Tam-Lin (film)
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| Tam-Lin or The Devil's Widow | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Original film poster | |
| Directed by | Roddy McDowall |
| Written by | William Spier Robert Burns (poem) |
| Produced by | Alan Ladd Jr. Stanley Mann Anthony B. Unger Henry T. Weinstein |
| Starring | Ava Gardner Ian McShane Richard Wattis Cyril Cusack Stephanie Beacham |
| Cinematography | Billy Williams |
| Edited by | John Victor-Smith |
| Music by | Stanley Myers |
Production companies | Gershwin-Kastner Productions Winkast Film Productions |
| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
Release dates | Deccember 1970 (U.K.) as Tam-Lin September 1972 (U.S.) re-edited as The Devil's Widow |
Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Tam-Lin, also known as The Ballad of Tam-Lin, The Devil's Widow and The Devil's Woman, is a 1970 British folk horror film directed by Roddy McDowall. The film stars Ava Gardner and Ian McShane with Richard Wattis, Cyril Cusack, Stephanie Beacham, Sinéad Cusack and Joanna Lumley.
Production
The film was made by Commonwealth United Entertainment. It was produced by Alan Ladd, Jr. and Stanley Mann, from a screenplay by William Spier based on the traditional Scottish poem The Ballad of Tam Lin. The film had original music by Stanley Myers and a musical version of the original poem recorded by the British folk rock band Pentangle, and was photographed by Billy Williams. It was the only film directed by McDowall.
Filming took place in the Summer of 1968 at Traquair House and other locations in Peeblesshire, Scotland.[1] The cast stayed at the Peebles Hydro Hotel.[2] Interiors were shot at Pinewood Studios. The sets were designed by the art directors John Graysmark and Donald M. Ashton. Costumes were designed by Beatrice Dawson and Ava Gardner's gowns executed by Balmain.
McDowall's direction of this film precluded him from reprising his role as Cornelius in Beneath the Planet of the Apes, the only one of the original five Planet of the Apes films from which he is absent.
Release
Given a limited release in Britain in December 1970, the film was shelved in the United States until 1972 when the rights were acquired by American International Pictures and it was recut and renamed The Devil's Widow.[3]
A newer release of this film (1998) (Republic Pictures Home Video) re-cut the film to be closer to Roddy McDowall's intention.
Cast
- Ava Gardner as Michaela Cazaret
- Ian McShane as Tom Lynn
- Richard Wattis as Elroy
- Cyril Cusack as Vicar Julian Ainsley
- Stephanie Beacham as Janet Ainsley
- David Whitman as Oliver
- Fabia Drake as Miss Gibson
- Sinéad Cusack as Rose
- Joanna Lumley as Georgia
- Jenny Hanley as Caroline
- Madeline Smith as Sue
- Bruce Robinson as Alan
- Victoria Fairbrother as Vanna
References
- ^ "Sixties Icons Set To Rock Traquair". Traquair House. 20 June 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- ^ "Lumley heads Ab-Fab cast at Melrose book bash". Border Telegraph. 19 June 2013.
- ^ Dunn, Sam. "Lost and found: The Ballad of Tam Lin". BFI Sight & Sound. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012.
External links
- Tam-Lin or The Devil's Widow at IMDb
- Tam-Lin at Rotten Tomatoes
- Podcast episode analyzing the film: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/not-just-yesterday-the-roddy-mcdowall-podcast/id1276979932?i=1000418399347
- Entry on Tam Lin Balladry website: https://tam-lin.org/transformative/movie1970.html
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