Ken Russell’s first feature, French Dressing was not a success and therefore was instrumental in
keeping him with the BBC for the next few years; hardly a tragedy as Russell’s
TV films were all brilliant and innovative.
A quirky and poignant comedy, it feels a lot like Richard Lester’s films
of the mid-60s – i.e. A Hard Day’s Night (1964),
The Knack & How to Get It (1965)
– mixed with a little Nouvelle Vague, and I wonder if Russell himself sensed
this and resolved to find his own unique voice for the big screen; which of
course he eventually did with Women in
Love (1969). Having said that, the
film isn’t bad, just not terribly Russell-esque. A struggling seaside community is hoping to
draw vacationers by classing itself up a bit, and the first order of business
is luring a French Brigitte Bardot-type actress named Françoise Fayol (Marisa Mell) to come
make an appearance. Russell’s personal
flair really comes out in surreal situations like when an army of promotional
life-sized balloons of Françoise
are tossed into a bonfired, or when a score of extras dart into the surf buck
naked, (seen from a tasteful distance, of course).
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