MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS [2022] [Blu-ray + Digital] [Collector’s Edition] [2022 / 2023] [USA Release] A Delightful Tale Brimming with Humanity, Joy, and Heart!
‘MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS’ tells a humorously heart-warming tale about a London housecleaner Mrs. Ada Harris [Lesley Manville] who thinks her lonely life might turn around if she can become the owner of a Christian Dior gown. Saying goodbye to friends like Archie [Jason Isaacs] won't be easy, and neither will be winning over elite people in Paris from Madame Colbert [Isabelle Huppert] to idealistic accountant André Fauvel [Lucas Bravo]. But Mrs. Ada Harris's irrepressible charm just might end up saving the whole House of Dior in this uplifting story of how an ordinary woman becomes an extraordinary inspiration by daring to follow her dreams.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 2022 Australian Writers’ Guild: Win Awgie Award for Feature Film Adaptation for Carroll Cartwright, Anthony Fabian, Keith Thompson and Olivia Hetreed. 2022 British Independent Award: Win: Best Costume Design for Jenny Beavan. 2022 St. Louis Film Critics Association, USA: Nominations: Best Costume Design for Jenny Beavan. 2022 Online Association of Female Film Critics: Win: Best Costume Design for Jenny Beavan. 2023 Academy, USA: Nomination: Best Achievement in Costume Design for Jenny Beavan. 2023 BAFTA Film Awards: Nomination: Best Costume Design for Jenny Beavan. 2023 Costume Designers Guild Awards: Nominations: CDG Award for Excellence in Period Film for Jenny Beavan. 2023 Golden Globes, USA: Nominations: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for Lesley Manville. 2023 San Diego Film Critics Society Awards; Nominations: Best Costume Design for Jenny Beavan [2nd place]. 2023 Writers’ Guild of Great Britain: Nominations: Best Screenplay for Carroll Cartwright, Anthony Fabian, Keith Thompson and Olivia Hetreed. 2023 Online Film & Television Association: Nominations: Best Costume Design for Jenny Beavan. 2023 International Online Cinema Awards (INOCA): Nominations: Best Costume Design for Jenny Beavan. 2023 Ivor Novello Awards: Best Original Film Score for Rael Jones (Composer). 2023 AARP Movies for Grownups Awards: Nominations: Movies for Grownups Award for Best Actress for Lesley Manville. 2023 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards: Nominations: Best Music Supervision for Film Budgeted Under 25 Million Dollars for Dushiyan Piruthivirajah. 2023 ReFrame: Win: ReFrame Stamp for Feature Film. 2023 Hollywood Critics Association Creative Arts Awards: Nominations: Best Costume Design for Jenny Beavan.
FILM FACT No.2: ‘MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS’ is a 2022 historical comedy drama film directed and produced by Anthony Fabian, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Carroll Cartwright, Keith Thompson, and Olivia Hetreed. It is the third film adaptation of the 1958 novel Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico. The film stars Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Lambert Wilson, Alba Baptista, Lucas Bravo, Ellen Thomas, Rose Williams, and Jason Isaacs. The film enjoyed strong box office success in the United States arthouse circuit. Principal photography began in October 2020. Filming took place over 40 days in Budapest, before production moved to London and Paris. The film was supported by the National Film Institute of Hungary with 279.5M Hungarian Forint [611,234.83 Pound sterling]. In the United States, the film made $2 million from 980 theatres in its opening weekend; 44% of its audience were women over the age of 55. It eventually grossed more than $10 million in the United States theatrically.
