Review #674: 'The Man in the White Suit' (1951)

Just two years after he took everyone's breath away playing eight characters in Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), Alec Guinness continued his successful relationship with Ealing Studios with another iconic performance as eccentric inventor Sidney Stratton in The Man in the White Suit. After being fired from numerous mills throughout the north of England for his expensive research into an everlasting fibre, Sidney joins Birnley Mill. Posing as an unpaid researcher, he makes his breakthrough and creates a fibre that repels dirt and cannot be broken, and makes himself a white suit out of it. Seeing the potential collapse of their industry, capital and workers alike join forces to bring Sidney down.

While watching The Man in the White Suit, it would be easy to pose the question of what exactly is the point of this movie? Ealing had common themes of anti-establishment running through their films of this era, and here the big bosses are shown as pompous, cigar-smoking buffoons, clambering over each other in blind panic. Yet with the invention of Sidney's white suit, the industry will implode, taking down thousands of the working class with it. This is exemplified when Sidney, running through the streets in his luminous white suit to escape the mob, comes across his poor landlady who has been letting him live there rent-free. She sees Sidney's new invention and says "what about my bit of washing when there's no washing to do?" The working class will pay the biggest price if the white suit breaks out.

So, the point is not to make a point, it's to make you think about technological progression. The 40's saw the emergence of the H-bomb that almost single-handedly ended World War II. This was initially seen as a good thing and the ultimate protective weapon. Then other countries began manufacturing them, and the threat of nuclear war prevailed throughout the next few decades. It seems that following technological innovation blindly could have devastating consequences. Yet Sidney goes about his business with a demented determination, initially without a thought about the potential results of his actions. The fact that he is the film's protagonist and (anti?)hero does cause some confusion, but in Guinness's expert hands, Sidney is a delight to watch and even root for.

The supporting cast are strong too, especially Joan Greenwood as Daphne Birnley, the daughter of the tycoon that runs the mill (played by the also excellent Cecil Parker). Her voice is so sultry and her face so beautiful that it's hard to take your eyes off her. The scene in which she tries to seduce Sidney at the request of the united bosses is an acting lesson in subtle sexuality. However, in the context of Ealing's output of this era, The Man in the White Suit falls somewhat short. It's extremely slow-paced and talky, and isn't particularly funny. But it's a clever-clever satire that was way ahead of its time, expertly directed in an unfussy fashion by Alexander Mackendrick.


Directed by: Alexander Mackendrick
Starring: Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker, Michael Gough
Country: UK

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #40: 'Sweet Smell of Success' (1957)

When it comes to the newspapers in the movies, they are usually portrayed in one of the two following extremes. Either they are heroic figures, fighting against political corruption and sleaze, or uncovering a massive conspiracy that have failed to have been noticed, in such films as The Killing Fields (1984) or the classic All The President's Men (1976). Or they are complete scum, sticking their noses in or desperately trying to spin a story to the expense of someone's privacy, such as in Salvador (1986 - although James Woods' character is the central figure, he is portrayed as sweaty, booze-addled and pathetic) and La Dolce Vita (1960), where the term 'papparazzo' was formed. In terms of the latter, never has the newspapers been so viciously portrayed as in Sweet Smell Of Success, where desperation and lies are the name of the game.

Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) is a young press agent working for columnist giant J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster), who has set Falco the task of breaking up the relationship between up-and-coming jazz musician Steve Dallas (Martin Milner) and Hunsecker's sister Susan (Susan Harrison). Falco is at the point of desperation, as the two are on to his plans, so Falco puts into motion an act so complex and devious that it just might work. He sets about ruining Dallas' reputation by spreading the rumour that he's a pothead Communist, only to have Hunsecker then salvage his reputation. Falco foresees that Dallas would then reject Hunsecker's help, opposing the nature of his work, and thus causing Susan to break off the relationship. While all this is going on, Falco is losing money and clients, and must scheme his way out of his situation and have to deal with the monstrous Hunsecker.

The greatest thing about this stone-cold classic is the complete lack of conscience between the two leads. While Curtis' good looks may make him the more sympathetic of the two, his character is an absolute slimeball, and we watch him repeatedly cheat, scam and bullshit his way out of corners, all for the benefit of his career. In my opinion, it's Curtis' greatest performance. He will always be remembered primarily for his cross-dressing performance in Some Like It Hot (1959), but here he puts his charm and good looks on the line for the sake of a complex and extremely mature performance. It is a performance he would come close to equalling later on in his career in the thoroughly underrated The Boston Strangler (1968). Lancaster is nothing short of terrifying. One of the greatest 'villains' in history, he is a tower of rage and brutality, using people left right and centre for his own selfish means. He is completely lacking in sympathy and ethics, and Falco laps up every order and direction like a obedient dog. He is the domineering force of the film, even though Tony Curtis eats up the majority of the screentime.

The screenplay has enough words to fill about 5 feature-length scripts. It's full of wonderful one-liners and riveting monologues and they are all delivered with skill by the cast. It's similar to another classic set in the world of newspapers His Girl Friday (1940). Yet while the fast-paced dialogue was used in that film for comedy purposes and to allow leads Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell to bounce sexily off each other, here it is used as a way to portray the evilness of its leads, confusing the audience as much as they confuse the victims of their acid-tongued schemes. Director Alexander Mackendrick, who also directed Ealing classics The Man In The White Suit (1951) and The Ladykillers (1955), shoots the whole film with a noir-ish bleakness. Even though the film is set in a fast-paced world filled with stars and classy settings, the film managed to capture the emptiness of the surroundings and of the profession. A true classic, featuring staggering performances by the two leads, and fantastic, unfussy direction from Mackendrick. Way ahead of its time.


Directed by: Alexander Mackendrick
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, Martin Milner
Country: USA

Rating: *****

Tom Gillespie