Some reviewers – but not all, seem to have missed the point of this film. "The Tamarind Seed" is not a spy movie. There is no espionage, passing of secrets, skulduggery, clandestine meetings, secret codes and passwords, or any of the myriad other things that usually make up spy and espionage thrillers. Rather, this is a film about a planned defection from the Soviet Union to the West. And, it centers around a chance meeting that blossoms into a friendship, then a deep romance and love.
It does have touches of the espionage character on the edges – the Soviet Union and England each concerned about their person giving away secrets to the other, and about possibly getting information from the other. But there's never any of that activity in the film. And, Omar Sharif's character, Colonel Feodor Sverdlov. even makes that a point in his discussions with Judith Farrow (played by Julie Andrews). The other touch of espionage has to do with a mole in British intelligence somewhere. And there's somewhat of a humorous and satirical take on that, in that when the traitor's wife finds out, she decides to help protect her husband because she yearns for him to get a promising embassy posting. So, she too becomes a traitor. This is a new take on what people will do out of greed and the lust for power and prestige. It's quite interesting.
The story is a good one – not at all implausible. And who says it must be plausible? It's refreshingly different in that the focus of the two lead characters is on them, their friendship, love, and what their future life may be. It's not about espionage because they're not in this for that reason. They want out of the business and any association with it. The frankness of discussions in the plot helps establish that in the minds of the audience. Still, I found myself wondering if he was on the up and up or really being straightforward with her. Just enough for some intrigue about how this would play out, and therefore keeping me very interested in the film.
As I said, no skulduggery, suspenseful moments or intense situations are here – until near the very end when things come to a head. This is a good film and look at a subject that grabbed the headlines in the world for nearly half a century – defections of Soviet agents, athletes, artists and scientists. Too few of such films were made, and the public awareness of that time and those situations has dimmed. So, "The Tamarind Seed" has some historical value as well, with its look at that subject and the times. The acting and supporting cast are all very good. The cinematography and other technical aspects, direction and editing are very good. It's a nice movie to see a couple of performers who starred in and made some great films in the mid-20th century.
It does have touches of the espionage character on the edges – the Soviet Union and England each concerned about their person giving away secrets to the other, and about possibly getting information from the other. But there's never any of that activity in the film. And, Omar Sharif's character, Colonel Feodor Sverdlov. even makes that a point in his discussions with Judith Farrow (played by Julie Andrews). The other touch of espionage has to do with a mole in British intelligence somewhere. And there's somewhat of a humorous and satirical take on that, in that when the traitor's wife finds out, she decides to help protect her husband because she yearns for him to get a promising embassy posting. So, she too becomes a traitor. This is a new take on what people will do out of greed and the lust for power and prestige. It's quite interesting.
The story is a good one – not at all implausible. And who says it must be plausible? It's refreshingly different in that the focus of the two lead characters is on them, their friendship, love, and what their future life may be. It's not about espionage because they're not in this for that reason. They want out of the business and any association with it. The frankness of discussions in the plot helps establish that in the minds of the audience. Still, I found myself wondering if he was on the up and up or really being straightforward with her. Just enough for some intrigue about how this would play out, and therefore keeping me very interested in the film.
As I said, no skulduggery, suspenseful moments or intense situations are here – until near the very end when things come to a head. This is a good film and look at a subject that grabbed the headlines in the world for nearly half a century – defections of Soviet agents, athletes, artists and scientists. Too few of such films were made, and the public awareness of that time and those situations has dimmed. So, "The Tamarind Seed" has some historical value as well, with its look at that subject and the times. The acting and supporting cast are all very good. The cinematography and other technical aspects, direction and editing are very good. It's a nice movie to see a couple of performers who starred in and made some great films in the mid-20th century.