Cinema Therapy — Charlyne Gelt, Ph.D.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

“Clothes,” as the expression goes, “make the man.” Clothes also make the women — more-so, in fact, since women are said to spend three times more than men spend on their clothing. Many movies have been made about the fashion industry, from The Devil Wears Prada and Phantom Thread to Ready-to-Wear. Now, we have the delightful 2022 British remake of the comedy-drama, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, directed and produced by Anthony Fabian in partnership with the House of Dior. It stars the amazing Lesley Manville (also the star of Phantom Thread, in a very different role) as Mrs. Ada Harris, Isabelle Huppert as Louise Colbert, Dior’s formidable head, the handsome Lucas Bravo as André Fauvel, Dior’s chief financial officer, and Alba Baptista as Natasha, Dior’s top model. Fabian co-wrote the screenplay with Carroll Cartwright, Keith Thompson, and Olivia Hetreed, based on Paul Gallico’s book by the same name.

Our story takes place in 1957 London. The Cockney-accented Mrs. Ada Harris (“Mrs. ‘Ariss”) is a cheerful, optimistic war widow who works as a housemaid and tries to help everyone she meets, even though her kindnesses sometimes get taken advantage of. Still, Ada remains undeterred. One day, after seeing one of her client’s closeted haute couture Dior dress, she becomes obsessed with the desire to own one. She has no money, and won’t have any until she receives her war-widow's pension. So, in the meantime, she saves every quid towards being able to go to Paris to purchase a Dior “frock,” plus she accepts a little help from her friends. She truly cares about people, so they in turn connect with her and want to see her achieve her dream.

When her war-widow’s check comes in, Mrs. Harris travels alone to Paris, and literally stumbles into a Dior showing just when Monsieur Dior (who was to die later that same year) is presenting his Haute Couture collection. She is an intrusion into the lifestyle of the rich and famous, yet Dior has fallen on hard financial times so she is welcomed because she can pay cash for her designer dress.

While waiting many weeks in Paris for her gown to be created and painstakingly fitted, Ada is given luxury accommodations by Dior staffers and gets involved with the inner workings of both the Dior organization and with the lives of the Dior employees, including organizing a strike which forces Dior to adopt new ideas to modernize in order to make the business profitable. She becomes a hero to the workers as well as to the heads who are pleased with the financial bottom line.

Mrs. Harris at last returns to London with her prized Dior gown which, later on, she loans to Pamela, a struggling actress, who wears it to an event where she stands too close to the fire and the dress ignites and is ruined. Ada's Dior friends read about the disaster in the newspaper and immediately send her another dress — an even more beautiful one.

It’s a fairytale ending.

Psychological Implications
What’s in a dress? Especially a Dior gown? A designer gown not only instantly upgrades the wearer’s social status in the eyes of the world, it also symbolizes and recaptures the lost feeling of youth and beauty — it’s “the fountain of youth” in your closet. It transports you back in time and make you to feel like a “Princess.”

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a fairytale, a wonderful fairytale that allows for the suspension of belief. It does not matter that the plot may not be “realistic.” Because of the charm of the film, the script, the acting, and the subtle themes and messages, we buy into it right off and feel confident and that our Ada Harris will not only follow her dream, but will find it. That’s how fairytales are meant to be.

The underlying message of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is that life is filled with sorrow as well as hope and adventure. Spunky widow, Ada. Harris, has had a tough life, tougher than it may appear (everyone is going through a trial you don’t easily see), but she has learned to deal with her grief and loss and move on to a place of hope, change and transformation. Her pursuit of a beautiful Dior designer dress provides the impetus, a symbol of that hope which can move one from being a stuck victim, to being an inspiring victor.

Without being preachy or forcing any political agendas, the film, through the character of Ada, gently deals with such important themes as women’s empowerment, speaking up for what’s right, and sticking by the lost traditional values, such as kindness, honesty, integrity, and the appreciation of beauty (as in the pure beauty of a well-designed dress). Ada’s character, so simple yet so glamorous and proper, takes us back to a time when decency and fashion took center stage alongside grace, patience, and perseverance. She represents the great underdog story of someone who travels emotionally from rags to riches. Her character illustrates a warm reminder of priorities and that life’s not fair — yet, in reality, good things can and do happen to good people.

In the end, we witness how a Dior dress transforms a weary heart, Ada’s, from the condition of living in the cocoon of a sub-street apartment — to dancing at a ball in a red Dior gown and catching the eye and heart of a new suitor. With a fairytale ending, our Cinderella, Ada, offers us a glimpse at the transcendent power and gumption of pursuing one’s dreams, alongside her dogged pursuit to own a Dior dress.

Charlyne Gelt, Ph.D. (PSY22909) is a clinical psychologist who practices in Encino. She leads Women's Empowerment Groups that help women learn the tools to move beyond self-destructive relationship patterns. She may be reached at 818.501.4123 or cgelt@earthlink.net. Her office address is 16055 Ventura Blvd. #1129 Encino, CA 91436.