Lahri Bond wrote this review.
Visitors to this website may well be familiar with the famous Scottish Borders legend of Tam Lin. The original ballad, though ancient, was in the collections of both Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott, as well as being included in the Child Ballads. It is a staple in many folk tale collections and has had versions set down by such authors as Katharine Briggs and Jane Yolen. Musically, it has been well covered, with probably the best version being from the Sandy Denny era Fairport Convention, but with fine variants from The Watersons, Steeleye Span and Pete Morton.
The plot involves the timeless story of Tam Lin, a young man who while traveling back to his home in the Borders, falls from his horse and under the spell of the Faerie Queen. He serves as guardian of a enchanted rose bush on the fringes of Elfhame, within the wild forest of Caterhaugh. Village girls are told to stay away from this forest for if they stray in, they leave either their mantles of green or their maidenhead. Janet, the young daughter of the laird of Caterhaugh, braves the dark woods and calls up Tam Lin by plucking one of the roses from the enchanted bush. Instead of finding a horrid demon (as she had been told) she sees Tam in his true form, a handsome young man. Over time they become friends and then lovers and Janet is told that now she must aid in saving his life. Every seven years the Faerie Queen must replenish her powers by making a sacrifice, and the last one to arrive is the first to go and Tam’s time seems up. As luck or plot device would have it, that night is Halloween and the Faerie folk will ride between the worlds, an ideal time for Janet to rescue him. She waits at a holy well and when Tam among the faerie procession passes by, she pulls him from his horse and “holds fast” to him as the vengeful queen turns him into (depending on the version you read) a snake, a lizard or newt, a bear or lion and finally a white hot bar of iron that Janet drops into the well, thus breaking the spell. For an extensive overview on the legend I would direct you to Tam-Lin Balladry.
For years I’ve heard of a rumor of a movie version of this classic tale, but could not find more details, until a friend found it an online video catalogue. What a surprise to have found that actor Roddy McDowall would have chosen this tale as the basis for his first (and only) turn as a film director. Filmed in 1968 (rendering him unable to reprise his role of Cornelis in the Planet of the Apes sequel) McDowall set the tale in London and the Scottish Borders during the “swinging Sixties.” He cast the faded but still beautiful actress Ava Gardener as the Faerie Queen, here translated to the character of Mrs. Cazaret, a extravagantly rich and sophisticated aristocrat who keeps in her company a group of thrill seeking young mods, hippies and freeloaders. A sinister and manipulative seductress, she rages when her favorite lover, the young, impulsive Tom Lynn (Ian Gardner) strays from her and falls in love with local village girl Janice (Stephanie Beacham.)
Though the sets, costumes and at times, acting are all first rate, the story adaptation goes from being surreal to silly. Movie audiences not acquainted with the folk tale it was based on must have thought this to be one odd film at the time of its release. There are, however, some nice moments: a scene filmed with stills to represent time standing still at Tom and Janice’s first meeting, a beautiful beaded mask worn by Ms. Gardner and some lovely footage of The Borders.
Interestingly, the spell and transformation sequence at the end of the story is filmed as an LSD trip and is relatively effective until he turns into a bear — the costume looks like it was borrowed from the prop manager for the Captain Kangaroo children’s show.
Of note is the soundtrack provided by Pentangle, including several songs that never appeared on any of their albums. Pentangle perform a very different version of the ballad from either the Fairport or Steeleye Span versions. During the film’s opening titles, Pentangle belt out a swinging pop ditty, complete with a Blood Sweat & Tears style horn arrangement and some blistering electric guitar by John Renbourn.
[Update: According to Wikipedia, the film had a limited release in Britain in December 1970; in 1972, the rights were acquired by American International Pictures, and it was recut and renamed The Devil’s Widow for a 1977 release.]
(Republic Pictures Home Video, 1998)
