The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit is a 1956 American drama film based on the 1955 novel The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit by Sloan Wilson. The film focuses on Tom Rath, a young World War II veteran trying to balance his marriage and family life with the demands of a career while dealing with the after-effects of his war service and a new high-pressure job. The film stars Gregory Peck as Rath and Jennifer Jones as his wife Betsy, with Fredric March, Lee J. Cobb, Keenan Wynn and Marisa Pavan in supporting roles. It was entered at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival.
Plot
Ten years after the end of World War II Tom Rath (Gregory Peck) is living in suburban Connecticut with his wife Betsy (Jennifer Jones) and three children. He's having difficulty supporting his family to his wife’s ambitions on his salary writing for a Manhattan nonprofit foundation. In addition to his troubled marriage Tom is also dealing with post-traumatic stress syndrome, depicted in the form of frequent and disquieting flashbacks from his combat service as an Army captain in both the European and Pacific theaters. These include actions where he killed men in combat (including, by accident, his best friend), and an affair with a young Italian girl named Maria (Marisa Pavan), with whom he had a brief relationship despite his being involved with Betsy at the time.