Best movie of this year hands down!

Absolutely the worst movie.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

I had heard about this classic film title because of the leading actor, the title made it obvious what is was about, but I didn't know what the context was. I found out it was from Ealing Studios, famous for Kind Hearts and Coronets and The Lavender Hill Mob, and critics gave it good ratings, so I hoped it would be worthwhile, directed by Alexander Mackendrick (Whisky Galore!, The Ladykillers, Sweet Smell of Success). Basically former Cambridge scholarship recipient and humble inventor and scientist Sidney Stratton (Sir Alec Guinness) has been dismissed from jobs at several textile mills in the north of England. Stratton has demands for expensive facilities and an obsession with inventing an everlasting fibre. Whilst working as a labourer at the Birnley Mill, he accidentally becomes an unpaid researcher and invents an incredibly strong fibre which repels dirt and never wears out. From this fabric, a brilliant white suit is made, it cannot absorb dye and is slightly luminous because it includes radioactive elements. Stratton is praised as a genius, but management and the trade unions realise the consequence of his invention, the demand for cloth will decrease and it could put the textile industry out of business. The managers try to trick and bribe Stratton into signing away the rights to his invention, but he refuses, then they and workers try to shut him away, but he escapes. Stratton is pursued by both the managers and the employers, he runs whilst wearing the glowing white suit during the night, but it begins to fall apart as the chemical structure of the fibre breaks down with time. Realising the flaw in the process, the mob triumphantly rip pieces off Stratton's suit, until he is left only wearing his underwear, only the mill-owner's daughter Daphne Birnley (Joan Greenwood) and fellow labourer Bertha (Vida Hope) have sympathy for his disappointment. The next day, Stratton is dismissed from his job, he consults his chemistry notes as he departs, he has a realisation and exclaims "I see!", he strides off, perhaps to try again somewhere else. Also starring Cecil Parker as Alan Birnley, Michael Gough as Michael Corland and Bride of Frankenstein's Ernest Thesiger as Sir John Kierlaw. Guinness is likeable as the quiet, good-natured boffin, this is essentially a story of greed, professional jealousy and fear of progress, I could just about follow everything going on, the white suit stuff is certainly interesting, but I will be honest, I didn't find myself laughing very much, but it is reasonable classic science-fiction satirical comedy. Worth watching, in my opinion!

This film should be used in college classes to demonstrate the contradictions of the "free market". Alec Guinness' character, a chemist in a fabric manufacturing plant, is the archetypal scientific nerd, singularly focused on developing his miracle thread -- repels dirt and is indestructible. And he finally does ... much to the dismay of those in the industry who depend on the fabric status quo to stay in business.Imagine if a pharmaceutical scientist developed a single pill that cured all illnesses ... how would the rest of the pharmaceutical industry respond?The realization of dreams of perfection will always be resisted by those who profit from imperfection. "The Man In The White Suit" makes this perfectly clear.

Hailed as one of Ealing studio's finest comedies, 'The man in the white suit' chose an exceptional topic to depict the British textile industry's reluctance to embrace modernity. Although many comic scenes have been included in this film, its first half is deemed rather slow as it concentrates more on a scientific breakthrough by a wacky inventor. Some pace is gathered in the second half as the hero is able to bring his invention to fruition. However, this is the beginning of a series of misfortunes for the eccentric inventor as everybody would like to protect one's interests before anything else. The hapless inventor is no match for rich textile mill owners nor does he have any power to influence representatives of the labor unions. Both powerful sides would like to subjugate the madcap scientist as his invention would bring about their ruin. Apart from actor Alec Guiness as the wacky inventor, viewers must look out for funny sounds coming from the laboratory. Lastly, the tone of the film is light and it makes good use of its love story format to give crucial help to the irrational inventor when a textile mill owner's daughter falls in love with him.

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!!!