[There’s currently a Science Fiction special in the Vienna Filmmuseum and I’m trying to go as often as my time allows, so in the next few weeks there will be a few of these old films reviewed here.]

The Man in the White Suit is Alexander Mackendrick‘s adaptation of Roger MacDougall‘s play, starring Alec Guiness, Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker, Michael Gough, Ernest Thesiger and Vida Hope.

Plot:
Sidney (Alec Guinness) wants to invent the perfect fabric. But since nobody seems to trust him that he can, he has to organise his own workplaces, which leads to him infiltrating various textile factories. Finally he ends up at Brimley’s (Cecil Parker) factory – and to everybody’s surprise, he succeeds: he develops a fabric that is unbreakable and never gets dirty. Brimley wants to go into production, but slowly the industrial consequences of such a fabric comes into focus – and both capital and labour come together with one goal: Never to have the fabric see the light of day.

The Man in the White Suit is an incredibly funny movie with a mostly good cast. But even where the cast fails at times, Alexander Mackendrick knows how to hide that fact so you don’t feel it. And the story idea is just wonderful.

The Man in the White Suit is an intelligent film, but also a movie that’s a little silly at times. I think that’s most apparent when the laboratory gets its own signature sound and it actually makes you laugh every time you hear it. It’s an ingenious idea, yet not a very brainy one. And the movie is full with these things.

At the same time, the underlying issues will make you think, especially since the movie refuses to take any sides: Is Sidney really on the right track with his pursuit of the great idea? Or ist there something to it to surpress discovery to maintain employment?

Alexander Mackendrick knows how to pace his film, he has impeccable comedic timing and he has his cast under tight control. And the entire ensemble profits from that – when there are a few acting slips (Joan Greenwood is a little wooden at times, for example), he covers them up and makes the scene work anyway, and when three things are going on at once, he never has trouble making you focus on the right one.

Despite this being very much an ensemble movie, it’s also very clear that the real star is Alec Guiness – and he is absolutely brilliant. Perfect cast and such a subtle, wonderful actor. Which is not to say that the rest isn’t good. It’s just that he stands out. And not only because his suit glows.

Summarising: Definitely recommended watching.