Vogue and Focus Features Hosted a Special Screening of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

Yesterday evening, Vogue and Focus Features hosted a special Screening of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, with director Anthony Fabian alongside stars Alba Baptista and Jason Isaacs. The celebratory Parisian-themed soiree took place at the Whitby Hotel. Attendees entered the elegant lobby and were ushered downstairs into the Whitby’s private screening room and cocktail bar. Before the screening, guests eagerly gathered their popcorn and sweets while sipping Champagne. Bouquets of white lilies, roses, hydrangeas, and light green hanging amaranthus inspired by the film decorated each room. 

“One of the things that make Mrs. Harris such an appealing character is her authenticity. She’s not pretending to be somebody else. She’s completely who she is, unapologetic, and not wearing a mask. Everyone around her who is wearing a mask eventually responds to her authentically by removing their masks,” director Anthony Fabian told Vogue. 

Viewers can’t help but champion Lesley Manville’s portrayal of the endearing Mrs. Ada Harris, a widowed London housekeeper with an unwavering willingness to pursue her dream. While working at one of her wealthiest and rudest clients’ homes, Ada falls in love with a gorgeous custom Dior gown. She aims to travel to Paris to purchase her own Dior dress, to celebrate her work and hard-earned savings. The movie’s themes touch upon good karma, the power of kindness, and perseverance. In a film’s world of exclusivity, insurmountable wealth, and sometimes downright snobbiness, Manville’s working-class Ada Harris makes waves in the industry and social class systems around her. 

“I think the film, in many ways, it’s a disruptive film because it’s the notion that living your life with an open heart and generosity will breed that in people around you. Lesley’s character, Ada Harris, who’s at the film’s heart, is the catalyst for people discovering the best in themselves,” Jason Isaacs told Vogue. “The size of her heart is such that she can’t stop doing things for other people. This story is about her journey to discover the power she has, and that she needs to be as kind, loving, and generous to herself as she is to other people.” 

Another one of the friendly faces Mrs. Harris meets during her journey is Baptisa’s character Natasha, the beautiful and intelligent model growing wary of her role as the face of the fashion house. “Fashion is freedom of expression for us. It’s a unifying nature within this industry. Still, it can also separate people into different categories,” Baptista told Vogue, stunning in a white floor-length Dior gown. “Mrs. Harris comes to disrupt everything, and that’s a beautiful message of unity instead of judgment.” 

As the film credits rolled, the after-party began. Amidst the fete, trays of French 75 cocktails and a variety of delicious amuse-bouches were passed to party-goers. Attendees had the chance to feel as though they stepped into the world of the beloved Mrs. Ada Harris and 1950s France, with a display of the film’s costumes (Including Mrs. Harris’ favorite, look 79: Temptation) and recreation of Dior’s haute couture atelier. The fresh faces of the fashion community marveled over the movie’s costuming on display, highlighting the immaculate recreations of Dior’s Spring Summer 1957 collection by three-time academy award-winning costume designer Jenny Beavan. Seeking to blend the film’s fairytale elements with real-life fashion history and the process of costuming, Director Anthony Fabian sought out Christian Dior’s archives from 1947-1957. 

Above all, the film reads as a love letter to women by dismissing ageism and inviting viewers to be inspired to continue pursuing their dreams at every stage of life. Mrs. Harris’ custom Dior gown serves as a moment of autonomous triumph, which does not involve a man defining her personhood. “Making Mrs. Harris has made me realize that I like to take people out of the shadows and give them a platform,” Fabian told Vogue. “I want to help and encourage women not to discount themselves and not to remain unseen. This is really Lesley Manville’s first opportunity to be a leading lady, but I’ve hit her at a point in her career where she’s just unstoppable.”