Die Frucht des Tropenbaumes

Blake Edwards' "The Tamarind Seed" falls into the "lost" category, more specifically the era spanning 1968-1974, when Edwards released a series of films, ranging from good to great, that died a bloody box-office death. That doesn't mean that any of these films were bad. You can't account for audience taste.

Anyway, "The Tamarind Seed" is a different film for Edwards: an international spy thriller. I think the reason for the film not being well received by the public was that Edwards was stereotyped as a comedy director. Indeed, many of his best films ("10", "S.O.B.", "Victor/Victoria", and "The Pink Panther Strikes Again") are in this genre. But during this period, Edwards made many fine straight films such as "Experiment in Terror", "Darling Lili", "Wild Rovers", "The Carey Treatment" and "Gunn". These films are lost today, thanks to clueless studio executives who didn't know how to market them and the clueless moviegoers who stayed away in droves.

Lucky for us, cable TV still remains the forum to catch some of these lost treasures (except "Gunn" which seems lost forever) and AMC has been playing "The Tamarind Seed" frequently. Early video copies distributed by Magnetic Video and Embassy Home Entertainment still exist in used video stores around the country.

Now, about the film itself. Edwards has crafted a pretty skillful thriller here. Spy movies often die a quick death because most directors think they have to be either T&A fests or relentlessly talky. What makes the Bond films so much fun is that there's a sly sense of humor and Edwards understands that. But Edwards maintains a smooth control over his material here and doesn't play this material for monster laughs (rightly).This is a real good story, which I will not reveal, because the film's success is dependent on Edwards' surprises. The acting is great (with Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif in the lead roles, how could it be bad?), the cinematography (by the great Freddie Young in Panavision)is dazzling as it would be from that great talent, and the script gets involved enough in the story that we can follow it without getting confused.

"The Tamarind Seed" is very much worth the effort to find. Once you see it, it will be hard to forget it.

**** out of 4 stars

"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.

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?

Omar Sharif is the best part of this movie, he has the most charming and interesting lines, he is great as Fyodor.

If you ever get lost during the film, his character will put you at ease.

The film reminded me of Rosebud, a film Peter O'Toole did about embassies, spies, and strange liaisons.

If you're wondering about the title, the tamarind seed is of importance to the Julie Andrew character when she and Omar are vacationing on the same island. The seed is very rare and it is a symbol of possibilities in my opinion. There's a lot of talk about ideologies, political games, conscience, and which side you're on.

It's worth watching this movie to learn some interesting things, most of the intrigue and pleasure comes from Omar's performance.

This movie is not highlighted in any discussion of the careers of either Julie Andrews or Omar Sharif, but it's a jewel. It has romance (the subtleness of which is very effective without constant bedroom scenes), intrigue, espionage, exotic locations, a multi-layered plot and plenty of suspense. You do have to pay close attention to keep up with the rather complicated story, but it pays off. The '70's clothing and hair styles are amusing, and the Russians are no longer the "bad guys," but those facts don't detract from the great storyline. Andrews and Sharif make a very attractive couple, and play their parts perfectly. In fact, everyone turns in a fine performance in this, one of my favorite movies.