| Photos (see all 18 | slideshow) |
| Alec Guinness | ... | Sidney Stratton | |
| Joan Greenwood | ... | Daphne Birnley | |
| Cecil Parker | ... | Alan Birnley | |
| Michael Gough | ... | Michael Corland | |
| Ernest Thesiger | ... | Sir John Kierlaw | |
| Howard Marion-Crawford | ... | Cranford (as Howard Marion Crawford) | |
| Henry Mollison | ... | Hoskins | |
| Vida Hope | ... | Bertha | |
| Patric Doonan | ... | Frank | |
| Duncan Lamont | ... | Harry | |
| Harold Goodwin | ... | Wilkins | |
| Colin Gordon | ... | Hill | |
| Joan Harben | ... | Miss Johnson | |
| Arthur Howard | ... | Roberts | |
| Roddy Hughes | ... | Green | |
| Stuart Latham | ... | Harrison | |
| Miles Malleson | ... | The Tailor | |
| Edie Martin | ... | Mrs. Watson | |
| Mandy Miller | ... | Gladdie | |
| Charlotte Mitchell | ... | Mill Girl | |
| Olaf Olsen | ... | Knudsen | |
| Desmond Roberts | ... | Mannering | |
| Ewan Roberts | ... | Fotheringay | |
| John Rudling | ... | Wilson | |
| Charles Saynor | ... | Pete | |
| Russell Waters | ... | Davidson | |
| Brian Worth | ... | King | |
| George Benson | ... | The Lodger | |
| Frank Atkinson | ... | The Baker | |
| Charles Cullum | ... | 1st Company Director | |
| F.B.J. Sharp | ... | 2nd Company Director | |
| Scott Harold | ... | Express Reporter | |
| Jack Howarth | ... | Receptionist At Corland Mill | |
| Jack McNaughton | ... | Taxi Driver | |
| Judith Furse | ... | Nurse Gamage | |
| Billy Russell | ... | Nightwatchman | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| David Boyd | ... | Office Boy (uncredited) | |
| Alan Haines | ... | Reporter (uncredited) | |
| Arthur Mullard | ... | (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Alexander Mackendrick | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Roger MacDougall | (play) | |
| Roger MacDougall | (screenplay) & | |
| John Dighton | (screenplay) & | |
| Alexander Mackendrick | (screenplay) | |
Produced by | |||
| Michael Balcon | .... | producer | |
| Sidney Cole | .... | associate producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Benjamin Frankel | (music by) | ||
Cinematography by | |||
| Douglas Slocombe | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Bernard Gribble | |||
Casting by | |||
| Margaret Harper Nelson | (uncredited) | ||
Art Direction by | |||
| Jim Morahan | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Anthony Mendleson | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Barbara Barnard | .... | hair styles | |
| Harry Frampton | .... | make-up | |
| Ernest Taylor | .... | make-up | |
| Daphne Martin | .... | assistant hairdresser (uncredited) | |
Production Management | |||
| Hal Mason | .... | production supervisor | |
| L.C. Rudkin | .... | unit production manager | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| David Peers | .... | assistant director | |
| John Assig | .... | second assistant director (uncredited) | |
| Terry Bishop | .... | second unit director (uncredited) | |
| Jim O'Connolly | .... | third assistant director (uncredited) | |
Art Department | |||
| Andrew Low | .... | set dresser (uncredited) | |
| Lew Wills | .... | assistant art director (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Arthur Bradburn | .... | recordist | |
| Stephen Dalby | .... | sound supervisor | |
| Mary Habberfield | .... | sound editor (uncredited) | |
| Cyril Swern | .... | boom operator (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Sydney Pearson | .... | special effects | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Geoffrey Dickinson | .... | special processes | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Lionel Banes | .... | additional photography | |
| Jeff Seaholme | .... | camera operator | |
| Jack Dooley | .... | stills (uncredited) | |
| Ted Lockhart | .... | grip (uncredited) | |
| Bob Penn | .... | floor stills (uncredited) | |
| Michael Shepherd | .... | clapper loader (uncredited) | |
| Hugh Wilson | .... | focus puller (uncredited) | |
Casting Department | |||
| Muriel Cole | .... | crowd casting (uncredited) | |
| Thelma Graves | .... | assistant casting (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Ron Beck | .... | wardrobe assistant: men (uncredited) | |
| Edith Crutchley | .... | wardrobe assistant: ladies (uncredited) | |
| Ernie Farrer | .... | wardrobe master (uncredited) | |
| Lily Payne | .... | wardrobe mistress (uncredited) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Lionel Selwyn | .... | assistant editor (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Ernest Irving | .... | conductor | |
Other crew | |||
| Felicia Manheim | .... | continuity | |
| Geoffrey Myers | .... | scientific advisor | |
| Christopher Barry | .... | assistant to producer (uncredited) | |
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| News articles | IMDb Comedy section | IMDb UK section |
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Alec Guinness, an interesting story, and some effective dry humor make this a witty and satisfying satirical comedy. Like a number of the Ealing comedies, the initial plot premise is interesting, yet it is really only a pretext for presenting material that affords some opportunities for subtly caustic commentary. In this case, the far-fetched invention by Guinness's character is used cleverly to point out the ways that various persons feel about science, change, and technology.
Guinness plays an innocent, even naive, character here, which is rather different from most of those he played in other Ealing features. There is a good assortment of supporting characters this time, and some of the minor roles feature some effective performances. Cecil Parker, Michael Gough, and Ernest Thesiger make a good trio of heavies, and Joan Greenwood works well as a character in the middle of things.
The ironic, understated tone of most of the humor keeps things low-key but effective. It's the kind of approach that is far more challenging than direct ridicule, and it takes disciplined film-makers to make something like this work. Not least among the movie's strengths is Guinness's own skill in making his character believable in addition to sympathetic.
While in some ways the comparison may be a stretch, there are some rather interesting parallels between "The Man in the White Suit" and the much more recent "Jurassic Park". The style and characters are much different (though "Jurassic Park" is not entirely without its own moments of dry humor), but in both cases an amazing - and entirely fictional - invention is shown to provoke all kinds of differing reactions, as others seek to exploit it, to close it down, or to control it. In both cases, the point is not whether the invention is valid, but rather the ways that everyone responds while barely understanding or appreciating the actual development itself.
While "The Man in the White Suit" is not one of the best-known Ealing features, it is another good one, with wit, solid characters and story, and an approach that combines style and substance.