The Man in the White Suit 1951

     Sidney Stratton is working as a janitor in a textile mill in the north of England.  He has set up an experiment in the lab at Birnley Mill and he is trying to make an everlasting fiber.  No one knows anything about this side job he is doing.  When another plant owner comes to tour the plant, everyone can’t explain the expense and the purpose of this equipment.  The trail leads to Sidney and he is fired.  When the owner finds out what the experiment is for, he invites Sidney back to finish his work.  He does invent a very strong and everlasting thread.  It is woven into a fabric and Sidney makes a white suit out of the material.

      Sidney thinks this fabric will revolutionize the milling industry but he doesn’t understand the repercussions the workers and owners see.  This was filmed in black and white and it is interesting on many levels.  There is a large gap between the living and working conditions between the owners and the trade workers during this period.  The owners live in their mansions and the workers live in rooming houses.  3* (This movie is OK)

 

85 min, Comedy directed by Alexander Mackendrick with Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker, Michael Gough, Ernest Thesiger, Howard Marion-Crawford, Henry Mollison, Vida Hope, Patric Doonan, Duncan Lamont.

Note:  Imdb 7.4 out of 10, 100% critic 82% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.5* out of 5* with 48 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed at Brimsdown Station, Enfield, Middlesex; Ealing Studios, Ealing, London and Picadilly Road, Burnley, Lancashire, England, UK.  I liked Joan Greenwood’s raspy voice!!  Alec Guinness was 35 during filming.