Blake Edwards made many entertaining films; some, like "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "Victor Victoria," retain their class and glamour, while others, like "The Tamarind Seed," aimed for those same qualities, but fell short. Opening titles by Maurice Binder and a score by John Barry evoke the feel of a James Bond film and underscore the espionage elements. Unfortunately, the film, which was also scripted by Edwards from a novel by Evelyn Anthony, is saddled with an insipid love story that overwhelms the action and sinks the plot, and the Cold War intrigue is too little and too late to save the movie. While Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif have star power, the pair do not have much chemistry. The prim and proper Andrews is too cool for the smoldering Sharif, who should have been better teamed with an Ava Gardner.
Andrews plays Judith Farrow, an English widow, who works at the British Home Office and has access to sensitive information. After a failed love affair, she travels to Barbados to recover. Sharif is Feodor Sverdlov, a military attache to the Russian Embassy in London, who also goes to Barbados; but is he on holiday or out to recruit Andrews? His motives are ambiguous, and his unconvincing attraction to the chilly Andrews skews viewers to believe the worst. While Sharif pursues Andrews, back in London, Anthony Quayle and Dan O'Herlihy monitor the situation in Barbados for Her Majesty's Goverrnment, while the pursuit of a Russian mole in British intelligence simmers. O'Herlihy is a man of secrets, and Sylvia Syms as his ambitious wife snipes at her husband's gay orientation, while she pursues an affair with a young employee of Quayle. During their romantic trysts, Syms's paramour leaks confidential information to her during the pillow talk. Got all that? The supporting players, who also include Oscar Homolka as a Russian general, are professional, if unexceptional, although Syms is a cut above the others.
Similar comments could be made about the film, professional, if unexceptional. "The Tamarind Seed" is certainly well made, but predictable. Sharif and Andrews go through the motions, know their lines, and hit their marks, but nothing ignites between them. The plot is similarly mundane. Although a James-Bond like song is heard, Andrews never has an opportunity to sing, which may disappoint her fans. The glossy film resembles other Blake Edwards films in its polish, but not in its entertainment value. Perhaps "The Tamarind Seed" is not the worst way to pass two hours, but all involved have done much better work.
Andrews plays Judith Farrow, an English widow, who works at the British Home Office and has access to sensitive information. After a failed love affair, she travels to Barbados to recover. Sharif is Feodor Sverdlov, a military attache to the Russian Embassy in London, who also goes to Barbados; but is he on holiday or out to recruit Andrews? His motives are ambiguous, and his unconvincing attraction to the chilly Andrews skews viewers to believe the worst. While Sharif pursues Andrews, back in London, Anthony Quayle and Dan O'Herlihy monitor the situation in Barbados for Her Majesty's Goverrnment, while the pursuit of a Russian mole in British intelligence simmers. O'Herlihy is a man of secrets, and Sylvia Syms as his ambitious wife snipes at her husband's gay orientation, while she pursues an affair with a young employee of Quayle. During their romantic trysts, Syms's paramour leaks confidential information to her during the pillow talk. Got all that? The supporting players, who also include Oscar Homolka as a Russian general, are professional, if unexceptional, although Syms is a cut above the others.
Similar comments could be made about the film, professional, if unexceptional. "The Tamarind Seed" is certainly well made, but predictable. Sharif and Andrews go through the motions, know their lines, and hit their marks, but nothing ignites between them. The plot is similarly mundane. Although a James-Bond like song is heard, Andrews never has an opportunity to sing, which may disappoint her fans. The glossy film resembles other Blake Edwards films in its polish, but not in its entertainment value. Perhaps "The Tamarind Seed" is not the worst way to pass two hours, but all involved have done much better work.