The 1956 film confirmed the image of French women as the ultimate sex kittens who have no qualms about shedding their clothes and a seemingly haughty disdain for British prudery.

And a new exhibition featuring artistic snaps of some of the Capital's French residents in the nude would appear to support that liberal reputation.

The show went so well that when he was asked to stage a follow-up for Leith gallery GallerA1, he did not hesitate in contacting the models again.

He said: "It's a fallacy that all French women take their clothes off willy nilly. The girls all said that back home people were quite reserved compared to here. They said they would never wear the short skirts worn by many Scots women, especially in this climate.

Shaeron Averbuch and Ross McEwan opened GallerA1 in May. Ms Averbuch, an artist herself, confirmed that what emerged from the exhibition was the surprising reserve of the models.

Ms Averbuch said the photographs were erotic in a 1940s or 1950s style reminiscent of some of Jack Vettriano's work. She added that they were planning to extend the exhibition by a fortnight until the end of January.

"It will appeal to a wide audience, from connoisseurs of photography to the general public. The photos are built up in layers with a strange shimmer which captures Simon's film influence," she said. One of the models from the exhibition said British women would have posed just as easily for the photos, given the same opportunity.

She said: "I was convinced by a friend. I took part because I thought it would be fun and something different to try out. I was also assured that if I didn't want certain bits of me to be on show they could arrange the pictures to do this. I actually think French women are more conservative in the way they dress and are more self-conscious about their bodies.

"I think given the same opportunity a lot of British women would have gone for it as well. Just posing for some pictures doesn't mean you are more liberal."

Another person who took part in the exhibition said: "I think culturally, there is more nudity in France, such as in the cinema or in photography, but I've noticed that people are more prone to get their kit off here than in France. I think it is quite a personal thing but in Edinburgh many people feel really comfortable about nudity."

Mr Carr, who has taught photography in the United States and has also made short films, said he is now thinking seriously about doing a reverse exhibition - Scottish Undressing - in France.

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