MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS (2022)
Starring Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Lambert Wilson, Alba Baptista, Lucas Bravo, Ellen Thomas, Rose Williams, Jason Isaacs, Roxane Duran, Christian McKay, Guilaine Londez, Anna Chancellor, Christian McKay, Delroy Atkinson, Jeremy Wheeler, Murányi Panka, Dorottya Ilosvai, Barnabás Réti, Sarah Rickman and Freddie Fox.
Screenplay by Anthony Fabian & Carroll Cartwright & Keith Thompson & Olivia Hetreed.
Directed by Anthony Fabian.
Distributed by Focus Features. 115 minutes. Rated PG.
Simply delightful.
What more is there to say, really?
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is based on a popular 1958 novel by Paul Gallico. (Useless trivia fact, the author also wrote such diverse fare as The Stone Goose and The Poseidon Adventure.) It has been made into a movie a few times before, most notably a 1992 TV movie with Angela Lansbury and Omar Sharif.
It’s a sweetly timeless feel-good narrative, funny, smart, whimsical and just a touch naïve sometimes, but in a nice way.
Lesley Manville plays Mrs. Harris, a no-nonsense London housecleaner who has never quite moved on with her life from when her husband was declared missing in action in World War II about a decade earlier. She’s a hard worker, thrifty, kind, giving, and someone who has never really allowed herself extravagances.
Everything changes when her husband is declared dead after over ten years. She can finally move forward with her life. She has come into a little bit of money, and for the first time ever, Mrs. Harris decides to spoil herself. She fell in love with a dress owned by one of her clients, an original from the House of Dior in Paris. While she is astounded by the price (“You paid 500 quid for that?” she asked her client, dumbfounded) she is infatuated by the beauty and elegance of the dress. She wants to know at least once in her life what it would be like to wear something so perfect.
She starts saving money to travel to Paris and purchase a dress. However, once she gets there, she finds out that having the money is not necessarily enough to get the dress. People look at her and dismiss her out of hand. However, through her charm and her no-nonsense guile, she befriends some people at Dior and gets involved in their lives, and in saving the beloved brand.
Now, just hearing a description of Mrs. Harris hardly does the film justice. Some people could say that it’s a bit twee, or maybe a bit of a chick flick, and that obsessing about a dress could be considered a little shallow. Perhaps all of those things are true in their ways, but it doesn’t matter.
The movie is simply delightful.
That is because the story is not simply the whole story. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris takes on lots of issues – aging, finding love, finding contentment, class struggles, haute couture, compassion and the lack thereof – and handles them with a sweet optimism.
It’s an underdog story, and who doesn’t love an underdog?
Lesley Manville is a hoot as the title character, a woman who is so disarmingly herself that she makes others shed their own personal phobias. She’s a good woman, who only wants good for herself and others, no matter how often life disappoints her. And she is determined to finally start living life to its fullest, no matter the cost.
A vibrant and funny supporting cast includes Isabelle Huppert, Lambert Wilson, Jason Isaacs and impressive newcomers Alba Baptista and Lucas Bravo.
I recently interviewed Baptista, and she pretty much nailed the reason that a sweet, feel-good film like Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is necessary in a world gone crazy and just climbing out of a COVID funk.
“We just need comfort, don’t we?” Baptista said. “We need to remind ourselves that it's not all dark and hopeless. This movie brings precisely that. It's a film about inner strength and determination and hope, with a lot of beautiful dresses along the way. It's a lovely thing to be able to zone out from your life worries and just feel good.”
On that scale, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a complete success.
Jay S. Jacobs
Copyright ©2022 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: July 14, 2022.
