Movie review: Mrs Harris Goes to Paris

 

In Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, a movie based on the 1958 novel by Paul Gallico, Ada Harris, a British cleaning lady, manages to scrape together enough money to travel to Paris to buy a dream Dior gown. Despite the initial rebuffs by some at the French fashion house, Ada wins over her detractors and since she has ready cash (something not often seen with their top clients) no one can really deny her the gown of her dreams. Ada’s down to earth logic and sense of humour, as well as her charm and good nature, soon endear her to everyone and she manages to change lives and the future of the House of Dior. The ending of this film is rather a feel-good, happy one, unlike the original book. However, based on what we see in the nasty old world around us, I was more than pleased with this HEA ending. Plus, I wouldn’t mind wearing a Dior gown and dancing with Jason Isaacs…

The cast is superb. The ever-watchable Lesley Manville plays Ada Harris with grace, charm, and flair. She is perfect in the part. You will laugh with her and weep for her. Jason Isaacs plays her friend at the dog races and maybe there’s a spark in the future for them both, especially after he sees her in the Dior dress, “Temptation.” Ellen Thomas plays her best friend and stalwart supporter, Vi Butterfield. Other familiar faces include the beautiful Isabelle Huppert as Claudine Colbert, the Dior manager, who resents Ada. Young lovers who discover each other, the “face of Dior” gorgeous Alba Baptista (as Natasha) and Lucas Bravo, the handsome accountant (Andre), add the romance element one must always find in the city of love. Andre has a penchant for Sartre and discussing existentialism, but he is so good looking that I’m sure any young woman would be pleased to while away a few hours being intellectual in his arms. Rounding out the players are Lambert Wilson (every mature woman’s dream man) as the Marquis de Chassagne, three hilarious tramps that Ada meets at the station, and a bevy of workers at the House of Dior who embody the worker bees behind the scenes that create the glorious dresses. Let’s not forget the inimitable Anna Chancellor as the truly selfish Lady Dant, a comical cameo. 

It is just a lovely romantic movie that one can sit back and enjoy. There are social elements such as the class distinctions in both France and England and worker issues, but these are woven in as part of the story and the character interaction, not bashed into the audience in woke haranguing. The plot is quite detailed in the lead-up to Ada actually jetting off to Paris but there’s nothing slow about the story overall. The movie and the characters draw the audience into the plot, and you actually believe in them and want things to go right for the good people and hope the (mildly) bad people get their come-uppance. Fashion makes a big hit in the movie since Oscar-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan worked with the famous fashion house to make couture gowns from scratch. Talking of costumes and sets, no detail was left undone, and the ambiance and period dress were perfect. Sit back and enjoy a relaxing, sweet, and gentle look at yesteryear with great acting and gorgeous costumes and settings. Like me, you will not want it to end!

 

TV Series review: Sherwood

 

I was initially put off watching Sherwood because I read a couple of iffy reviews. However, upon looking at the cast list, I decided to give it a go. It was well worth it but perhaps not for the reasons the producers would have wanted. Let’s start with the cast. You can’t go wrong with a stellar cast that includes David Morrissey, Robert Glenister, the ever-watchable Lesley Manville, Joanne Froggatt, Claire Rushbrook, Claire Holman, Philip Jackson (was there ever a better Inspector Japp?), the ever-lovely Lindsay Duncan, Kevin Doyle, Alun Armstrong, Adeel Akhtar, and many other familiar faces. Their performances were so true to life, as one would expect from these acting stalwarts.

The plot (inspired by true events) was something else. Sherwood, Nottinghamshire, a forest, one almost expects Robin Hood to appear. He does not but a bow-wielding killer does and someone with links to the past, the old miners’ strike of the 80s, is murdered in the wee hours. Said bowman then proceeds to terrorise a few people who seemingly don’t have any links to each other, or do they? It doesn’t take long for the police to get a DNA sample and the identity of the killer, which fractures a community already riven by old grievances over the scab labour and the ensuing police and miners battle in the past. Information comes to the surface about a police informant planted in the village to foment trouble who never left but stayed and created a new life for themselves. Are the killings related to someone searching for the identity of this person, who caused a lot of trouble. Ultimately the killer’s real motive was rather weak, not related to this dark secret, and left the ending quite flat.

However, the strength and utter beauty, if one can call it that, lies in the performances and the character portrayals. These are so riveting that you sit on the edge of your seat, you cry with them, bite your nails with them, and wonder how their story will end. I have to mention Adeel Akhtar who most superbly plays Andy Fisher, a train driver and train enthusiast. He had lost his wife to suicide, and his only son just got married. In a terrible moment of anger and despair, he kills his sharp-tongued new daughter-in-law by accident, and from that moment on his tragic life unravels at an alarming rate. Adeel deserves an award for his rendition of Andy, a man ripped apart by grief, guilt, shame, and anguish. He had me in tears! I defy anyone to remain dry-eyed as you watch this superb performance.

Performance value is high, as one would expect from a BBC production. There is nothing skimpy about any aspect. Audiences of a certain age will remember the Thatcher years and how the unions were dealt with. For those new to this part of history, the flashbacks are well done and incorporate actual news footage. Looking back on it now, a 21^st century audience might wonder what all the fuss was about, and people could work if they wanted to. But it was not so simple back then. The series lays out the drama of those times very well and the fractured relationships people had in this little ‘once a mining village.’ This element also gives impetus to the healing that can come after a tragedy if people are willing to take a step towards reconciliation. In that respect, the plot threads come together, making this an eminently watchable series. I will certainly be on the lookout for season 2. Don’t miss this one.