Cast: Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Lambert Wilson, Alba Baptista, Lucas Bravo, Ellen Thomas, Rose Williams, Jason Isaacs, Anna Chancellor, Bertrand Poncet, Christian McKay, Freddie Fox, Guilaine Londez, Philippe Bertin, Roxane Duran, Dorottya Ilosvai, Delroy Atkinson, Vincent Martin, Harry Szovik, Péter Végh, Balázs Csémy, Igor Szász, Jeremy Wheeler, Ben Addis, Zsolt Páll, Declan Hannigan, Stephen Saracco, Sarah Rickman, Wayne Brett, Murányi Panka, Emese Sarkadi-Szabó, Guizani Douraied, Jade de Brito Lopes, Anett Földi, Germaine Queen Ottley, Sába Kapás, Saruul Delgerbayar, Isabella Brett, Örvendi Cintia, Barnabás Réti, Albert Réka, (Dancer), Bama Balint (Dancer), Beatrix Csák (Dancer), Blanka Csasznyi (Dancer), Mark Csorogi (Dancer), Amata Farkas (Dancer), Zoltán Feicht (Dancer), Tamas Fischer (Dancer), Nora Frindik (Dancer), Melinda Foszto-Liszi (Dancer), Csongor Füzesi (Dancer), Bertold Hermann (Dancer), Vivien Hirtenreiter (Dancer), Zsanett Jakab (Dancer), Imola Kacso (Dancer), Krisztian Kelemen (Dancer), Patrik Adam Keresztes (Dancer), Nikolett Koller (Dancer), Norbert Márki (Dancer), Tibor Onodi (Dancer), Andras Orosz (Dancer), Eszter Perovics (Dancer), Zsombor Sarosdi (Dancer), Viktor Simon (Dancer), Szabó Kitti (Dancer), Reka Zsofia Szabo (Dancer), Timea Takacs (Dancer), László Takács (Dancer), Ramóna Takács (Dancer), Dalma Wéninger (Dancer), Barney Pilling (Radio Sports Announcer voice), Florence Pilling (In-Flight Announcer voice), Corinne Delacour (French Voice) (uncredited), Ágota Dunai (uncredited) and Balázs Veres (uncredited)
Director: Anthony Fabian
Producers: Alejandro Duque, Anthony Fabian, Beata Saboova, Daisy Gilbert, Daniel Kresmery, Daniele Alfano, Guillaume Benski, Ilda Diffley, Jane Hooks, Jen Gorton, Jonathan Halperyn, Lesley Manville, Philippe Carcassonne, Rima Horton and Xavier Marchand
Screenplay: Paul Gallico (based on the novel), Anthony Fabian (screenplay), Carroll Cartwright (screenplay), Keith Thompson (screenplay) and Olivia Hetreed (screenplay)
Composer: Rael Jones (original music)
Make-up and Hair Department: Ágnes Kovács (Make-up dailies), Anna Tesner (Make-up dailies), Damia Passon Ngoma (Extras Make-up artist: France), Daniela Eschbach (Key Make-up artist: France), Gitta Wéber (Make-up trainee), Ildikó Molnár-Eklund (Key Make-up artist), Julia Vitray (Crowd Make-up supervisor), László Szalay (Make-up dailies), Nikotella Éva Koziorowski (Make-up dailies), Szandra Bíró (Make-up artist), Zsófia Vajda (Make-up artist), Alex Rouse (Wigmaker), Annamaria Horváth-Biró (Hair and Make-up dailies), Barbara Molnár-Berki (Hair dailies), Brigitta Mogony (Key hair stylist), Christian Gruau (Extras hair stylist: France), Csaba Szever (Hair dailies), Csilla Blake-Horváth (Hair and Make-up Designer), Dorothée Soual (Wigmaker) (uncredited), Edina Vadócz (Hair and Make-up dailies), Erzsébet Rácz (Hair and Make-up dailies), Gil Allan (Hair stylist: France), Gyöngyvér Bariczky (Hair and Make-up dailies), Horváth Csilla (Hair designer / Make-up Designer), Jánosné Kajtár (Hair dailies), Klári Szinek (Hair and Make-up dailies), Liliána Túri (Hair and Make-up dailies), Luca Major (Crowd hair supervisor), Magdolna Czégér (Hair and Make-up dailies), Mariann Hufnágel (Hair and Make-up dailies), Mónika Gulyás-Csomós (Hair dailies), Noémi Varró (Hair stylist), Nóra Kapás (Hair and Make-up dailies), Szilvia Fehérné Kopcsó (Hair and Make-up dailies) and Virginie Berland (Wigmaker)
Costume Designer: Jenny Beavan
Cinematography: Felix Wiedemann, B.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Color by Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Spanish: 5.1 DTS-HD
French: 5.1 DTS-HD
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio Descriptive Service
Subtitles: English, Spanish and French
Running Time: 155 minutes
Region: Region Free
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Universal Pictures / FOCUS Features / eOne Features / Superbe Films / Moonriver / Hero Squared / Elysian Films / Umedia / National Film Institute Hungary
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS’ [2022] s a terrific example of acting, and how it’s capable of supporting a viewing experience when the material periodically dips into uninspired areas of drama. The star is Lesley Manville, and she returns puts in a powerful performance, and communicates her character so beautiful. As the title suggests, ‘MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS’ is top flight entertainment, mixing lighter feelings with a comedic approach, but Lesley Manville doesn’t ignore the possibilities of the character, delivering a full-bodied performance that carries the feature at times, backed by an impressive supporting cast and occasional moments that land their intended fuzzy feelings. It’s not the most rousing endeavor, but small creative goals help the film remain as charming as it possibly can.