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2020 Deaths
January
7: Neil Peart, 67, drummer, Rush
8: Buck Henry, 89, screenwriter (‘The Graduate’), director (‘Heaven Can Wait’)
17: Derek Fowlds, 82, actor (‘Yes, Minister’)
19: Jimmy Heath, 93, jazz saxophonist, The Heath Brothers
19: Robert Parker, 89, R&B singer (‘Barefootin’’)
21: Terry Jones, 77, comic actor, screenwriter, film director (‘Monty Python’s Flying Circus’)
28: Nicholas Parsons, 96, actor, radio and TV presenter
February
1: Andy Gill, 64, guitarist, Gang Of Four
5: Kirk Douglas, 103, actor (‘Spartacus’, ‘Paths Of Glory’, ‘Seven Days In May’)
15: Caroline Flack, 40, TV and radio presenter
17: Andy Weatherall, 56, record producer and DJ
19: Pop Smoke, 20, rapper
24: Tom Watkins, 70, artist manager (Pet Shop Boys)
26: Kobe Bryant, 41, basketball player
March
4: Barbara Martin, 76, singer (The Supremes)
6: McCoy Tyner, 81, jazz pianist
8: Max von Sydow, 90, actor (‘Star Wars’, ‘Game Of Thrones’)
12: Pete Mitchell, 61, radio DJ and presenter (BBC Radio 2, Virgin Radio)
15: Roy Hudd, 83, actor and comedian
20: Kenny Rogers, 81, singer and songwriter (‘The Gambler’, ‘Islands In The Stream’)
22: Julie Felix, 81, folk singer
22: Eric Weissberg, 80, folk musician (‘Duelling Banjos’)
24: Manu Dibango, 86, saxophonist (‘Soul Makossa’)
26: Bill Martin, 81, songwriter (‘Puppet On A String’, ‘Congratulations’)
27: Bob Andy, 75, reggae singer (The Paragons, Bob & Marcia)
27: Delroy Washington, 67, reggae singer
30: Bill Withers, 81, singer (‘Ain’t No Sunshine’, ‘Lean On Me’, ‘Lovely Day’)
April
1: Ronn Matlock, 72, singer and songwriter (‘Can’t Forget About You’)
2: Eddie Large, 78, comedian (Little & Large)
5: Honor Blackman, 94, actress (‘The Avangers’, ‘Goldfinger’)
6: James Drury, 85, actor (‘The Virginian’)
6: Onaje Allan Gumbs, 70, jazz pianist
7: John Prine, 73, singer and songwriter (‘Angel From Montgomery’)
10: Ceybil Jefferies, 57 or 58, house and dance music singer (‘It’s Gonna Be Alright’, ‘Love So Special’)
12: Peter Bonetti, 78, footballer
12: Tim Brooke-Taylor, 79, comedian (‘The Goodies’)
12: Sir Stirling Moss, 90, racing driver
15: Brian Dennehy, 81, actor (‘Cocoon’)
17: Norman Hunter, 76, footballer
20: Rohan O’Rahilly, 79, founder of Radio Caroline
24: Hamilton Bohannon, 78, percussionist, songwriter and record producer
28: Jill Gascoine, 83, actress (‘The Gentle Touch’)
29: Trevor Cherry, 72, footballer
29: Stezo, 51, rapper
30: Sam Lloyd, 56, actor (‘Scrubs’)
May
2: Richie Cole, 72, jazz saxophonist (‘New York Afternoon’)
5: Sweet Pea Atkinson, 74, singer (Was (Not Was))
5: Millie Small, 72, singer (‘My Boy Lollipop’)
6: Florian Schneider, 73, musician (Kraftwerk)
7: Ty, 47, UK rapper
9: Little Richard, 87, singer, pianist and songwriter
10: John McKenzie, 65, bass player
10: Betty Wright, 66, singer (‘Clean Up Woman’)
11: Jerry Stiller, 92, actor (‘Seinfeld’, ‘The King Of Queens’)
15: Phil May, 75, singer (The Pretty Things)
15: Fred Willard, 86, actor (‘Best In Show’, ‘Modern Family’)
21: Bobby Digital, 59, Jamaican reggae producer
22: Mory Kante, 70, Guinean singer and kora player (‘Yeke Yeke’)
30: Michael Angelis, 76, actor (‘Boys From The Black Stuff’)
June
4: Rupert Hine, 72, musician and record producer
4: Steve Priest, 72, bass player and singer (The Sweet)
8: Bonnie Pointer, 69, singer (The Pointer Sisters)
18: Dame Vera Lynn, 103, singer
19: Sir Ian Holm, 88, actor (‘Alien’, ‘Chariots Of Fire’, ‘The Lord Of The Rings’)
26: Tami Lynn, 77 or 78, singer (‘I’m Gonna Run Away From You’)
29: Carl Reiner, 98, actor, film director and writer (‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’, ‘Ocean’s Eleven’, ‘The Jerk’)
July
1: Sir Everton Weekes, 95, Bajan cricketer
2: Jacque Hylton, 57, beautiful girl and dear friend
5: Cleveland Eaton, 80, jazz bass player (‘Bama Boogie Woogie’)
6: Charlie Daniels, 83, singer, songwriter and musician (‘The Devil Went Down To Georgia’)
10: Jack Charlton, 85, footballer
10: Steve Sutherland, club and radio DJ
