About a month ago, a library customer asked me to help them find this movie on the shelf. She said that she saw a movie preview for it last summer and had wanted to see it. There were two copies on the shelf so after she took her copy, I decided to check out the other copy.
Boy, am I glad that I did.
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris was an absolute delight. Released in the theatres in 2022, nominated for an Oscar for Best Costume Design in 2023, and rated PG, this is the perfect movie to watch with your mother. It is based on the novel Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico.
It is the story of Ada Harris, played expertly by Leslie Manville, a widowed, house cleaner in 1950s London. She makes the lives of the people she cleans for with ingenuity and a cheerful demeanor. Some of her clients take advantage of her kindness. One day, while cleaning a house, she comes upon a new Christian Dior gown and decides that it is her dream to travel to Paris and get her gown. She scrapes together the money through a mixture of work, starvation, staying in, betting at the dog track, and finally coming upon a windfall. Once in Paris, she touches the lives of everyone she meets with her friendly good nature and can-do spirit. She eventually permanently changes the business model for the House of Dior as it moves evolves to a business that sells ready-to-wear fashion.
I enjoyed the historical setting of post-war Europe. The movie was shot in London, Paris, and Budapest. The scenes shot in Paris were particularly breathtaking. I found Mrs. Harris’s likability and fortitude to be inspiring. As a character, she did try to help to make the lives of those around her better. The supporting cast was also very charming. I loved Jason Isaacs as her friend Archie in London and the characters who work at the House of Dior.
I give this movie 4 out of 4 stars for being charming, upbeat, and beautiful. I also loved that the runtime was only 115 minutes, which is 1 hour and 55 minutes. I feel that most movies can do what they need to do in under 2 hours.
In conclusion, see Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris!
That sounds like a fun movie, Katie!
Okay, I just realized why you like this movie. It’s concept is similar to that of “Outlander.” Hear me out here. At the beginning of the “Outlander” series, Claire is a British woman trapped in a life that she doesn’t find completely fulfilling, in a United Kingdom traumatized by the Second World War. And from what you wrote about “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,” I am under the impression that it is about a British woman trapped in a life that she doesn’t find completely fulfilling, in a United Kingdom traumatized by the Second World War.
In the “Outlander,” Claire finds her escape by going for a hike in Scotland and finding a magic boulder or something. In this movie, Mrs. Harris finds her escape by saving up a bunch of money and buying a ticket to cross the English Channel. However, they both have adventures in a new world.
Hi Jenny, Thank you for your comments. I would agree with you in that they both are similar. They both involve British women and take place in Europe. The women are both the heroine’s of their own stories. As for the rest of your hypothesis:
One could make the argument that they are both present the archetype that Joseph Campbell called The Hero With a Thousand Faces or in this case The Heroine which is sort of the main character of most stories. At the beginning of Outlander, Claire is actually not unhappy with her marriage or aware that she is. He husband loves her but is somewhat enthralled by his own interests. By falling into Scotland 200 years in the past, she finds out who she really is.
Okay, I just used “its” incorrectly, didn’t I?
Hi Katie: I can see this movie with you and pretend to be your mother-in-law. What do you think? You get the movie and I will get the popcorn!
Aunt Jeanne
Thanks Aunt Jeanne. Thank you for thinking of me. Actually, I saw it once and it was good. I was recommending it to others. Maybe we can watch another movie sometime.
That is one of the movies on the hospital system, so I watched it the other day. I enjoyed it too. Loved the scenery, and the characters were very likable.
That’s great Aunt Sue. I am glad that you liked it. I didn’t know that the hospital system had movies.
I just love Leslie Manville / she’s an amazing actress. Loved this movie- she also was in a series on Acorn or BritBox streaming service called MOM- it was wonderful