Lesley Manville on MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS: ‘A Really Lovely, Heartwarming Film’
By Movieguide® Contributor
From its sweet story to crew collaboration, actress Lesley Manville shared some of her experience working on the new movie MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS in a recent interview.
“It’s very charming, and there’s a kind of phrase that’s been coined about it which I think is rather good. It’s like a musical without the music. And hopefully when the film gets released, the world will be ready for a really lovely heartwarming film like this. It’s really lovely,” Manville said.
“The story in MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS shows how bold kindness can transform people’s lives for the better. Mrs. Harris is used to being around wealthy people, so she’s not afraid of them,” according to the Movieguide® review. “She’s also not afraid of the more snooty employees who work for Dior. In fact, she wins them over with her charm and her kindness. The movie also has a strong pro-capitalist subplot where one of the major characters, supported by Mrs. Harris, encourages Christian Dior to start making some of his designs affordable for the growing cadre of female consumers.”
Manville shared, “it’s such a lovely feel-good, compassionate, sweet, heart-rendering story about Ada Harris and her journey to go to Paris to get herself a Dior dress.”
Ada is a cleaner from London, and her husband died in WWII. One wealthy client she cleans for has an expensive Dior dress. It captures Ada’s imagination, and she ends up in Paris, searching for a Dior dress to buy and meeting new people along the way.
Not only is it a lovely story, but for Manville, stepping into the world and character of Ada was a true joy, drawing on her own history to build the character. “Ada is a woman that I recognize from my later childhood, more in the 60s,” Manville said. “I remember characters like her in in our life, in my family’s life. So she’s been a lovely character to create.”
“I was kind of influenced by my mother and how my mother used to look later,” Manville said. “It was very good to kind of recall how she used to look.
“Ada is the glass is half full. She’s spirited, she’s, she’s joyous, she’s humorous, she’s honest and fair. But she’s a very, she’s very game, you know, she’s very open. And that’s a very nice thing to play,” she added.
For Manville, though, the collaboration in this movie made the experience even more worth it. Whether working with well-established actors or those just beginning their careers, she enjoyed working as a team.
“That’s been what I need because I don’t like working in isolation,” she shared. “I don’t like working out my performance at home alone. I do like it if it can be a collaboration.”
Manville believes the movie will be “a bit of an escapist film. It’s going to be really beautiful to watch—aesthetically beautiful to watch.”
Through “spot on and moving and clever and funny and witty” performances, Manville hopes that MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS will become “a little classic gem.”
Ultimately, she hopes the movie brings viewers joy. Ada is “a driving force, and I want them to take away joy from watching this character.”
Movieguide®’s review reads:
MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS is a charming comedy set in 1957. Mrs. Ada Harris is a perky cleaning woman in London whose missing husband’s finally been ruled killed in World War II. Her clients are mostly wealthier people, except for a ditzy young actress trying to break into show business. One day, Mrs. Harris spots a beautiful Christian Dior dress in the home of a wealthy client who hasn’t paid her in weeks. The woman says the dress cost 500 pounds. Mrs. Harris decides she must have her own Dior dress, but how can she get the money?
MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS is a charming, funny, exquisite comedy. Leslie Manville delivers a wonderful performance as Mrs. Harris, who causes a delightful ruckus in Paris. Manville’s supported by a great ensemble. The movie’s story shows how bold kindness can positively transform people’s lives. It also has strong pro-capitalist elements supporting business growth by offering products for more and more people. MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS is pretty clean, with only a little, mostly light foul language. There are some references to gambling and luck, however.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
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Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
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