Plot
Sidney Stratton, a gifted research chemist and former Cambridge scholar, is obsessed with developing a fibre that never wears out and resists dirt. His fixation and insistence on costly laboratory facilities lead to repeated dismissals from jobs at several textile mills across Northern England. At Birnley Mills, where he is employed as a labourer, Stratton secretly gains access to research equipment and, through persistence, succeeds in producing a revolutionary synthetic fibre. A suit is tailored from the material: it is brilliantly white, as it cannot absorb dye, and faintly luminous due to traces of radioactive compounds in its structure.
At first, Stratton is celebrated as a scientific pioneer. Mill owners recognise the prestige of his discovery, and the press hails his work as a breakthrough. However, both management and organised labour quickly grasp the broader consequences. If clothing made from the fibre never wears out, the textile trade will collapse once consumers purchase sufficient garments, leaving thousands unemployed and destroying the profitability of the industry. Industrialists attempt to coerce Stratton into relinquishing his formula, while union leaders also pressure him to suppress the invention. Stratton, proud of his achievement and convinced of its benefit to humanity, refuses to compromise.
The mill owner’s daughter, Daphne Birnley, is enlisted to persuade Stratton to abandon his work in return for a £5,000 settlement. Though initially willing, she comes to admire his integrity and instead encourages him to make his discovery public. Stratton, however, slowly realises that his creation has no allies: employers, workers, and even acquaintances oppose its release, fearing economic ruin.
The film reaches its climax with Stratton pursued through the streets at night, wearing the glowing white suit. Chased by a mob of industrialists and workers, he appears cornered, but suddenly the fabric begins to fail. The chemical structure of the fibre proves unstable, and the suit disintegrates before the crowd’s eyes. Triumphant, the mob strips away the remnants, leaving Stratton in his underclothes. Only Daphne and Bertha, a sympathetic mill worker, express pity for his plight.
The following morning, Stratton is dismissed from his position at Birnley Mills. As he gathers his belongings, he examines his laboratory notes. A sudden insight strikes him, and he exclaims, "I see!" He departs with renewed determination, suggesting he will resume his quest elsewhere.
Reception
Upon its release, The Man in the White Suit received critical praise for its satirical treatment of industrial and scientific progress. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times described it as "a deft and sardonic little satire on the working of modern industry." [13] Writing for Sight & Sound, Penelope Houston praised Alec Guinness’s performance and Mackendrick’s direction, noting that the film combined "Ealing comedy charm with a sharper political edge." [14]
The film won a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay in 1953, [15] and received the BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay in 1952. [16]
In later years, the film’s reputation endured. The British Film Institute ranked it 58th in its list of the 100 greatest British films. [17] In 2014, The Guardian selected it as one of the twenty best British science fiction films. [18] On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 94% based on 18 reviews, with the consensus praising its "witty script and Alec Guinness’s impeccable performance." [19]
The film has also influenced later storytellers. Harve Bennett cited it as instructive when writing Star Trek III: The Search for Spock . He argued that the Genesis device risked undermining narrative credibility, and recalled the film’s lesson that "for every great advance, you pay a price," which inspired the eventual scenario of the film. [20]
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