Mrs Harris Goes
to Paris
Cert 12 A | ★★★★★

Oscar-nominee and longtime Mike Leigh collaborator, Lesley Manville (Secrets & Lies, Topsy-Turvy, Phantom Thread), heads a stellar European cast in this charming period drama comedy from director Anthony Fabian (Louder Than Words).

Adapted from Paul Gallico’s 1958 Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris , the film also stars Jason Isaacs (The Harry Potter films, The Death of Stalin), French superstar Isabelle Huppert (Elle), Lambert Wilson (The Matrix film series) and Eastenders regular Ellen Thomas.

It’s 1950s London, and Ada Harris (Manville), a war-widowed cleaning lady becomes increasingly obsessed with a client’s haute couture Christian Dior dress.

After suddenly receiving a war-widow’s pension and winning some money on the pools, she decides to travel to Paris to buy the dress. As luck would have it, on her arrival at Maison Dior, Ada stumbles into an exclusive 10th anniversary showing for the Paris elite.

Mrs Harris Goes to Paris

Leslie Manville in Mrs Harris Goes to Paris

First rejected by snobby Dior director Claudine (Hupert), Ada is invited by the charming Marquis de Chassagne (Wilson) to attend the show as his guest.

Befriended by Andre (Emily in Paris alum Lucas Bravo), the Dior accountant, and Natasha (Alba Baptista) the fashion house’s most iconic model, Ada stay sa few more days in Paris while her dress is being made to order. There she learns that all isn’t well chez Dior and that behind the facade of riches and glamour, what the fashion house really needs is more people like her.

While this isn’t the first time Gallico’s novel has been adapted for the screen — there have been no less than three remakes since 1958 —Fabian’s film feels like a fitting tribute to this much loved character. Mixing magical realism and post-war nostalgia, he and writer Carroll Cartwright deliver an irresistibly mischievous, funny and at times poignant retelling of this old favourite.

Manville, of course, is typically excellent as Ada Harris, as is Isaacs asArchie, her love interest, a lowly Irish bookkeeper.

One does however wonder why the film’s title has somehow acquired an H in the process when ’Arriswas perfectly fine. Possibly the makers thought wrongly that international audiences may not be quite au fait with the cockney connotations attached to Ada’s character, but Gallico’s original title would have had more of an impact.

Elevated by some brilliant performances all around, Mrs Harris Goes to Paris feels like the shot in the arm we’ve all been waiting for in these gloomy, unpredictable times.
Its old fashioned innocence, coupled with lovable characters make this into one of the best drama comedies we’re likely to see this year.