Filmbar70's video: Filmbar70 loves Tam Lin

"Scum! You must treat them as scum!" Filmbar70 loves the magical and mysterious 'The Ballad of Tam Lin' (AKA 'The Devil's Widow'), a neglected and under-appreciated classic of magic realist British cinema. The only directorial effort from Roddy McDowall (yes, that Roddy McDowall -- Cornelius from the Planet of the Apes series), 'Tam Lin' was unfairly critically mauled upon its release in 1970 and is ripe for re-evaluation. With an unbelievable cast headed by super suave Ian MacShane and the alluring Ava Gardner, 'Tam Lin' is sensuous, lyrical and unrepentantly romantic (in the purest sense) cinema of the highest order. The indefinably wealthy and mysterious Michaela (Gardner) lives a life of endless sensual gratification with her young lover Tom (McShane). With an entourage of swinging hipsters in tow, they head north from London for yet more decadent shenanigans. But when Michaela discovers that Tom has fallen for a provincial pastors daughter (Stephanie Beachum) and yearns for a simpler, more sedate life, the mood of the party threatens to turn from the celebratory to the downright sinister. As Tom learns the secret behind Michaela's glamorous façade and the true price of the promise of eternal hedonism, he realises that he too may face the fate met by her myriad former lovers - madness, despair and destruction. Based upon the Robert Burns poem, 'Tam Lin' digs deep into Celtic myths, overlaying the ancient with glorious lashings of the finest of late sixties style. Co-starring Madeline Smith, Joanna Lumely, Bruce Robinson, Jenny Hanley, Cyril and Sinead Cusack, with music by folk legends Pentangle, 'Tam Lin' is an unheralded gem that deserves to be experienced as the enchanting and phantasmagorical experience it truly is. Filmbar70 loves 'Tam Lin'!