French Dressing

French Dressing is a 1964 British comedy film directed by Ken Russell (in his feature directorial debut) and starring James Booth, Marisa Mell and Roy Kinnear. Its plot concerns a deckchair attendant in the run-down seaside resort of Gormleigh-on-Sea who is promoted to publicity officer. In an effort to drum up interest in the town he organises a film festival and invites a major French film star. The event is soon thrown into chaos by the machinations of jealous mayors from rival towns. Russell later called it "a very unhappy film as far as I was concerned". Plot Jim Stephens is a deckchair attendant working in the flagging seaside resort town of Gormleigh in a job secured for him by his friend, the entertainments manager Henry Liggott. Jim enjoys his easy life in the town with his girlfriend, Judy, a young reporter on the local paper. Things are soon turned upside down when Judy writes an article at Jim's suggestion calling for a film festival featuring Brigitte Bardot to revitalise the town and bring in tourists. The three of them are summoned to see the mayor to explain Jim's conduct the following morning. When Jim admits he can't get Bardot the mayor threatens him with dismissal. This leads Jim to suggest that instead of getting Bardot, they try to secure the French film star Françoise Fayol, whose latest New Wave film Pavements of Boulogne is premiering in Boulogne. With the mayor's approval, Stephens and Liggott travel across the Channel on the Medway Queen to persuade her to attend the planned film festival.