The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

One of my favorite pictures from the 1950's is "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit".  I first saw it years ago in college for my "Film in American Culture" class, and I've pretty much adored it ever since.  Some of the things we were asked to consider in that class were the time period the film was made in, and what it was trying to say about American culture at the time.  And I think this picture says a lot.

Starring Gregory Peck and Jennifer Jones, it's the story of a 1950's male, a World War II vet, who's trying to provide for his family and navigate a changing world. His life is mostly pleasant, but boring, and very different from his experiences in the War.  It's a more cynical world, a TV world, and a world where it's harder to make the choices that will keep families together.  He takes a job on Madison Avenue, setting in motion a series of choices he must make as to what it will take to keep his family together and his conscience clear.

The performances are brilliant, particularly Gregory Peck and Fredric March, who plays his boss, a man who has lost his family due to his inability to control his ambitions. There's also terrific work from Jennifer Jones, Keenan Wynn, Marisa Pavan, Arthur O'Connell, and Henry Daniell is his usual sneering self.

"The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" is a perfect example of what was happening at the time. Made in brilliant technicolor and filmed in Cinemascope, it was meant to be shown on a wide screen so as to compete with TV and get more viewers off the couch and in to the theaters.  The movie comments on this in several scenes of the family members being distracted a TV screen, and the pseudo-violence of TV Westerns, as compared to the actual violence of war. It's also one of the first movies to take on work-life balance, and shows how over-devotion to work can impact family dynamics.  And finally it takes on the topics of honesty and integrity, and how the lack of them can lead to bitterness and cynicism.  It's one of those rare examples of a film that can entertain while it's trying to get you to think.