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On a Saturday afternoon when there is nothing on the television, what does one do? One goes to the movies.
Among the dross that Hollywood pumps out, we found a feel-good genre movie about an English war widow who dreams of buying and owning a dress designed by Dior of Paris.
The film is based on the classic novel Mrs. ’Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico, a writer of our parents’ day. It’s one of a series of four Mrs Harris books set over 16 years.
Produced by Anthony Fabian and filmed in Budapest, Paris and London, the film at its base is a simple story of desire for the nicer things in life by those at the bottom of the society. It stars Lesley Manville as Ada Harris in the titular role, Alba Baptista as a model and Lucas Bravo as André Fauvel, who comes up with the idea to save the faltering Dior.
The film producers were granted access to the Dior archives so much of this part of the film is said to be an accurate portrayal.
Ada Harris, a charwoman, sees a Dior gown in the wardrobe of one of her employers and sets her heart on owning one for herself. Ada suffers many slights but rises above them to eventually purchase the dress, for cash. There are plenty of clichés: smelly old Frenchmen, crazy drivers and striking workers, a touch of love, disappointment and fulfilment.
All in all, a pleasant way to spend a spare Saturday afternoon at the local art-house cinema. No violence or sex and the music is very muted. Worth a visit: expect to be entertained in a pleasant ‘1950s’ manner.
