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The Man In The White Suit (1951)

post #1 of 3
8/10/10 at 10:56am
Thread Starter 
Even though I haven't watched it in ages, for some reason I've been thinking about this movie a lot. One of the most succint and matter-of-fact satires of consumerism ever, I'd say - Sidney Stratton (Alec Guiness) comes up with a suit that can't be soiled. His emplyers get furious because there's no point in selling something eternal when you could be selling something perishable, the factory workers he hangs with turn to hating him because they'll be out of a job. And so something that could benefit mankind is lost, because it is in no one's interest to support it. A great, downbeat movie and Guiness is gold in the lead role of the likeable loser that starts it all.

First time I saw it I was disappointed because I was expecting something more screwball, but I've learned to appreciate the subtle, melancholic comedy of this film.

Any other fans?
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post #2 of 3
8/10/10 at 11:36am
Watched a double bill of this (which I had never seen) and Kind Hearts And Cornets (which I've only caught once before, and on a plane to boot), and it totally floored me. I'm glad that no studio would ever dream of releasing such an anti-commercialist (?) flick.

The film just looks terrific, from the griminess to the suit itself. And the pursuit at the end where Guinness flees the angry mob is great stuff.

It's also a lot funnier than a film with such mean world view should be, unsurprising when you see the director went onto do The Ladykillers soon after.
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post #3 of 3
8/10/10 at 2:38pm
Thread Starter 
I don't know if the worldview is mean so much as realistic; emplyers and workers both have good reasons to get angry at Guiness. Ealing Studios as a whole are often very mean spirited though, I agree - a lot of grave-digging and murdering going on.
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