Directions unit: Extra Research
As a satire ealing comedy on economic growth,
The Man in the White Suit is a film made at is the height of Ealing comedy. It's very sophisticated and subtle in its satirical humour, which to me is what makes it so enjoyable. When watching any of these films, I laugh without feeling forced to, they're funny because they're unbelievably realistic.
Many of these films also poke fun out of social classes and rankings. It takes a dig at a number of the cultural institutions that characterise northern England, especially The Man in the White Suit . You have these big businesses picking on the little man, even when this man has succeeded.
The success of The Man in the White Suit, which was also directed by Alexandre Mackendrick, is the subtlety in the way it deals with social issues, and the subtle way it pokes fun at them. Exploring such issues is actually useful from a historic point of view, to help us understand how Britain used to be, and the struggles working class people faced. The very act that they are making fun of it shows a certain sense of humour, and how peoples spirit was then; it's always your outlook on life that. Having an understanding of the way life was then from films like The Man in the White Suit helps me in my filming; it broadens my understanding. Its very cleverly written, and very well directed making it one of the great British films of the 1950s.
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) is another Ealing film produced at a similar time. A interesting choice in this film was to have Alec Guinness play all the family members that all get killed off by the family member who wants to inherit money. The way in which they had done this is revolutionary and has inspired my editing. The fact that they had the same person play multiple characters in the same shot shows how forward thinking Ealing were and how they wanted to push boundaries even further. The technologies that are available now that weren't available then would've made the editing process very challenging. It also shows Alec Guinness's diverse range of acting; so much in fact that you don't even question that it is the same person when watching it.
The Man in the White Suit is a film made at is the height of Ealing comedy. It's very sophisticated and subtle in its satirical humour, which to me is what makes it so enjoyable. When watching any of these films, I laugh without feeling forced to, they're funny because they're unbelievably realistic.
Many of these films also poke fun out of social classes and rankings. It takes a dig at a number of the cultural institutions that characterise northern England, especially The Man in the White Suit . You have these big businesses picking on the little man, even when this man has succeeded.
The success of The Man in the White Suit, which was also directed by Alexandre Mackendrick, is the subtlety in the way it deals with social issues, and the subtle way it pokes fun at them. Exploring such issues is actually useful from a historic point of view, to help us understand how Britain used to be, and the struggles working class people faced. The very act that they are making fun of it shows a certain sense of humour, and how peoples spirit was then; it's always your outlook on life that. Having an understanding of the way life was then from films like The Man in the White Suit helps me in my filming; it broadens my understanding. Its very cleverly written, and very well directed making it one of the great British films of the 1950s.
Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) is another Ealing film produced at a similar time. A interesting choice in this film was to have Alec Guinness play all the family members that all get killed off by the family member who wants to inherit money. The way in which they had done this is revolutionary and has inspired my editing. The fact that they had the same person play multiple characters in the same shot shows how forward thinking Ealing were and how they wanted to push boundaries even further. The technologies that are available now that weren't available then would've made the editing process very challenging. It also shows Alec Guinness's diverse range of acting; so much in fact that you don't even question that it is the same person when watching it.
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| Alec Guinness playing family members |
The main character is Louis the 10th Duke of Chalfont (the one killing off his family). He's in prison awaiting execution the next morning and sets down on paper the events that led him to his current situation. This is how the story is told. The ending is equally as funny as the rest of the film; Louis is released from prison in the morning and the charges are dropped. When he leaves he suddenly remembers he left the book he wrote, basically confessing everything, in the prison cell.
The element of class satire is again very prominent, shown through Alec Guinness' characters, and once again demonstrates Ealing's way of portraying and poking fun at social issues.
The element of class satire is again very prominent, shown through Alec Guinness' characters, and once again demonstrates Ealing's way of portraying and poking fun at social issues.
Bibliography
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044876/reviews?ref_=tt_ov_rt
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PYat5VBJCWs/hqdefault.jpg
http://www.thingsinmovies.com/wp-content/uploads/man-in-white-suit-thread.jpg
http://theredlist.com/media/database/films/cinema/1940/kinds-hearts-and-coronets/010-kinds-hearts-and-coronets-theredlist.jpg
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