When someone says they don't make 'em like that anymore after watching an old, feel-good Hollywood movie, well, they do sometimes, "Mrs Harris goes to Paris" is one of them.
This little movie has a touch of the magic of the old Hollywood studios combined with the engaging eccentricity of the mid-50s Earling comedies.
The usual synopsis doesn't do it justice: "Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris tells the story of a widowed cleaning lady in 1957 London who falls madly in love with a Christian Dior haute couture dress and decides that she must have one of her own".
But Ada Harris (Lesley Manville) is a more complex character than that. We realise that she is a generous, caring person. A run of good luck brings her the money she needs to head off to Paris initially in pursuit of the gorgeous gown, but eventually it also reveals inner qualities, which attract a fascinating, disparate group of people.
An intriguing aspect of the movie is the way Dior haute couture garments were displayed in the 1950's and bought by clients, followed by the critical individual fitting. When slim, sixty-something Ada Harris is measured for her dress, she is told, "Madam has the proportions of a model". Eventually we see how well her gown fits her.
Filmed in London and Paris, the film looks as fabulous as the Dior gowns. The story has been filmed a couple of times and if you've seen it, it's interesting to compare it to the 1992 version with Angela Lansbury, "Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris". It must have been a break from playing Jessica Fletcher in 9 seasons of "Murder She Wrote". However that earlier film is like a sketch compared to producer/director Anthony Fabian's more fully rendered work.
Rael Jones' vibrant waltz themes and lilting piano solos show the power that a superb original score can have over a compilation of existing songs.
If you are a fan of the Marvel franchise or into Jason Statham's brand of house cleaning, then Mrs. Harris with her bucket and mop possibly isn't for you. But the film has appealing characters, and goes in such unexpected directions that you may find yourself absorbed before you know it.
This little movie has a touch of the magic of the old Hollywood studios combined with the engaging eccentricity of the mid-50s Earling comedies.
The usual synopsis doesn't do it justice: "Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris tells the story of a widowed cleaning lady in 1957 London who falls madly in love with a Christian Dior haute couture dress and decides that she must have one of her own".
But Ada Harris (Lesley Manville) is a more complex character than that. We realise that she is a generous, caring person. A run of good luck brings her the money she needs to head off to Paris initially in pursuit of the gorgeous gown, but eventually it also reveals inner qualities, which attract a fascinating, disparate group of people.
An intriguing aspect of the movie is the way Dior haute couture garments were displayed in the 1950's and bought by clients, followed by the critical individual fitting. When slim, sixty-something Ada Harris is measured for her dress, she is told, "Madam has the proportions of a model". Eventually we see how well her gown fits her.
Filmed in London and Paris, the film looks as fabulous as the Dior gowns. The story has been filmed a couple of times and if you've seen it, it's interesting to compare it to the 1992 version with Angela Lansbury, "Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris". It must have been a break from playing Jessica Fletcher in 9 seasons of "Murder She Wrote". However that earlier film is like a sketch compared to producer/director Anthony Fabian's more fully rendered work.
Rael Jones' vibrant waltz themes and lilting piano solos show the power that a superb original score can have over a compilation of existing songs.
If you are a fan of the Marvel franchise or into Jason Statham's brand of house cleaning, then Mrs. Harris with her bucket and mop possibly isn't for you. But the film has appealing characters, and goes in such unexpected directions that you may find yourself absorbed before you know it.