The story of Tam Lin is as old as the hills… and the folk song it’s taken from. Immeasurably wealthy mature lady fills her days with the young and carefree. Their attitudes sustain her lifestyle and keep her feeling young. Until she falls in love with and becomes infatuated with one of the young men in her entourage. Now, her age wheedles its way into her mind and thoughts, how can this young man love this old decrepit woman?

Slowly a wedge is driven between them. Unfortunately for her, the man finds a fresh love for his affections and impregnates her. Sick with rage and twisted with jealous love, the woman vows to take her murderous revenge on the man.

This is an excellent story and the writer, William Spier, did well converting the Scottish folk song. He structures most of the tale around the love story. It’s not until we’ve passed halfway that the story takes a darker turn. It would have been nice to have a few darker elements throughout the tale, just to add a slight unease and interest. Above all, this woman’s an alleged witch. Spier largely overlooks this element of the song. Instead of bewitching the man with a spell, it’s the cash status that holds her followers close to her. For me, it was a missed opportunity to improve the story.

One of the key reasons I sought this film was Roddy McDowell directing. Whenever I see his name listed in any movie credits, I have to take a peek. I’ve always loved him as an actor, especially in the “Ape” movies and “The Legend of Hell House”. So, is his directing up to scratch with his acting?

No.

That’s not to say he’s a bad director. Far from it. I enjoyed this film, and McDowell shows he’s not afraid to take risks. He has a brilliant eye for composition and when you see how he frames the castle, you’ll want to move in. However, he tries a risky stills sequence between Tom Lynn (Ian McShane) and Janet Ashley (Stephanie Beacham). He uses this method to show and reflect the couples feelings and reactions between one another on this fateful meeting. It works to a certain degree. Regrettably, this composition suffers from too many unchanging stills of both McShane and Beacham. This dilutes the power of the sequence and diminishes the viewers’ attention. Neither is good for a film.

There are only a handful of similar sections, so it’s not too disastrous. McDowell at least shows initiative and imagination, which is always a wonderful thing. I wish more filmmakers possessed this trait. It would greatly improve some of the dross being churned out.

More variations in tempo would be nice. McDowell strolls the telling of the tale onto film. A few scenes would benefit from a faster pace to add excitement and tension. Some required a slower speed to build up anxiety and the expectancy of “what’ll happen next(?)”

The cast is superb and full of well-known names and faces. Still, a lot of them are under-used: Richard Wattis’ character, Elroy, needed more meat on his bones; as did Cyril Cusack’s Vicar Julian Ainsley; Joanna Lumley as Georgia only has a couple of lines; Madeline Smith as Sue gets to say a few more words; and poor Jenny Hanley stays silent as Caroline.

McShane and Beacham are okay in their performances. They’re nothing special and their characters often appear wan and insubstantial. However, like the actors and actresses above, these personas required fattening up. McShane and Beacham aren’t at fault here. The writer needed to enhance the core elements of their personas and relationship better. Even McDowell could have developed them a little more through his direction.

“Tam Lynn” belongs to Ava Gardner. She’s marvellous as the resentful Michaela Cazaret. and exudes desire and vitality in every scene. Cazaret’s extreme wealth makes it easy for her to buy anything her appetite requires – even love and devotion. This woman owns everything and everyone in her presence. Gardner portrays this woman’s insatiable cravings excellently. She uses every nuance to strengthen her character’s persona. You can even see Cazaret’s venom bubbling under her skin; waiting for some poor sod to cross her. You don’t want to upset Cazaret.

This is a well filmed and told story that I would recommend to anybody who likes drama over their tales of the supernatural. The horror elements are there, just… look hard and you may find them. “Tam Lin” is worth one watch at least. It’s not a bad way to waste an hour and a half…

… Oh, and I need to point out the soundtrack by Pentangle. It is awesomely cool. And is well worth a listen, in itself, especially if you like soul.