La leyenda del tamarindo

Worked as a Doorman at The Rivoli Cinema in Sydney in 1974. Lovely conversion from an intimate live venue, but unfortunately, never found an audience. Fond memories of "The Tamarind Seed" as the most successful movie to play at this lovely theatre. Originally played on the Hoyt's circuit at the Embassy Theatre, and transferred to our (Independant) Rivoli (capacity approx. 400 seats)for a very healthy 6 week season. The only movie I recall playing to capacity audiences of a Friday & Saturday evening. Recently acquired a (beautiful) copy on DVD at a truly bargain price, and was pleased that the suspense and story-line held up so well after 30 years. Yes, the fashions are laughable, but we make allowances for our favourite films of the 30's,40's,50's and 60's, so why do we judge so many classic films of the 70's & 80's by the fashions of the time A thoroughly enjoyable espionage thriller, a brilliant cast, and all under the direction of the superb Blake Edwards, begs the question as to why this film is so over-looked and forgotten?

It's been years since I saw this film so have forgotten many of the plot details, but this beautiful romance has lingered in my mind for three decades. It's a movie with everything...intriguing suspense thriller plot, beautiful exotic Caribbean setting, and especially of course the compelling love story of two sympathetic characters from opposite sides of the Cold War.

The tale begins with a British Home Office assistant, Judith Farrow, who has gone to Barbados to recover from a failed love affair. During her tropical holiday, she meets Feodore Sverdlov, a handsome Soviet air attaché in Paris. They visit the colorful island sights together and fall in love. This paradise romance is, however, complicated by their respective positions with governments on opposite sides of the Cold War. Thus, these two individuals of integrity are forced into deception (alleged spy recruiting) in order to disguise their relationship. Perhaps Sverdlov will even be inspired toward defection? Above all, their ill advised love can only spell danger.

For me, this movie is made memorable by its two stars, Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif. This is my absolute favorite Julie Andrews film. She is at her most radiant here portraying Judith, a beautiful, intelligent, lonely, vulnerable, yet quietly strong woman. She is quite magnificent in her role even without the usual musical aspects. Omar Sharif plays surely Russia's most magnetic, handsome, and compelling diplomat. His dark brown eyes alone would thaw the Cold War! It is absolutely believable that these two principled, intelligent individuals would fall in love. They are perfect on screen together, mature yet captivating.

The film reflects its era, with the dominance of Cold War issues the subject for most plots involving international intrigue. Here, however, the Russian star is refreshingly not the enemy or the villain of the piece, but rather instead its romantic, noble, and conflicted hero. The pair reveal their own moral views, sometimes contrary to their country's official positions. Julie Andrews appeared earlier in Torn Curtain, the 1966 Hitchcock Cold War thriller which also starred Paul Newman, but I much preferred this movie since it focuses more on character portrayal and romance.

No, not a James Bond action adventure or a spy thriller really, more rather an exotic and dangerous romance with some intricate, suspenseful plot details. A high recommendation for this wonderful old fashioned movie...a perfectly cast, touching & intelligent jewel, and a film which unfortunately appears to be little known these days.

"The Tamarind Seed" is sometimes classified as a spy thriller, however it doesn't really belong to that category. This is essentially a romance, make no mistake about that.

Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif are very good in this film and make a highly believable screen couple. The pacing is slow and deliberate, but the plot should be intricate enough to keep you interested. I kept waiting for Andrews to burst out singing, but that never happened.

Anthony Quayle and Sylvia Syms are excellent in supporting roles.

Overall, "The Tamarind Seed" is a good movie for a Sunday afternoon.

This is one of the rare movies that tapped into Julie Andrews' understated sex appeal; she is radiant throughout, with a ripe beauty. Omar Sharif, as a philosophical Russian, also has his moments, but the cast that surrounds them is not as interesting; the story goes every which way and goes on too long, with some excitement only in the last 10 minutes. Don't miss the James Bond - like opening title sequence - designed by Maurice Binder and scored by John Barry! **1/2 out of 4.

I'm a huge Julie Andrews fan, which was why I saw this movie. I now understand spy storylines much better than I did when I watched it, so if I saw it again, I may be able to actually follow the plot. It does drag, which is always a pet pieve of mine, but the romance between Julie and Omar Sharrif is the heart of the film and lets you see that the Cold War was between governments, not necessarily people. The ending makes up for almost everything else, as most good endings tend to do, and it was just what the characters and audience wanted. If you want a lot of action, this may not be the right movie, but if you want a romance masquerading as a spy thriller, this is your film.