12: Kelly Preston, 57, actress (‘Jerry Maguire’, ‘Twins’)
17: John Lewis, 80, American civil rights leader and politician
19: Emitt Rhodes, 70, singer, songwriter and musician
21: Dobby Dobson, 78, Jamaican singer and producer
21: Annie Ross, 89, singer (Lambert, Hendricks & Ross)
25: Peter Green, 73, guitarist (Fleetwood Mac)
25: John Saxon, 83, actor (‘Enter The Dragon’)
26: Dame Olivia de Havilland, 104, actress (‘Gone With The Wind’)
27: Denise Johnson, 53, singer (Primal Scream)
29: Malik B, 47, rapper (The Roots)
31: Sir Alan Parker, 76, film director (‘Midnight Express’, ‘Mississippi Burning’)
August
1: Wilford Brimley, 85, actor (‘The Natural’, ‘Cocoon’)
5: FGB Duck, 26, rapper
6: Wayne Fontana, 74, singer (The Mindbenders)
11: Trini Lopez, 83, singer (‘If I Had A Hammer’) and actor (‘The Dirty Dozen’)
18: Ben Cross, 72, actor (‘Chariots Of Fire’)
22: D. J. Rogers, 72, soul singer
28: Chadwick Boseman, 43, actor (‘Black Panther’)
September
1: Erick Morillo, 49, record producer, label owner and DJ
2: Ian Mitchell, 62, bass player (Bay City Rollers)
6: Bruce Williamson, 50, singer (The Temptations)
9: Ronald Bell, 68, songwriter and musician (Kool And The Gang)
10: Dame Diana Rigg, 82, actress (‘The Avengers’, ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’, ‘Game Of Thrones’)
11: Frederick Nathaniel ‘Toots’ Hibbert, 77, reggae singer (Toots And The Maytals)
12: Edna Wright, 76, soul singer (Honey Cone)
16: Roy C, 81, soul singer (‘Shotgun Wedding’)
18: Pamela Hutchinson, 61, singer (The Emotions)
19: Lee Kerslake, 73, drummer (Uriah Heep)
21: Tommy DeVito, 92, singer (The Four Seasons)
29: Mac Davis, 78, soul singer (‘Baby, Don’t Get Hooked On Me’)
29: Helen Reddy, 78, singer (‘I Am Woman’, ‘Delta Dawn’)
30: Frank Windsor, 92, actor (‘Z Cars’, ‘Softly Softly’)
October
6: Bunny Lee, 79, Jamaican reggae producer
6: Johnny Nash, 80, singer and songwriter (‘I Can See Clearly Now’, ‘Tears On My Pillow’)
6: Eddie Van Halen, 65, guitarist and songwriter (Van Halen)
10: Dyan Birch, 71, singer (Kokomo, Arrival)
12: Saint Dog, 44, rapper
12: Conchata Ferrell, 77, actress (‘Two And A Half Men’)
14: Paul Matters, bass player (AC/DC)
15: Gordon Haskell, 74, singer, songwriter and musician (‘How Wonderful You Are’)
18: Jose Padilla, 64, record producer and DJ
19: Spencer Davis, 81, singer and guitarist (The Spencer Davis Group)
21: Frank Bough, 87, TV presenter (‘Grandstand’)
28: Bobby Ball, 76, comedian (Cannon & Ball)
30: Nobby Stiles, 78, footballer
31: Sir Sean Connery, 90, actor
November
2: John Sessions, 67, actor and comedian
4: Ken Hensley, 75, singer and songwriter (Uriah Heep)
5: Len Barry, 78, singer (‘1-2-3’)
5: Geoffrey Palmer, 93, actor (‘As Time Goes By’, ‘Butterflies’)
6: King Von, 26, rapper
8: Bones Hillman, 62, bass player (Midnight Oil)
11: Mo3, 28, rapper
14: Des O’Connor, 88, television presenter, comedian and singer
15: Ray Clemence, 72, footballer
18: Tony Hooper, 81, guitarist (The Strawbs)
25: Diego Maradona, 60, footballer
28: David Prowse, 85, actor (‘Star Wars’)
28: Lil Yase, 25, rapper
29: Papa Bouba Diop, 42, footballer
December
10: Dame Barbara Windsor, 83, actress
12: Charley Pride, 86, country singer
12: John le Carre, 89, author (‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’, ‘The Night Manager’)
14: Gerard Houllier, 73, football manager
15: Albert Griffiths, 74, Jamaican reggae musician (The Gladiators)
17: Jeremy Bulloch, 75, actor (‘Star Wars’)
21: K. T. Oslin, 78, country singer and songwriter
22: Stella Tennant, 50, supermodel
24: John Edrich MBE, 83, English cricketer
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Just listened to: “Doctor Who: The Legacy Of Time”
Time is collapsing. Incidents of chaos and devastation are appearing throughout the lives of one Time Lord and his many friends – all fallout from one terrible disaster. From Earth’s past and present to timeless alien worlds, from the cloisters of Gallifrey into the Vortex itself... The Doctor must save universal history – and he needs all the help he can get.
