The Tamarind Seed (1974)

During a Caribbean holiday, a British civil servant finds herself falling in love with a Russian agent.

Director:

Blake Edwards

Writers:

Blake Edwards (screenplay), Evelyn Anthony (novel)

Stars:

Julie Andrews, Omar Sharif, Anthony Quayle

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julie Andrews	...	Judith Farrow
Omar Sharif	...	Feodor Sverdlov
Anthony Quayle	...	Jack Loder
Dan O'Herlihy	...	Fergus Stephenson (as Daniel O'Herlihy)
Sylvia Syms	...	Margaret Stephenson
Oskar Homolka	...	Gen. Golitsyn (as Oscar Homolka)
Bryan Marshall	...	George MacLeod
David Baron	...	Richard Paterson
Celia Bannerman	...	Rachel Paterson
Roger Dann	...	Col. Moreau
Sharon Duce	...	Sandy Mitchell
George Mikell	...	Maj. Stukalov
Kate O'Mara	...	Anna Skriabina
Constantine Gregory	...	Dimitri Memenov (as Constantin de Goguel)
John Sullivan	...	1st KGB Agent

Storyline

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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

cold war | british intelligence | caribbean | airport security | illicit affair | 

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Genres:

Romance | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

22 July 1974 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

La leyenda del tamarindo

Filming Locations:

Barbados

Company Credits

Production Co:

Incorporated Television Company (ITC), Jewel Productions, Lorimar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film of Oskar Homolka.

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Quotes

Feodor Sverdlov: Let me teach you the first lesson about these little games. You must try to tell the truth as long as possible. That way, when times change and you have to lie, there is a great chance that you will be believed.

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Connections

Features Foreign Correspondent (1940)

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Soundtracks

"Play It Again"
Music by John Barry
Lyrics by Don Black
Sung by Wilma Reading (uncredited)

User Reviews

Mature, sober look at human side of the Cold War

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.