The Tamarind Seed (1974)

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The acting in this movie is really good.

The Tamarind Seed has both Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif looking to merge. But merger is going to be impossible because of the Cold War. You see Julie works for someone in the British home office and Omar is a military attaché for the Russians. If they were from allied countries or even one of them from a neutral there would be no problem. But being in the jobs they're in they're under surveillance, even more so when they start dating. Wildest of all is that both are put on the spot to get the other to defect.Sharif and Andrews are the weak links of The Tamarind Seed. Both lack chemistry between them, you don't the feeling that they are truly caught up with each other. The ones to watch here are Dan O'Herlihy, a high level traitor to the United Kingdom and his ambitious wife Sylvia Sims. Both of their roles are spiced with former passion turned to hate. Herlihy is a closet gay man and Sims stays married to him for the sake of position. He's in line for a top level ambassadorship and she wants it for the perks of the position.Those two really make The Tamarind Seed worth watching.

Blake Edwards, better known for his comedies, directs this respectable spy film based on Evelyn Anthony's novel of the same title. July Andrews in on a holiday in Barbados trying to recover from a love affair with a married man. She meets Omar Sharif and she falls in love with him, only to discover that he's an international Russian spy willing to change sides.On the bright side, the story keeps you interested despite the slow pace. It shows that it is possible to make a nice spy film without crazy special effects, nonsense action scenes and going ballistic for the most unsuspected reason. There's a very nice soundtrack by John Barry and a spectacular song sung by Wilma Reading.On the dark side, it has several of the stereotypes of this kind of movies from the 70's, as for example, the Russians spies have a very strong Russian accent: how do they manage to spy and mingle without being noticed? To keep it short, a nice spy movie where for over 108 minutes, not a single gun is shot and not a single blood drop is spilt. It has great climax scene, where suspense is very well built. A rara avis nowadays, where the explosions have to be loud and action has to be unbelievable in the less realistic possible way. By the way, the movie is 119 minutes long and, believe it or not, July Andrews doesn't sing on this film!!

It's been years since I saw this film so have forgotten many of the plot details, but this beautiful romance has lingered in my mind for three decades. It's a movie with everything...intriguing suspense thriller plot, beautiful exotic Caribbean setting, and especially of course the compelling love story of two sympathetic characters from opposite sides of the Cold War.The tale begins with a British Home Office assistant, Judith Farrow, who has gone to Barbados to recover from a failed love affair. During her tropical holiday, she meets Feodore Sverdlov, a handsome Soviet air attaché in Paris. They visit the colorful island sights together and fall in love. This paradise romance is, however, complicated by their respective positions with governments on opposite sides of the Cold War. Thus, these two individuals of integrity are forced into deception (alleged spy recruiting) in order to disguise their relationship. Perhaps Sverdlov will even be inspired toward defection? Above all, their ill advised love can only spell danger.For me, this movie is made memorable by its two stars, Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif. This is my absolute favorite Julie Andrews film. She is at her most radiant here portraying Judith, a beautiful, intelligent, lonely, vulnerable, yet quietly strong woman. She is quite magnificent in her role even without the usual musical aspects. Omar Sharif plays surely Russia's most magnetic, handsome, and compelling diplomat. His dark brown eyes alone would thaw the Cold War! It is absolutely believable that these two principled, intelligent individuals would fall in love. They are perfect on screen together, mature yet captivating.The film reflects its era, with the dominance of Cold War issues the subject for most plots involving international intrigue. Here, however, the Russian star is refreshingly not the enemy or the villain of the piece, but rather instead its romantic, noble, and conflicted hero. The pair reveal their own moral views, sometimes contrary to their country's official positions. Julie Andrews appeared earlier in Torn Curtain, the 1966 Hitchcock Cold War thriller which also starred Paul Newman, but I much preferred this movie since it focuses more on character portrayal and romance.No, not a James Bond action adventure or a spy thriller really, more rather an exotic and dangerous romance with some intricate, suspenseful plot details. A high recommendation for this wonderful old fashioned movie...a perfectly cast, touching & intelligent jewel, and a film which unfortunately appears to be little known these days.

Wish the soundtrack were available on CD, also wish the movie were available on DVD. Not a big Sharif fan, but I have always enjoyed this movie. Really enjoy Anthony Quayle and Julie Andrews is very entertaining.