#Bevy reviews tv#

He also looked to a classic French film for guidance.įalbalas, known in the English-speaking world as Paris Frills, appeared in 1945, a year after director Jacques Becker miraculously got it made during the German occupation of the capital. Director Paul Thomas Anderson based the story on the career of Cristóbal Balenciaga, the Spanish designer described as the “master of us all” by no less an authority than Christian Dior. There she plays the sister/business manager of a renowned London designer (Daniel Day Lewis). In addition to her consistently excellent work in eight Mike Leigh movies, Manville earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Cyril Woodcock in Phantom Thread (2017), another narrative set in the fashion world of the 1950s. As she makes clear, “We need our dreams, now more than ever.” As the timely and untimely plot points accumulate, she retains a wonderful balance of grit, grace, compassion, humor and perseverance.

#Bevy reviews tv#

(Dame Angela Lansbury starred in a 1992 TV adaptation.) For all of its well-defined supporting cast, along with its pastel-infused cinematography and atmospheric score by Rael Jones ( Harlots, Suite Française ), this big screen translation belongs to Lesley Manville. It beautifully captures the tone and spirit of Paul Gallico’s celebrated 1958 novella, the first of four with that title character. The American-born, British-based director Anthony Fabian, whose work as a documentarian has included classical musical subjects as varied as Luciano Pavarotti, Renée Fleming, Joshua Bell and Franz Schubert, also co-wrote the Mrs. Still, it’s fun to watch them needle each other, so to speak. Perhaps needless to say, she and Ada aren’t exactly kindred spirits. Isabelle Huppert, one of the most talented and versatile actresses of her generation, plays Claudine Colbert, the manager of the House of Dior and strict defender of its high standards. There are additional elements to this plot. “We mend, but we don’t forget,” she insists.

We can also appreciate her hesitation at the Marquis’ discreet romantic overtures, given her devotion to her late husband. We can relate to her awe as Dior’s latest inspirations appear, each dress more exquisite than the last. It gives Ada (and us) a chance to gush over the very definition of “haute couture,” period style.

The timid young designer, André Fauvel, and the debonair Marquis de Chassagne (Lambert Wilson), who sympathize with Ada’s sincerity and tenacity.Ī mini-fashion show serves as the film’s centerpiece. The young model, Natasha, and staff member, Marguerite, who effectively welcome the unauthorized visitor to the House of Dior. The group of elderly men at the bus station in Paris, who offer her wine, pleasant conversation and a bench to spend the night. The man seated next to her on the plane, for example, upon whose shoulder she rests her head. Mind you, this is a Cinderella-like story in which a plain-speaking, working-class Englishwoman encounters one kindly, indulgent character after another. Thanks to extra work, unexpected news about her husband’s death benefit and a good deed by her friend Archie (Jason Isaacs), who takes and makes bets at the local greyhound racetrack, Ada has cobbled together just enough money to travel to Paris and purchase a Dior. In spite of the odds, she must have such a garment for herself. The very sight of it transports her to a magical place of beauty, elegance and romance. One day, Ada comes across a life-altering garment in Lady Dant’s armoire: an elegant Christian Dior dress. Fortunately, she has a “bestie”–Vi Butterfield (Ellen Thomas), a single woman with an irrepressible smile and a generous sense of humor. Ada does her job diligently, even as she agonizes over the loss of her husband, who went missing in France during the Second World War. She has a regular clientele which includes the spendthrift Lady Dant (Anna Chancellor), who keeps delaying Ada’s wages a middle-aged man, Giles Newcombe, with a bevy of “nieces” (Christian McKay, Me and Orson Welles ) and an aspiring actress, Pamela Penrose, plagued by insecurity (Rose Williams of Sanditon fame).

In 1957 London, Ada Harris (Lesley Manville) works as a cleaning lady. In a year dominated by cinematic tentpoles, sequels, blockbusters and superheroes, along comes a sweet, unabashedly romantic fairy tale.