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UNIVERSAL

MOVIE INFO

Director:
Anthony Fabian
Cast:
Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Lambert Wilson
Writing Credits:
Carroll Cartwright, Anthony Fabian

Synopsis:
A widowed cleaning lady in 1950s London falls madly in love with a couture Dior dress, and decides that she must have one of her own.

MPAA:
Rated PG.

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Audio:
English DTS-HD MA 5.1
English DVS
Spanish DTS 5.1
French DTS 5.1
Subtitles:
English
Spanish
French
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
English
Spanish
French

Runtime: 116 min.
Price: $34.98
Release Date:9/6/2022

Bonus:
• Deleted/Extended Scenes
• Gag Reel


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RELATED REVIEWS


Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris [Blu-Ray] (2022)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (December 8, 2022)

In summer 2022, I saw a large cardboard “standee” display at my local AMC that promoted a film called Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. This looked similar to the Blu-ray cover to the left.

As soon as I witnessed that advertisement, I said “there’s a movie that’ll earn about $36 at the box office!” With a US gross of a little more than $9 million, it did better than my estimate, but it didn’t exactly function as a summer blockbuster.

None of this means Paris can’t offer a quality film, of course. Perhaps perversely piqued by that AMC standee, I tossed the Blu-ray into my player.

Set in 1957, Ada Harris’s (Lesley Manville) died in World War II. The lonely widow works as a cleaning lady in London and struggles to make ends meet.

One day Mrs. Harris spies a Dior dress and immediately becomes smitten by this piece of clothing. She embarks on a quest to obtain the expensive item despite her meager means of financial support.

Given that synopsis, one might expect Paris to bring a gloomy, depressing tale of a sad older woman with little joy in her life. However, the movie’s title offers a hint that it will go a different direction.

One could easily imagine Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris as the moniker for a children’s film. Though Paris shows nothing that would charm wee ones, it does offer much more of a fable than my overview implies.

The film comes based on Paul Gallico’s 1958 novel. A 157-page affair, that seems like a story that should last maybe 90 minutes.

Unfortunately, Paris spans nearly two hours. For a slight confection like this, that becomes an excessive running time.

It doesn’t help that vast amounts of Paris simply feel padded. Many scenes seem unnecessary, while others come across as too long.

That said, much of the problem stems from the movie’s inherent lack of real spark. While Paris desperately wants to offer a sweet kin of fairy tale, it consistently feels forced and contrived.

Paris strives to achieve a form of romantic dreaminess that never comes across as natural. All the attempted “magic” seems self-conscious and artificial.

Would a shorter and tighter Paris have offered an actual good movie? No – the filmmakers find themselves too far from their fantasy goals for the product to earn redemption.

Still, at least a 90-minute Paris would feel like less of a chore to watch. Devoid of the magic it strives to achieve, this turns into a slow, superficial dud.


The Disc Grades: Picture B+/ Audio B/ Bonus D+

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris appears in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The movie consistently looked good.

For the most part, sharpness appeared positive. Some softness affected occasional wide shots, but the majority seemed distinctive and concise.

I noticed no issues with jagged edges or shimmering, and I witnessed no edge haloes. As expected, no source flaws popped up during the clean presentation.

Also as expected of a period piece, Paris opted for a subdued palette. Amber/teal became the dominant tones, with splashes of other hues as well. Given those restrictions, the colors seemed appropriate.

Blacks were fairly deep, and shadows satisfied. All of this added up to a solid “B+” image.

I felt reasonably pleased with the DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio of Paris. Given the movie’s semi-chatty nature, the soundscape didn’t come across as consistently involving.

Still, street scenes, weather, a dog race and some fanciful scenes managed to add activity to the proceedings. While these didn’t dazzle, they suited the material.

Audio quality was positive. Speech seemed natural and concise, without edginess or other issues.

Effects appeared accurate and dynamic, while music was rich and clear. Nothing here created a killer soundtrack, but the audio made sense for the story.

Three Deleted and Extended Scenes fill a total of four minutes, 24 seconds. “Ada Rushes Toward the Metro” (0:25) and “Ada Wants to Speak to Andre” (0:22) deliver new material but they’re so short that they’re not substantial.

“Full Cabaret” spans three minutes, 40 seconds and shows what that implies: the entire “risqué” stage performance witnessed by Mrs. Harris. It doesn’t become especially interesting.

A Gag Reel runs five minutes, 14 seconds and shows the usual goofs and giggles. Don’t expect anything exciting.

No matter how hard Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris attempts to deliver a sweet fairy tale, it comes up short. The movie feels over-extended and devoid of charm. The Blu-ray brings good picture and audio as well as minor bonus materials. Don’t expect much life from this dull fable.

Viewer Film Ratings: 3 Stars Number of Votes: 2
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