Review of Tam Lin

Tam Lin (1970)
3/10
Ballad of crap
20 May 2017
Ava Gardner (Micky) is a wealthy woman who surrounds herself with a young jet-set crew who she keeps within the confines of her huge estate. They hang out there until Ava gets bored with them and sends them away. Woe betide if you're her favoured lover, though, for if you cross her, you don't get a happy ending. Ian McShane (Tom) is in that role when he falls for vicar's daughter Stephanie Beacham (Janet).

Not really sure what this film is about. It makes no sense and it's pretty boring. The director – Roddy McDowell - is also a bit all over the place with his mish-mash of styles and in particular a photo montage that goes on for too long when McShane and Beacham first get it together in the great outdoors of Scotland. What is Ava's character meant to be – we never know, it's never clear. Can she live forever, is she going to get old – this isn't thought through and we get a silly folk-music soundtrack. The original song about this tale may have a supernatural interest but judging by this offering, keep it as a song. At least make it into a good film if you're going down that route. Big fail. Complete nonsense.

The whole acid trip sequence at the end is phoney – clearly, nobody involved in the film had any experience of taking LSD and we are also meant to believe that this upper-class posh set of hanger-on are some sort of savage gang of killers!! Pretty ineffectual killers if you ask me. This film sucks.
4 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed