Mrs Harris Goes to Paris Review, and an invitation to a Luminaries Community evening to the discuss the film, book, haute couture and the city of love...
Reader, j'adore Dior and the film Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, starring Lesley Manville, because it is first and foremost a marvellous story about a feisty, courageous British heroine and an ode to fashion that would make a bishop kick in as a stained glass window... to kindness, compassion and an audacity of the imagination.
The film also takes aim at the class system. For if a wife married to the king of rubbish can have a Dior gown, why not Ada Harris, hard working char of Battersea, London?
Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, based on Paul Gallico's fizzing 1958 novel, (The Snow Goose, The Poseidon Adventure), also celebrates a quality in short supply right now. An indomitable spirit and chutzpah that looks back to the Ealing Comedies and the sort of characters that are in the DNA of British culture from Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady to Inspector Morse or the wicked comedy and satire of notable historical characters lampooned mercilessly in Blackadder.
The story of Mrs Harris also celebrates something else that makes the world go round - aspiration and daring to dream.
To that you can add the marvel that is haute couture, slow fashion craftsmanship and sheer, breath taking flight of fantasy fashion. Over the years, I have written many articles about couture, from the end of the house of Hartnell, when the lights went out in Bruton Street to Catherine Walker and Hardy Amies. Anthony Fabian succeeds in conveying the passion, the trials the triumphs and the extraordinary dedication and sacrifices that goes into creating fashion as art.
I love the way we really see inside the hive of the Dior atelier. We get to see all the seamstresses and the incredible industry, talent and artistry that goes into creating a single couture dress. Then comes the intimate, in-house fashion show when all this industry is given life when these extraordinary works of fashion as art are worn by the Dior house models.
The Wonders of the Dior Bar Suit
It is exciting to see Monsieur Dior's New Look models, including the celebrated Bar Suit launched in 1947 feature in the film. Dior lent some pieces for the film and the rest were carefully recreated by costume designer Jenny Beavan. I also appreciate that level of attention to detail with a film that honours and celebrates what it takes to be one of the greatest fashion houses of all time.
As Ada Harris declares in the film, "Couture is making moonlight and magic."
So, I invite you to continue reading my review and then come to an online evening devoted to the book and the film, with some special guests to discuss the film, Dior and the power of a dress in film and culture. Please email me if you would like to attend.
I make no secret that I prefer to write about films, dramas and books that are uplifting, funny, clever, optimistic and bathed in glamour and allure and divine clothes as opposed to misery, angst, very bad behaviour and worse.
Give me Breakfast at Tiffanys, Now Voyager and Lawrence of Arabia over another tedious and forensically unpleasant contemporary police drama, with a silly or very dull script, written by committee. Of course, there are exceptions. I love anything Clint Eastwood has acted in or directed over the past sixty years. He does look good in a duster coat! My taste include Spaghetti Westerns, vintage cowboy films, rom coms and epic historical films. I do like cop films too, but only pre-noughties. It's all about the writing and the acting.
More than anything I love optimism. Which brings us back to Mrs Harris Goes to Paris.
Paul Gallico's fictional fifties creation of the vivid Mrs Ada Harris, a whip smart London char lady was fashioned for the silver screen. Ada has all the requisite qualities needed to be a heroine. She is compassionate, honest and fun and with a streak of daring.
Ravissant - Dior Dress to Render Any Woman Mad with Desire
After a chance encounter with a Dior dress in Lady Dant's wardrobe, Ada Harris develops a burning desire to own her own work of art Dior Dress. Who wouldn't with a name such as Ravissant? That name and the dress would render any woman mad with desire.
Gallico's book Flowers for Mrs Harris has been made into a film by director Antony Fabian with the straight talking title - Mrs Harris Goes to Paris starring Lesley Manville, Lucas Bravo, Isabelle Huppert, Lambert Wilson, Jason Issacs and Alba Baptista.
The book and the film is a cracking yarn. In the late fifties, a price tag of £450 for a Dior couture cocktail dress is equivalent to £2,500 approximately in today's money, allowing for inflation. A London char lady could expect to earn around £10 to £12 per week, so you do the maths.
Director Anthony Fabian who co-wrote the script with Carol Cartwright has made a few changes in the film story, but overall, Mrs Harris Goes to Paris is a captivating, sensitive and faithful realisation of the book and its leading lady Ada Harris.
Lesley Manville's Irresistible Humanity On Screen
Lesley Manville has played all kinds of women on screen from Princess Margaret to Bob Hope's wife Dolores (Misbehaviour). Her talent is to deliver an irresistible humanity to a public figure or an ordinary woman from a downtrodden sister (Phantom Thread) to the best thing in the disappointingly awful Back to Black (Amy's Grandmother).
Firstly, Manville is believable as the character of the working class widow. Ada has been forced to fend for herself since the death of her husband two decades ago. Ada's life is one of relentless hard work and drudgery for the economically privileged. Despite this, she is an optimist and she has her rituals and she has the devoted friendship of Mrs Butterworth to buoy her up.
Ada is dynamic, capable, intelligent and full of life. If she had been born in the sixties, she would be running her own company or maybe she would own a florist shop, given her green fingers and way with flowers. She cleans for the wealthy and titled in Belgravia but she doesn't take any nonsense from them. If they let her down or fail to appreciate her hard work, it's keys through the door.
So what are the differences between the novel and the film?
Firstly, there is more romance in the film and secondly and intriguingly, more flowers in the book! There is also one major deviation from the book. Call it dramatic license. However, I am not going to give the game away, if you haven't seen the film. What I will say, is that Dior's continuing success is a story of restless reinvention and the film accurately portrays the move into accessories to fund the couture atelier.
It is isn't the couture dresses that keep Dior going. It's the perfume, the handbags, hosiery, jewellery and clothing the glitterati to keep the house name on the world stage.
Perhaps what is most interesting about the film adaptation as opposed to Gallico's book is that class is played up more in the film script. Madame Colbert is far more compassionate in the novel towards Ada and recognises and understands her desire to own her own Dior dress. In the film she is quite mean, cruel and patronising until she finally comes to admire Ada. There is an interesting storyline about Madam Colbert and her husband which is also left out. I won't spoil it for you!
Ada, Natasha and Andre Explore the Real Paris By Night
One aspect of the book which is wonderfully portrayed on screen is the warm and true friendship and affection that develops between Natasha, the Dior in-house model, who yearns for a different life, the shy Monsieur Fauvel and Ada. Ada sees which way the wind is blowing and she acts as fairy godmother.I also love how Natasha and Andre take Ada out and show her the real Paris, each night after work. Now that is hospitality and camaraderie, which Parisiens' are sometimes accused of lacking.
Now for the really good news!
There are three more books about Ada Harris's adventures, just waiting to be added to the canon and in the final book, our Ada becomes a member of Parliament.
Now I invite you to get hold of a copy of Flowers for Mrs Harris, new or vintage, watch the film and come to an online magazine evening devoted to talking about the book and let's talk about the importance of dreams, aspiration and daring and doing it in a Dior dress!
Now, who wants to come to an alluring magazine evening of dressing up, film, fashion, fun and community? Email me - luminarymageditorajproton.me
Hurry up, so we can set the date.
Where to Watch Mrs Harris Goes to Paris
Copyright Alison Jane Reid/The Luminaries Magazine March 2025. Copyright. All Rights Reserved in all Mediums and Formats including Ai.
Pictures of the Dior Spring Summer 25 Collection, Courtesy of the Dior Press Office. Copyright. All Rights Reserved.
Pictures from the Film Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, Copyright, for Editorial Use Only.
