness plays Sidney Stratton, a brilliant and obsessed young researcher working in a textile mill. He invents an incredibly strong fibre which repels dirt and never wears out. From its fabric he makes a suit which is brilliant white because it cannot absorb dye, and slightly luminous because it includes radioactive elements. Stratton is lauded as a genius until both management and the trade union realise the consequence of his invention - once consumers have purchased enough cloth, demand will drop precipitously and put the textile industry out of business. The managers try to trick Stratton into signing away the rights to his invention but he refuses. Managers and workers each try to shut him away, but he escapes.
The climax sees Stratton running through the streets at night in his glowing white suit, pursued by both the managers and the employees. As the crowd advances, his suit begins breaking apart as the chemical structure of the fibre breaks apart with time. The mob, realizing that his yarn has a flaw, rips pieces off his suit in triumph, until he is left standing in his underwear. The next day, Stratton is dismissed from his job. Departing, he consults his chemistry notes. A realization hits, and he exclaims "I see!" and strides off to perhaps try again.