With the film ‘MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS’ Director Anthony Fabian turns Mrs. Ada Harris [Lesley Manville] quest into a story brimming with beauty, colour and a great deal of heart. When Mrs. Ada Harris’ first arrives in Paris, Mrs. Ada Harris notices that there is litter strewn on the streets, due to a dustmen worker’s strike, yet even amongst the filth, Mrs. Ada Harris sees the best in the city. Director Anthony Fabian and Cinematographer Felix Wiedemann make the colours of the City of Paris really explode and enhance, breathing life into ‘MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS’ story, and making the audience also feel the overwhelming power of the city.
Even without an existing love of fashion, ‘MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS’ puts us in Mrs. Ada Harris shoes, and allows us to understand why she would come all this way to spend so much money on one of these creations. The costume designs by three-time Oscar winner Jenny Beavan [‘Cruella’ and ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’] are overwhelmingly beautiful. Naturally, the Christian Dior outfits on display all look like a work of art, yet even the costumes outside the fashion house are gorgeous to look at. Not only does ‘MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS’ make us appreciate the tremendous amount of work that goes into these expensive dresses, it also makes us take note of the everyday fashion of those outside the walls of Dior, and the beauty in those outfits as well.
But the film ‘MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS’ will not work without the delightful and amazing performance of actress Lesley Manville, who becomes the embodiment of loveliness throughout the film. Through actress Lesley Manville, we see all the ups and downs of thinking the best of people, and the hopes and joy that make Mrs. Ada Harris tick. So much of this beauty is seen through Mrs. Ada Harris’ eyes, and her viewpoint is infectious, especially in the overwhelming shots of Mrs. Ada Harris’ seeing a staggering dress that bowls her over. While it’s the work of Director Anthony Fabian and Cinematographer Felix Wiedemann that brings this Lesley Manville world to life, it’s Mrs. Ada Harris’ view of the world that makes it a reality. But Lesley Manville’s Mrs. Ada Harris is an absolute delight to spend time with; a respite from the usual darkness of the world, and a light in a world that too often shows its darkness.
Alongside Lesley Manville’s wonderful portrayal of Mrs. Ada Harris is an equally fantastic and an amazing supporting cast. Huppert is a perfect counterbalance to the exuberance that Mrs. Ada Harris’ inherently gives off. Also enchanting is Jason Isaacs as Mrs. Ada Harris hometown friend Archie, who clearly has a thing for Mrs. Ada Harris. While Archie doesn’t have a lot of screen time here, Jason Isaacs and Lesley Manville play beautifully off each other. The same is true of Lambert Wilson as the Marquis de Chassagne, who offers the first glimmer of hope once Mrs. Ada Harris arrives in Paris. If ‘MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS’ has a slight flaw, it’s in the covert relationship between Alba Baptista as Natasha and Lucas Bravo as André Fauvel. While this relationship is occasionally charming, but all in all this is a totally awesome emotional rollercoaster of a film and at some parts in the film I had to grab the tissues, that is how emotional the film was for me personally and of course the outstanding performance throughout the film was of course the actress Lesley Manville who did an absolutely outstanding acting performance thought out the film, as well as the rest pf the cast and you are carried along with all the emotions that Mrs. Ada Harris encounters throughout this amazing wonderful and delightful film.
All in all, ‘MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS’ is a totally wonderful magical film and also a totally wonderful emotional magical journey and especially Mrs. Ada Harris character and I must say it is one of the best film I have seen in a very long time and on top of all that, the film was helped with the participation of The House of Dior and Les Parfums Christian Dior.
MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS MUSIC TRACK LIST
JOHNNY B. GOODE (Written by Chuck Berry) [Performed by Chuck Berry]
OUT OF THE BLUE (Performed by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)
CHAINGING TRAINS (Written by John Dankworth)
THOSE COOL BEANS (Written by Lincoln Grounds and Pat Reyford)
MIDNIGHT CAFÉ (Written by Michael Craig and Dave James)
SECRET LOVE (Written by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster)
ON N’OUBLIE RIEN (Written by Jacques Brel and Gerard Jouannest)
LITLE BIT OF ROCK (Written by Lincoln Grounds and Pat Reyford)
TEMPTRESS (Written by Tim Garland)
A SOFT SHOE IN (Written by Colin Sheen, Jamie Talbot and Simon Gardner)
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Universal Pictures, FOCUS Features, eOne Features, Superbe Films, Moonriver, Hero Squared, Elysian Films, Umedia and National Film Institute Hungary presents us the film ‘MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS’ with a stunning 1080p Technicolor image and is shown in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio and it is a beautiful looking transfer. It is crisp, sharp image that radiates in gorgeous Technicolor’s and details Your eyes are going to love this image as you take in the finer points of all the textures and patterns that are so clear and well documented in the frame. Depth of field is actually quite impressive and this film actually showcases some nice scale. Some of the interiors are marvellous, big and look to have a nice deep push back feeling to them. Movements are natural and smooth with zero distortion issues. Blacks are rich, deep and lacking in that normal digital gay look. They feature some excellent looking shadows as well as night-time sequences and all textures and patterns are clearly visible. This has a really pretty colour palette on display throughout the film. Colours are well saturated and have a nice bold pop to them. From clothing, to upholstery, wallpaper, balloons and more it’s a charmer on the eyes. Skin tones are natural and consistent from start to finish. Facial features and texture are visible and easily discernible from any reasonable distance in the frame.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Universal Pictures, FOCUS Features, eOne Features, Superbe Films, Moonriver, Hero Squared, Elysian Films, Umedia and National Film Institute Hungary brings us the film ‘MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS’ with an awesome 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio experience, which has itself a very fine audio 5.1 mix that more than gets the job done for the film. From quieter moments hearing Mrs. Ada Harris trim up plants to the louder places like at the dog race track you have a well-balanced and layered to very good audio effects. It never tries to be more than you would expect and is very engaging. There’s eloquence to the audio design and it’s a real pleasure hearing the sounds via your ears. The lower end sounds comes in and helps add bump and rumble to some sound effects and lovingly helps this delightful and evocative film music score. There’s a lot up front here in the audio mix but the rear channels do bring up some nice ambiance sounds and totally unique contributions from time to time. Vocals are very clear, crisp and really adds to the enjoyment of this wonderful and magical film.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Deleted and Extended Scenes: With this featurette, we get to view three deleted scenes and they are as follows:
Ada Rushes Toward the Metro [2022] [1080p] [2.39:1] [0:25] With this featurette, Mrs. Ada Harris runs to the Metro but is blocked by protestors and striking dustmen.
Ada Wants to Speak to André [2022] [1080p] [2.39:1] [0:22] With this featurette, Mrs. Ada Harris walks to the door to speak with André, and sees he is on the phone speaking French.
Full Cabaret [2022] [1080p] [2.39:1] [3:36] With this featurette, we see the full cabaret performance, which first finds several shepherdesses country dancing with their sheep. Then the sheep strip off their wool to reveal themselves as wolves as the music turns more ominous. The music then becomes a striptease as the ladies follow by stripping down into sexier outfits. This is followed by Mrs. Ada Harris dancing with the Marquis de Chassagne [Lambert Wilson].
Special Feature: Gag Reel [2022] [1080p] [2.39:1] [5:14] With this featurette, we get to view total hilarity ensues as the cast forget names, flub their lines, accidently pull out a sanitizer with her rolls of English pound sterling, laugh, deal with misbehaving locks, and see a total fun on set. What's interesting here are the COVID-19-related blunders, with an extra wearing a mask walking in the background of a shot, and Manville accidentally pulls a bottle of hand sanitizer out of her purse.
Finally, with the film ‘MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS’ is a totally amazing delight, a perfect summer interlude that exudes beauty, optimism and charm in every scene. ‘MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS’ feels like capturing joy in a bottle. Yet despite its almost fairy tale nature, as if Mrs. Ada Harris’ is a fairy godmother who finally gets her deservedly happy ending, and ‘MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS’ manages to never present too idealized a version of the world that becomes saccharine sweet. By also presenting the darkness of the film, director and screenwriter Anthony Fabian, along with co-writers Caroll Cartwright, Keith Thompson, and Olivia Hetreed, only makes the lightness of the film even more poignant. Also with the film ‘MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS’ is a delightful and entertaining film that finds the perfect blend of humour, drama and romance. Lesley Manville really shines in her performance as the titular character, leaving a smile on your face whenever she’s on screen. Lesley Manville is joined by a really talented cast and of course the film is a great deal of fun, and with very quirky characters. This Blu-ray release looks and sounds absolutely amazing, but only includes a minimal selection of bonus material. The release is of top quality image and will give you many hours of pleasure and will make you want to re-watch the film again and experience the wonderful journey Mrs. Ada Harris experienced in the City of Paris. On top of all that, the Awards this film received were fully justified in receiving all of the rightful accolades. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom