The Tamarind Seed (1974)During a Caribbean holiday, a British civil servant finds herself falling in love with a Russian agent. Director:Blake Edwards |
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The Tamarind Seed (1974)During a Caribbean holiday, a British civil servant finds herself falling in love with a Russian agent. Director:Blake Edwards |
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Julie Andrews | ... | ||
| Omar Sharif | ... |
Feodor Sverdlov
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| Anthony Quayle | ... |
Jack Loder
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| Dan O'Herlihy | ... |
Fergus Stephenson
(as Daniel O'Herlihy)
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| Sylvia Syms | ... |
Margaret Stephenson
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Oskar Homolka | ... |
Gen. Golitsyn
(as Oscar Homolka)
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Bryan Marshall | ... |
George MacLeod
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David Baron | ... |
Richard Paterson
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Celia Bannerman | ... |
Rachel Paterson
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Roger Dann | ... |
Col. Moreau
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Sharon Duce | ... |
Sandy Mitchell
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George Mikell | ... |
Maj. Stukalov
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Kate O'Mara | ... |
Anna Skriabina
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| Constantine Gregory | ... |
Dimitri Memenov
(as Constantin de Goguel)
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John Sullivan | ... |
1st KGB Agent
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While on holiday in Barbados to recover from the lingering effects of a love affair that ended badly, Judith Farrow meets Feodor Sverdlov, a handsome Russian. They find pleasure in each other's company as they visit colorful places on the island, but there are complications to their budding romance after their holiday in the tropical paradise comes to an end. Problems arise due to geopolitical concerns of the Cold War, for Judith is the assistant to an important minister serving in the British Home Office in London, and Feodor is the Soviet air attaché assigned in Paris to Soviet General Golitsyn. British intelligence officer, Jack Loder, suspects the Sverdlov is attempting to recruit Judith to work as a Soviet spy, and this is in fact what Feodor tells his boss that he is attempting to accomplish. Feodor tells Judith that this is a way for him to be able to see her without bringing about suspicion from his people. Due to somewhat similar thinking on the British side, she is ... Written by Brian Greenhalgh
I liked this one very much. Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif bring a very sober and realistic screenplay to life about real human beings involved/kept apart by the Cold War. I very much liked the Julie Andrews character who doesn't fear speaking about morality to a Communist likely to scoff, nor fear falling for that Communist with ehr eyes wide open, despite all the difficulties that would bring. Julie Andrews is just wonderful in this role
- rather lonely, quite real, with warring feelings between head and heart
about caring for someone who is dangerous to know - and in his work, dangerous to the Free World.Omar Sharif is excellent - charming, quick-witted, falling for Andrews (and who wouldn't - she looks fantastic) despite himself, and finally making the life-changing decision to defect.
I can understand why some find the movie plodding - it certainly is by most spy movie standards. But it's trying to do something different - and admirably succeeding - one just feels the existence of the Iron Curtain here, and one feels the Andrews character making her point that at the heart of the Cold War are questions about the value to be given an individual human being by the state, the value of truth as capturing measurable facts, the value of allowing people to live by their own goals and values rather than those determined by the state.
And the over-arching question is an interesting one of emotional involvement despite world tensions.
You'll like its gradual unfolding - just don't look for James Bond.