The Man in the White Suit

- 1951
- UK
- 1h 25min
- PG
- Directed by: Alexander Mackendrick
- Written by: John Dighton, Roger MacDougall, Alexander Mackendrick
- Cast: Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker
A dishwasher in a textile mill invents a fabric that never wears out or gets dirty. Mackendrick adds a touch of acidity to the Ealing comedy formula and Guinness is spectacularly good, exploiting his trademark smarminess to great effect.
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Reviews & features
Five reasons to see the films of Alexander Mackendrick

The director of Whisky Galore! and Sweet Smell of Success is the subject of a retrospective
It’s the centenary of the birth of the Scottish-American filmmaker who became one of Ealing studios’ greatest directors. Born in Boston, Massachusetts to Scottish immigrant parents, Mackendrick moved back to Glasgow with his grandfather when he was just…
The Man in the White Suit

1954 Ealing comedy predicts inbuilt obsolescence
Alexander Mackendrick’s charming 1954 Ealing comedy, which foresaw (in it’s own whimsical way) the modern corporate crime of inbuilt obsolescence, is showing in the Sunday matinee slot and will be preceded by a 15 minute selection of films about science…
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