by Nathaniel R
Lesley Manville stars as Mrs. Harris in director Tony Fabian’s MRS.HARRIS GOES TO PARIS, a Focus Features release. Credit: Dávid Lukács / © 2021 Ada Films Ltd - Harris Squared Kft
Rejoice. We now have the first poster, the first still, and the first trailer for Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, a rare chance to see Lesley Manville take a deserved spotlight rather than just livening up a show or film from the sidelines. Focus Features is releasing the film on July 15th. Can we have a round of applause for Focus which feels like its come roaring back of late between this, Downton Abbey A New Era, Licorice Pizza, The Northman, and Belfast of late?
Let's look at the poster and the trailer after the jump...
The pitch is like so:
The enchanting tale of a seemingly ordinary British housekeeper whose dream to own a couture Christian Dior gown takes her on an extraordinary adventure to Paris.
And here's the trailer...
Looking at that here's our Yes No Maybe So...
YES - Lesley Manville is always a yes. We came to appreciate her gifts through the filmography of Mike Leigh (Topsy Turvy and Another Year were her best showcases therein) and of course recently she was Oscar nominated for Phantom Thread and made a delicious villain on Harlots (2017-2019) but UK audiences have had a lot more than us to enjoy given her frequent work on British TV. The supporting cast is wonderful too including silver fox Lambert Wilson, Jason Isaacs, and Alba Baptiste. The costumes -- always a big deal in films about fashion -- are from the one and only Jenny Beavan (Mad Max Fury Road, A Room With a View, Cruella)
NO - This is not really about the movie but how absolutely rude / strange is it that Isabelle Huppert doesn't get a title card in this trailer? It's Academy Award nominated legend Isabelle Huppert in a movie about going to PARIS for f***s sake! She's been an international star for multiple decades now and has recently amassed a new generation of devout fans. On the other hand is she really just saddled with a one dimensional elitist villain role here? Uh oh.
MAYBE SO - This looks transported in directly from mainstream-friendly Miramax arthouse confections of the mid 90s to early 00s which could mean that it's an utterly disposable sweets or a delightful Francophile/Anglophile-courting confection. We won't know until we're watching it which we most definitely will.
So, we're a yes whether or not it's any good but we hope it's magnifique. You?