7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
An altruistic chemist invents a fabric that resists wear and stain as boon to humanity but both capital and labor realize it must be suppressed for economic reasons.
Starring: Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood, Cecil Parker, Michael Gough, Ernest ThesigerSci-Fi | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Alexander Mackendrick's "The Man in the White Suit" (1951) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailer for the film; filmed discussion with director Stephen Frears, film historian Ian Christie and author and British film historian Richard Dacre; and audio commentary by film historian Dr. Dean Brandum. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The troublemaker
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Alexander Mackendrick's The Man in the White Suit arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
This release is sourced from another early 2K restoration that was initially introduced on Blu-ray in the United Kingdom, via StudioCanal's Vintage Classics line. (You can see our review of the Region-B release here).
The restoration is very nice, but it is arguably the one in the Ealing catalog that I think could benefit the most from some additional manual cleanup work. Just to be clear, there is no reason to be concerned about the overall quality of the technical presentation because the basics are very strong and the improvements that could be made would be cosmetic. I just think that with a larger budget and modern equipment some meaningful cleanup work and minor enhancements can make the film look even more attractive. So, depth, clarity, and even fluidity are quite nice, and on a larger screen the visuals hold up really, really well. Grain is exposed quite nicely as well, though ideally it can appear even more refined and stronger. As it is, I still like its appearance a lot. Stability is good, but this is another area where some meaningful optimizations/stabilizations can be introduced. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
Clarity, sharpness, and depth are very nice. The dialog is also easy to follow. Some of the chamber music that enhances the action occasionally sounds just a tad uneven, but virtually all of the unevenness is a limitation inherited from the original recording. (A good example can be heard around the 01.20.01 mark). There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in our review.
One of Alec Guinness' best performances is in Alexander Mackendrick's The Man in the White Suit, a rather uncharacteristically pessimistic comedy that asks a number of intriguing questions that may actually be even more relevant today. (Consider these two: How much progress is in fact beneficial for industrialized countries? And where is the tipping point after which the entire supply-and-demand system which is at the core of modern economies becomes irrelevant?). For Ealing fans this is a must-own title, and I also think that it is one of the safest 'blind buys' that any film fan can make. Kino Lorber's new Blu-ray release is sourced from an old but strong 2K restoration that was initially introduced by StudioCanal in the United Kingdom. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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