Roddy McDowall (1928–1998)

"The Ballad of Tam Lin" (aka "The Devil's Widow) is the sole directorial effort of Roddy McDowall and is an excellent slice of psychedelic folk horror based on the eponymous fairy tale and the poem by Robert Burns. McDowall and screenwriter William Spier retell the poem by transferring it to a (then) modern late '60s setting and basing it around the rich and decadent Michaela (Ava Gardner), the proxy for the Faerie Queen. Michaela surrounds herself with a coven of the young and the beautiful and assigns to herself the most handsome of the young men as her lover - that young man is Tom Lynn (Ian McShane). When the coven moves from London to the Scottish Borders, it looks like a summer of warm, sunny, mystical, free-love will be the order of the day. Unfortunately Tom meets minister's daughter Janet (Stephanie Beacham) and the two fall deeply in love, with Janet becoming pregnant not long afterward. Michaela's anger knows no bounds at Tom's betrayal and the young lovers have to flee her wrath with the "wild hunt" in hot pursuit.

It is a real shame that "The Ballad of Tam Lin" is such a little seen effort as it is a hugely interesting and always compelling film. Director Roddy McDowall provides it with a very quirky and singular vision that is steeped in mysticism and weirdness. The placing of the story in the hippie era is a masterstroke that gives the story a fey and dreamy feel that speaks to the hallucinogenic world of the hippies and the otherworldliness of the fairies. McDowall fills the film with odd touches, strange angles and clever camera moves that add tremendously to the overall ambience, while cinematographer Billy Williams provides some beautiful, naturalistic widescreen landscape photography that adds its own dreamy dimension to the piece. Also adding to the mystical feel is the evocative folk score by Stanley Myers and the magical recitation of the actual Burns ballad by the legendary folk rock group Pentangle. The acting is solid throughout - Ava Gardner is beautiful, but with a steely, cynical, knowing underside; Stephanie Beacham is innocent and naive, while Ian McShane appears to know and be happy with his fate. Richard Wattis as Michaela's guardian and protector Elroy brings a dangerously waspish presence, while Michaela's coven harbours a number of well-kent faces including future director Bruce Robinson and starlets Joanna Lumley and Madeleine Smith.

Overall "The Ballad of Tam Lin" is a great film - a pastoral, psychedelic romance with a haunted undercurrent that brilliantly updates its fairy tale source material. It has a great folk horror feel running through it, while also delivering plenty of hippie retro appeal against a background of evocative folk rock. In many ways the film feels like a precursor for folk horror classic "The Wicker Man". A great film and on this showing a great pity that it was Roddy McDowall's only directorial effort.… (more)

This coffee-table book is a marvelous collection of photographs (all taken by the late, beloved actor Roddy McDowall [1928-1998]) of 116 influential figures in the arts -- theater, film, ballet, literature and music. But, not only are these wistful, engaging and thought-provoking photos, but each photo is also accompanied by an essay written by a friend or associate of the photo's subject, especially chosen by McDowall. Some of these essays are laugh-out-loud funny, but many are also emotionally touching and provide insight into figures that are sometimes removed from the public eye. As a photography collection of celebrities, this book stands well on its own. But in combination with the essays, this should be a must-read for anyone interested in the royalty of the entertainment industry.

Originally reviewed for my local library's website: http://www.lincolnlibraries.org/depts/bookguide/srec/staffrec10-05.htm… (more)