French Dressing

Ken Russell's first ever feature film - starring James Booth, Roy Kinnear, and the gorgeous Marisa Mell - bizarrely plays out like a cross between a Carry On film and an episode of The Benny Hill Show! Russell didn't enjoy making it, and he didn't like the finished product much; but it's well acted, with a naughty-yet-innocent 'seaside postcard' feel to it (Talking Pictures channel (UK) is great for throwing up little gems like this). 6/10.

This presumed comedy starts off reasonably well and has a few entertaining moments but they are few and far between.One can see the embryo talent of Ken Russell at work with lots of quirky moments.However one of the basic problems is the script.When you see numerous credited writers you know that there were problems with the film..Additionally the film has essentially non acting leading lady in Alita Naughton.It is little surprise that she had a very short acting career.Surprising that they couldn't get an experienced actress to play the part.In the acting stakes Marisa Nell is quite good at.buying her image.Roy Kinnear gives good support to leading actor James Booth.Associated British who released this film didn't have much luck with seaside comedies.The Punch and Judy Man wad also a box office disappointment for them despite the fact that it starred Tony Hancock.

Maker of brilliant tv biographies,probably the best ever British Musical,but ending up making movies that seem to have been made as a "f*** you" to the rest of the world,Mr Russell will forever be sui generis. With "French Dressing" he is given free reign to play with all his toys at once,quickly tiring of one then moving on to the next. Slapstick?Check.NewWave?Check.Goon Show? Check. Running,jumping and standing still?Why not.Bunuel?Well,alright then. Too many balls in the air and not enough jugglers?Just maybe. But who cares,it's a dazzling display of cinematic mash up. I loved it in 1964 and I love it now. Perhaps if it had been better received back in the day Russel would not have turned into the petulant over the top monster he later became.Who knows. If you doubt his genius watch "The Boyfriend","The Devils" and "The music lovers". No director had a more varied palette.

Having read the less pleasant reviews of French Dressing I've just re- watched it after an absence of 20 years, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought it utterly charming and delightful. It's very much a filmed seaside postcard and looks as if everyone loved making it up as they went along. I certainly appreciated the surrealist humour and wasn't at all surprised to see Ken Russell named as director. Bits of it reminded me of Jonathan Miller's Alice in Wonderland (made two years later!), and the burning of the inflatable models, bizarrely, put me in mind of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. And I found Alita Naughton irresistible. Pity its reception so upset Ken Russell.