''Tam-Lin'', also known as ''The Ballad of Tam-Lin'', ''The Devil's Widow'' and ''The Devil's Woman'', is a 1970 British folk horror film directed by

Roddy McDowall Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (17 September 1928 – 4 October 1998) was a British actor, photographer and film director. He began his acting career as a child in England, and then in the United States, in ''How Green Was My Valley'' (1 ...

. The film stars Ava Gardner and Ian McShane with Richard Wattis, Cyril Cusack, Stephanie Beacham, Sinéad Cusack and Joanna Lumley.

Production

The film was made by Commonwealth United Entertainment. It was produced by Alan Ladd, Jr. and Stanley Mann, from a screenplay by William Spier based on the traditional Scottish poem '' The Ballad of Tam Lin''. The film had original music by Stanley Myers and a musical version of the original poem recorded by the British

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...

band Pentangle, and was photographed by

Billy Williams Billy Leo Williams (born June 15, 1938) is a former left fielder and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played from 1959 to 1976, almost entirely for the Chicago Cubs. A six-time All-Star, Williams was named the 1961 National League (NL) ...

. It was the only film directed by McDowall. Filming took place in the summer of 1969 at Traquair House and other locations in Peeblesshire, Scotland. The cast stayed at the Peebles Hydro Hotel. Interiors were shot at

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...

, on sets designed by

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the vis ...

s John Graysmark and Donald M. Ashton. Costumes were designed by Beatrice Dawson and Ava Gardner's gowns executed by Balmain. It's possible that pre-production work on this film prevented McDowall from reprising his role as Cornelius in '' Beneath the Planet of the Apes'', the only one of the original five ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...

'' films from which he is absent. The ''Apes'' film had finished shooting by 25 June 1969, just two weeks before ''Tam-Lin'' began.

Release

Given a limited release in Britain in December 1970, the film was shelved in the United States until 1972 when the rights were acquired by American International Pictures and it was recut and renamed ''The Devil's Widow''. A newer release of this film (1998) (

Republic Pictures Home Video A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a " government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18t ...

) re-cut the film to be closer to Roddy McDowall's intention.

Cast

* Ava Gardner as Michaela Cazaret * Ian McShane as Tom Lynn * Richard Wattis as Elroy * Cyril Cusack as Vicar Julian Ainsley * Stephanie Beacham as Janet Ainsley * David Whitman (Kiffer Weisselberg) as Oliver *

Fabia Drake Fabia Drake OBE (born Ethel McGlinchy; 20 January 1904 – 28 February 1990) was a British actress whose professional career spanned almost 73 years during the 20th century. Drake was born in Herne Bay, Kent. Her first professional role in ...

as Miss Gibson * Sinéad Cusack as Rose * Joanna Lumley as Georgia * Jenny Hanley as Caroline * Madeline Smith as Sue * Bruce Robinson as Alan * Victoria Fairbrother as Vanna *

Reception

''The Radio Times Guide to Film'' rated ''Tam-Lin'' two stars out of five. It added "although interminably slow and hilariously pretentious at times, its aura of faded

Swinging Sixties The Swinging Sixties was a youth-driven cultural revolution that took place in the United Kingdom during the mid-to-late 1960s, emphasising modernity and fun-loving hedonism, with Swinging London as its centre. It saw a flourishing in art, mu ...

decadence is interesting." ''Radio Times Guide to Films 2013''. BBC Worldwide, London, 2012 (p.84).

References

External links

* * {{Rotten Tomatoes, tam_lin * Podcast episode analyzing the film: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/not-just-yesterday-the-roddy-mcdowall-podcast/id1276979932?i=1000418399347 * Entry on Tam Lin Balladry website: https://tam-lin.org/transformative/movie1970.html 1970 films 1970 horror films Folk horror films British horror films Films directed by Roddy McDowall Films scored by Stanley Myers American International Pictures films Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films set in London Films set in Scotland Films produced by Stanley Mann 1970s English-language films 1970s British films