Alec Guinness’ ‘The Man in the White Suit’ 4K Restoration New Trailer
by Alex Billington
July 21, 2025
Source: YouTube
“You can’t buy me! I don’t work here!” Studiocanal UK has revealed a brand new trailer for a 4K restoration version of the 1951 comedy classic The Man in the White Suit, directed by British filmmaker Alexander Mackendrick. (Though it didn’t hit US theaters until 1952.) Sounds like it’s just as relevant today as it was 74 years ago! Sidney Stratton, laboratory dishwasher at a textile mill, is secretly at work on the invention of a new fabric that will never get dirty and never wear out. But the powers that rule us won’t let it get out. An altruistic chemist invents a fabric which resists wear and stain as a boon to humanity, but big business and labor realize it must be suppressed for economic reasons. (Of course…) The film followed a common Ealing Studios theme of the “common man” against the Establishment. In this instance the hero falls foul of both trade unions and the wealthy mill owners who attempt to suppress his invention. Starring Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker, Michael Gough, Ernest Thesiger, Vida Hope, Howard Marion-Crawford, & Henry Mollison. The new 4K re-release this year is only going to Blu-ray, not theaters, but I hope some cinemas will put it on the big screen. This looks like such a fun comedy – time to give it a watch.
Here’s the new 4K trailer for Alexander Mackendrick’s film The Man in the White Suit, via YouTube:
And here’s another classic trailer for Mackendrick’s film The Man in the White Suit, also via YouTube:
“The classic Ealing comedy – spotlessly restored.” Sidney Stratton (Alec Guinness), laboratory dishwasher at a textile mill, is secretly at work on the invention of a new fabric that will never get dirty and never wear out. After many vicissitudes, the invention succeeds and it is brought to the notice of his employer, who gives him money and facilities to develop it. When the news of Stratton’s invention breaks, however, industry is threatened with chaos. The trade unions and the mill owners find themselves in an artificial alliance, both determined the fabric must never go on the market. The Man in the White Suit is directed by the British filmmaker Alexander Mackendrick, his second feature film at the time after making Whisky Galore! (1949) and before Crash of Silence (1952). The screenplay is written by Roger MacDougall & John Dighton & Alexander Mackendrick; based on the play by Roger MacDougall. Produced by Michael Balcon. This originally premiered at the 1951 Edinburgh Film Festival just before opening in the UK; it arrived in US theaters in early 1952. Studiocanal will re-release The Man in the White Suit in 4K UHD – available on Blu-ray as a “stunning new collector’s edition” starting September 15th, 2025 this fall. Any fans of this one?