1. Lies in Ruins by James Goss
On a strange ruined world, a renowned archaeologist opens an ancient tomb. Only to find another archaeologist got there first. Professors Summerfield and Song unite to solve a mystery. Then the Eighth Doctor arrives, and things really become dangerous. Because their best friend isn’t quite the man River and Benny remember…
Starring Paul McGann as The Doctor, Alex Kingston as Professor River Song and Lisa Bowerman as Professor Bernice “Benny” Summerfield.
Guest starring Alexandria Riley as Ria, Okezie Morro as Scavenger Captain and Beth Chalmers as Scavenger. All other parts played by members of the cast.
2. The Split Infinitive by John Dorney
A criminal gang appears to have recruited a member with time-bending powers. It’s a case for the Counter-Measures team – in the 1960s and the 1970s! The Seventh Doctor and Ace have their work cut out to save the day twice over, and make sure Gilmore, Rachel and Allison don’t collide with their past, or their future.
Starring Sylvester McCoy as The Doctor, Sophie Aldred as Ace, Simon Williams as Group Captain Ian Gilmore, Pamela Salem as Professor Rachel Jensen, Karen Gledhill as Dr. Allison Williams and Hugh Ross as Sir Tobias “Toby” Kinsella.
Also starring Vince Leigh as Kazan and Glen McCready as Vince. All other parts played by members of the cast.
3. The Sacrifice of Jo Grant by Guy Adams
When pockets of temporal instability appear in a Dorset village, UNIT are called in. Soon, Kate Stewart and Jo Jones find themselves working alongside the Third Doctor, while Osgood battles to get them home. But this isn’t the first time UNIT has faced this threat. Only before, it seems that Jo Grant didn’t survive...
Starring Tim Treloar as The Doctor, Katy Manning as Josephine “Jo” Jones, Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart and Ingrid Oliver as Osgood.
Also starring Nicholas Briggs as Lieutenant Wallace. All other roles played by members of the cast.
4. Relative Time by Matt Fitton
Disaster strikes inside the Time Vortex, and the Fifth Doctor is thrown together with someone from his future… someone claiming to be his daughter! Kleptomaniac Time Lord, the Nine, believes it’s his chance to steal something huge. But Jenny just wants her dad to believe in her.
Starring Peter Davison as The Doctor and Georgia Tennant as Jenny.
Also starring John Heffernan as The Nine, Ronni Ancona as Thana, Mandi Symonds as Captain and Christian Brassington as Mr. Grigorian. All other roles played by members of the cast.
5. The Avenues of Possibility by Jonathan Morris
DI Patricia Menzies is used to the strange, but even she is surprised when the eighteenth century itself falls onto her patch. Fortunately, she has the founders of modern policing to help with her enquiries. And when the Sixth Doctor and Charley arrive, they find armed and hostile forces trying to change Earth history forever.
Starring Colin Baker as The Doctor, India Fisher as Charlotte “Charley” Pollard and Anna Hope as DI Patricia Menzies.
Also starring Richard Hansell as John Fielding, Duncan Wisbey as Henry Fielding, Delroy Atkinson as Wadmore and Sara Poyzer as Stables. All other roles were played by members of the cast.
6. Collision Course by Guy Adams
Fallout from the temporal distortions has now reached Gallifrey. To find the cause, Leela and Romana remember travels with the Fourth Doctor to the same world, at different times. The enemy is revealed, and it may take more than one Doctor to prevent the destruction of everything!
Starring Tom Baker as The Doctor, Louise Jameson as Leela and Lalla Ward as Romana.
Special guest stars Tim Treloar as The Doctor, Peter Davison as The Doctor, Colin Baker as The Doctor, Sylvester McCoy as The Doctor, Paul McGann as The Doctor and Lisa Bowerman as Professor Bernice “Benny” Summerfield.
Also starring Alan Cox as Tompino, Richard Earl as Punshon and Rebecca Kilgarriff as Ankarrie. All other parts played by members of the cast.
Plus two additional discs worth of behind the scenes material.
[Standard spoiler policy in effect here: if it’s something mentioned on the Big Finish website, it’s not a spoiler.]
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