Writer-director Anthony Fabian takes his audience on a giddy trip around Paris and the would of haute couture in Mrs Harris Goes to Paris. Despite the fact the film is based on Paul Gallico’s 1958 novel Mrs ’Arris Goes to Paris, its closest relative seems to be the recent Netflix series Emily in Paris.
The two productions share the same sense of Paris as a magical place where dreams come true. And while the French capital is magical in many ways, their rose-tinted views of it both rather cloying, and at odds with reality. Like Emily, Mrs Harris never sets foot outside the gilded heart of Paris; and even the trash in the street (the film takes place during a garbage workers’ strike) seems to only add to its mythos.
The Mrs Harris of the title is Ada Harris (Lesley Manville), a cleaner living in London in the early 1950s. She works tirelessly but is still waiting for news of her husband Eddie, who went missing during WWII. One day while working for the rather dodgy Lady Dant (Anna Chancellor) she comes across a Dior dress in the wardrobe. Entranced, she sets her heart on getting one for herself. Her best friend Violet Butterfield (Ellen Thomas) is supportive, even though she doesn’t really see the point of such extravagance. Ada starts saving every penny she can. However, an ill-fated attempt at a windfall via charming local bookie Archie (Jason Isaacs) seems to set her back considerably – as does the news that Eddie has been confirmed dead. However, a series of lucky breaks fall Ada’s way, and soon she’s on a plane to Paris.
Her planning however hasn’t been great and she ends up spending the night in a train station. The next day, she heads to the Dior headquarters on the Avenue Montaigne. She arrives just as a show for high-end clients is starting. Unaware she can’t just stroll into Dior and buy a dress off the rack, Ada is initially refused entry. But the kindly Marquis de Chassagne (Lambert Wilson) invites her in as his guest. After the show, Ada picks the dress she wants and offers cash payment. This is music to the ears of Dior accountant André Fauvel (Lucas Bravo) who is struggling to keep the tradition-bound house afloat. His task is made more difficult by the snooty Mme Colbert (Isabelle Huppert) who clings to the old ways. But when Ada learns that a personalised fitting will take two weeks, she’s crest-fallen since she hadn’t planned on such a long stay. But Andre is able to offer her a place to stay, and Dior model Natasha (Alba Baptista) shows her the city. So it looks like Ada’s dream will come true – but can it really be that easy?
Fabian (who also assisted with the screenplay) stays fairly true to the plot of the book, but imbues the film with a fairytale quality in preference to the novel’s overt comedy. That turns out to be the film’s greatest strength or fatal weakness, depending on your point of view. Those who can swallow the film’s artifice will probably have a better time with it than I did. I found the fact that most characters turn out to have a heart of gold (no matter how awful they’ve been previously) a bit hard to swallow. Two partic ularly odious characters get their comeuppances at the end, but it seems almost an afterthought. Fabian also wades through quite a lot of treacle to get to the tear-inducing finale.
Lesley Manville however is fabulous in the title role, even if the role isn’t nearly as juicy as her Cyril in Phantom Thread. Isabelle Huppert likewise shines in an underwritten role as Mme Colbert. Lucas Bravo (Emily in Paris) is typically charming as Flauvel; while Ellen Thomas and Alba Baptista lend solid support as Ada’s friends on either side of the English Channel. Lambert Wilson (The Translators) barely gets a look in as the marquis; but Jason Isaacs fares rather better as the roguish Archie.
The film looks fabulous thanks to crisp cinematography by Felix Wiedemann, augmented by Rael Jones’ jaunty score. Of course, the fashion is undoubtedly a drawcard with costume designer Jenny Beavan (Cruella) channelling the aesthetic of the time (a fashion parade scene being a particular highlight).
For me, Mrs Harris Goes to Paris is a mixed bag. While I appreciate its technical prowess, I couldn’t get past the artifice of it all. Still, if fashion, or Paris, or fairytale endings are your bag, this is probably the film for you.
David Edwards
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David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television