The man in the white suit
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The man in the white suit |
| Original title | The Man in the White Suit |
| Country of production | United Kingdom |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1951 |
| length | 81, 84, 85 (original) 90 (Germany) minutes |
| Age rating | JMK from 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Alexander Mackendrick |
| script |
Roger MacDougall John Dighton Alexander Mackendrick |
| production | Michael Balcon |
| music | Benjamin Frankel |
| camera | Douglas Slocombe |
| cut | Bernard Gribble |
| occupation | |
| |
The Man in the White Suit is a British comedy film from 1951. Alec Guinness stars in the title role, directed by Alexander Mackendrick . The film is considered a masterpiece and a typical example of comedy production by Ealing Studios in the early 1950s.
action
The young chemist Sidney Stratton, an employee in the textile factory of Mr. Birnley, is extremely persistent in the implementation of a fixed idea: He wants to develop the absolutely tear-resistant synthetic fiber, which is also dirt-repellent. One day he succeeds in the coup - and nobody is enthusiastic about it: the factory workers who manufacture the fiber have absolutely nothing to gain from his invention, because now they have to fear for their jobs, as there will soon be hardly any need for newly produced fabrics. And the manufacturers, too, are appalled because they too have to fear for future business and thus profits, because the demand for conventional fibers will fall rapidly.
Since Stratton refuses to sell his disastrous formula for future fiber production, the idealistic inventor is faced with a phalanx of opponents: Capital and labor join hands and oppose his pioneering invention by all means, which actually only bring good for mankind should. Stratton no longer knows what to do, fate decides for him: his “miracle fiber” has a serious, decisive flaw, and it is very clearly noticeable. On the run from his pursuers, the white wonder suit he wore falls to shreds in a very short time, without any human intervention. After all, Stratton is only there in his underwear. But the inventor does not give up, a new, brilliant idea has come to him.
Production notes
The first performance of The Man in the White Suit took place on August 7, 1951 in London . The film was first shown in Germany on July 1, 1955.
The film was based on the novel of the same name by co-author Roger MacDougall. All three screenwriters received an Oscar nomination in 1953 . The year before, The Man in the White Suit was nominated for the British Film Academy Award in the category " Best British Film ".
The film construction is by Jim Morahan , the costumes by Anthony Mendleson. Lionel Banes took care of some additional camera shots.
criticism
Reclam's film guide reads: “An amusing comedy. Typical for the post-war production of the Ealing studios is the serious social background of the turbulent plot. The film gives tutoring on economic and social problems without losing any of its entertainment. "
In Bucher's encyclopedia of the film you can read: “The serious, even satirical, social criticism raises this film above the cozy complacency of the typical Ealing comedies. It contains excellent acting, particularly from Alec Guinness as a lone inventor whose discovery of an indestructible fabric has earned him the wrath of both employers and unions. "
The Lexicon of International Films wrote: “Fine-pointed British comedy” and praised it: “Narrated with quiet humor at a high formal level”.
Halliwell's Film Guide wrote: "Brilliant satirical comedy played as farce and put together with meticulous cinematic counterpoint, so that every moment counts and all concerned give of their very best".
The Movie & Video Guide just praised: “Most engaging comedy”.
Awards
The British Film Institute chose The Man in the White Suit in 1999 at number 58 of the best British films of the 20th century .
World premieres
- Great Britain: August 7, 1951
- USA: March 31, 1952
- Germany: July 1, 1955
Individual evidence
- ↑ Reclams Filmführer, by Dieter Krusche, collaboration: Jürgen Labenski. P. 402. Stuttgart 1973.
- ↑ Bucher's Encyclopedia of Films, Verlag CJ Bucher, Lucerne and Frankfurt / M. 1977, p. 486.
- ↑ Klaus Brüne (Red.): Das Lexikon des Internationale Films, Volume 5, p. 2456, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1987
- ^ Leslie Halliwell : Halliwell's Film Guide, Seventh Edition, New York 1989, p. 645
- ^ Leonard Maltin : Movie & Video Guide, 1996 edition, p. 821
Web links
- The man in the white suit in the Internet Movie Database (English)