Lesley Manville as Mrs. Ada Harris. Photo: eOne

A new adaptation of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, Paul Gallico’s much-loved novel (Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris) about a cleaning lady in 1950s London who falls in love with an haute couture dress by Christian Dior and decides to gamble everything for the sake of having one of her own, is out now in U.S. theaters and is a must see this Summer. UK release is set for 30 September 2022.

The Christian Dior dress in question is an incredibly expensive purchase for which she has no practical use. There’s no Academy Awards in her future and, definitely, no royal wedding. She just thinks Christian Dior dresses are lovely, and she wants to have one.

Photo: Focus Features

The cast list reads like a who’s who of British and French acting greatness headed by two Oscar-nominated actresses Lesley Manville (Mum) starring as Ada Harris and Isabelle Huppert alongside Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter, Case Histories), Anna Chancellor (The Hour, Mapp and Lucia, Spooks (MI-5), Suburban Shootout, Fortysomething) and Rose Williams of Sanditon fame. The original 1992 made-for-TV adaptation starred Angela Lansbury, Diana Rigg and Omar Sharif.

As the story goes, Mr. Harris went missing in the war, and Mrs. Harris has spent the last decade-and-a-half waiting for him to return, doing difficult jobs for rich people who don’t appreciate her. When word finally arrives of her husband’s fate, Ada Harris realizes it’s time to stop waiting and make her own dreams come true.

Mrs. Harris scrimps and saves her money, but when she has enough, and takes a trip to Paris, she learns that buying an original couture creation is a little harder than simply plunking down cash. When she arrives at the House of Dior, Mrs Harris has little idea of how her life is about to be turned upside down and how many other lives she will transform forever. Always kind, always cheery and always winsome, the indomitable Mrs Harris takes Paris by storm and learns one of life’s greatest lessons along the way.

Rose Williams, who wowed audiences on both sides of the pond with her first starring role portrayal of Charlotte Heywood in Sanditon, plays Pamela Penrose in the 2022 remake.

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is executive produced by Lesley Manville and is in U.S. theaters now with a UK release on 30 September!