Produced at the time of the Festival of Britain, a period when Britain was trying to show itself in its most positive light, THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT offers a gentle, if pointed corrective. Sidney Stratton's (Alec Guinness') wonderful invention of a suit that never needs washing, and never wears out, threatens the entire future of the British cotton industry and needs to be suppressed. For perhaps the first - and only time - the mill-owners, led by Cecil Parker's Mr. Birnley and Ernest Thesiger's hawk-like Sir John, unite with the workers to frustrate Stratton's plans of success and hence ensure that "the delicate balance of interests" (i.e. the industrial status quo) is maintained. The fact that the cotton industry no longer really exists in Britain is one of the ironies of history; it was chiefly due to an ostrich-like reluctance to change that Britain was overtaken by other countries in Asia. As Parker's narrator accurately foretells right at the end of the film, the Sidney Strattons of this world did achieve what they wanted in the end. Alexander Mackendrick's film is tightly structured with some memorable cinematography by Douglas Slocombe; there are at least two aerial shots of the mill-owners and Sir John gathered in one room, where they resemble predatory beasts ganging up on the luckless Sidney. The chase- sequences are also cleverly handled, with several shots of Sidney's pursuers running down corridors or darkened alleyways. Benjamin Frankel's music, with its memorable theme of the bubbling of Sidney's scientific experiments, reminds us of just how successful and threatening human endeavors can be. Mackendrick also gets some memorable character-vignettes out of Parker - never better in his customary role as a bumbling yet pompous industrialist, Thesiger (screaming "wait for me!" as he relishes the prospect of chasing Sidney, and is bundled into a worker's car), and Joan Greenwood, reprising her role as an incredibly polite yet potent predator from KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS (1949). In the central role, Guinness is remarkably active; his obsessiveness manifesting itself in his increasingly unkempt appearance, that contrasts with his appearance at the end, when the suit has been torn off him. In his undershirt and pants, he resembles a dying swan. THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT is, as with all Ealing comedies, a small-scale film, but one that befits repeated viewings in order to understand its quiet subtleties. A classic.

The obvious parallels are that that this is a bright film that never unravels is never once dirty and has stood the test of time. But pity they can't get back to the drawing board and make some more like it because they're now badly needed! One of Ealings handful of super-classics I saw it so often when younger that I got fed up of seeing it – but saw it last night for the first time in over five years and it's still as bright as a button.Idealist fabric technician Alec Guinness invents a new material that will never break, dirty or need replacing as much – much to the concern of the capitalist mill industry owners and the factory wage-slaves dependant on being paid to work for them. Uproarious comedy ensues as both sides see they have to thwart his plans of publishing the Great News. The workers were concerned "every mill in the country will go" – they did anyway so the bosses could make much greater profits from Asian wage-slaves instead. There's so many highlights it's hard to single out a few: the manic opening music for the credits is still riveting; the trials (and tribulations) Guinness had developing the volatile formula in the lab; Capital and Labour looking suspiciously at each other at Cecil Parker's mansion; Joan Greenwood at least finding out about true love; Ernest Thesiger's drawn out laugh or being bundled into the back of the car; the little girl lying to help Guinness escape; but the key scene was Edie Martin carrying her bit of washing in the dark bitterly asking Guinness "why can't you scientists leave things alone" – a poignant thought-provoking moment that stopped him dead in his tracks: comedy over, his dreams in pieces.It's so rich in plot, characterisation, brevity, wit and charm I used to think it was pity a sequel was never made – but although Ealing liked ambiguous endings bless their cotton socks they didn't Do sequels. It's a stand alone classic, almost perfect in every department, a masterclass of how it should be done.

An Ealing Studio's satire on capital and labor's aligned suppression towards the revolutionary invention of an unbreakable and dirt-free fabric. A Cambridge graduate (Guinness) is debarred from a short-sighted garment manufacturer (Gough) to proceed his research, but with the help of another industrialist's daughter (Greenwood), he is financed by her father and unprecedentedly invents the fabric, which he thinks can benefit all mankind but both the workmen and their high-handed authority figures say otherwise, then a series of cat-and-mouse games ensues until an Achilles heel of the magical fabric pops out of left field ends the farce with everyone is happy except our protagonist. Running snappily around 85 minutes, the story is unfolding concisely and takes an interesting turn after the cringe-worthy sequences of a nobody requests to meet an affluent personage but is routinely fended off by a hoity-toity butler. Guinness extracts a creditable poise of innocence and innocuousness besides a nerd's impulsion of his scientific pursuit, and one can read more through his inscrutable eyes. Greenwood is the darling girl here, clears barriers for Guinness when he is in trouble, a rarefied paragon from the upper class, even single-handedly engineers a persuasive feeler in the crucial moment. Vida Hope belongs to the opposite working class, who holds a secret admiration toward Guinness, and her rough and strong-arm simplicity is spot-on. Cecil Parker has a comical presence as an oscillating pushover, and a vulture-alike Ernest Thesiger has a grandstanding entrance as the mogul and decision-maker in the business. Director Mackendrick and DP Slocombe utilizes a great contrast of Black & White cinematography to accentuate the luminous white suit, particularly in the chase set pieces. THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT is a prescient allegory tale which pinpoints the discovery of something new will upset the delicate market and self-seeking masses, it leaves a bitter taste for this technology-advanced era and meanwhile, it is an ingenious comedy deserves multiple watches anytime, anywhere.

What provoked me to write this review was the commentaries made on the blu-ray disc recently issued. There, in the "extra"-compartment, three nincompoops discuss the film, totally unable to see the obvious. Anyone who sees the film will not have to look far that it is a film about how "business" makes progress almost impossible. It shows, without a doubt, that greed (the owners) and stupidity (the workers that are unable to think outside the box and realize that if capitalism disappears they will all have to work much less if there is progress) are not the friends of innovation. Greed only supports innovation as far as putting a pressure on the workers and increasing the profit. Greed will however never support an innovation that puts a stop to continuing business by killing the market altogether by producing a good that is virtually unbreakable. All these remarks are beautifully displayed in this film, which still remains the best statement on these subjects although it was made more than 60 years ago!! Probably, the film is even more revolutionary today (especially if you consider the idiotic remarks already commented on) than it was when it was made. See for yourself!!!