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The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

Drama · 1956

Tom Rath is a suburban father and husband haunted by his memories of World War II, including a wartime romance with Italian village girl Maria, which resulted in an illegitimate son he's never seen. Pressed by his unhappy wife to get a higher-paying job, Rath goes to work as a public relations man for television network president Ralph Hopkins. Drawn into poisonous office politics, Tom finds he must choose his career or his family.

Movie details

The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

“His loves...his world---both past and present---and the crisis they caused!”

1956 Drama 2h 33m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.7 / 10

Community rating

Tom Rath is a suburban father and husband haunted by his memories of World War II, including a wartime romance with Italian village girl Maria, which resulted in an illegitimate son he's never seen. Pressed by his unhappy wife to get a higher-paying job, Rath goes to work as a public relations man for television network president Ralph Hopkins. Drawn into poisonous office politics, Tom finds he must choose his career or his family.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Nunnally Johnson

Written by

Nunnally Johnson

Gregory Peck

Gregory Peck

Tom Rath

Jennifer Jones

Jennifer Jones

Betsy Rath

Fredric March

Fredric March

Ralph Hopkins

Marisa Pavan

Marisa Pavan

Maria Montagne

Lee J. Cobb

Lee J. Cobb

Judge Bernstein

Ann Harding

Ann Harding

Helen Hopkins

Keenan Wynn

Keenan Wynn

Sgt. Caesar Gardella

Court is in session

Put The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.