The Tamarind Seed

One of my favourite Omar films....(then again, they are all my favourites, I'm very biased)...I wouldn't see the film for years as I couldn't imagine my Omar with Mary Poppins...a friend one day brought around the video and said 'watch it!'...I loved it...their convincing onscreen connection soon made me forget the Mary Poppins/Maria image and although still playing the squeaky clean innocent (as only Julie can), there was a lovely chemistry. I won't go into the plot as it's well described in many of the other reviews. My only criticism is the wardrobe...I know the seventies were bad but that white gown with the heavy necklace was hideous as were the prim and proper crisp polyester clothes they put Andrews in back in London....she's gorgeous and they could have done a lot more with her outfits...they could have lost Omar's peach shirt as well (but then again he tends to make anything look good!)...maybe the seventies were that bad...but I loved them and you should love this film.

I saw this movie while I lived in Spain in 1974. It was subtitled or maybe dubbed, I don't remember but since I speak Spanish, it didn't matter. I loved the movie. At the time, Spain was still under Franco's rule (he died in '75) and foreign (as well as domestic)films were heavily censored. But this movie wasn't (or didn't seem to be) and I never forgot it. I have an extensive video collection and have searched for this movie far and wide and am happy to see that I finally found a private seller through Amazon.com today. I will treasure it and can't wait to see it again after 27 years! Besides, Julie Andrews and Omar Sharif were romantic and wonderful. A great "old" movie.

There are plenty of twists & turns in this highly cerebral cold war thriller. Russian military official Omar Sharif woos Julie Andrews in hopes of getting her to defect...or so Russia thinks. Director Blake Edwards put together this highly entertaining game of cat-and-mouse and elicits quite a bit of chemistry between Sharif & Andrews. He also had the good sense to populate the supporting cast with a lot of fine (mostly British) character actors. Anthony Quayle is very good as a very unpleasant spy and Dan O'Herlihy is excellent as an embassy official with a lot of secrets. As O'Herlihy's bitchy wife, Sylvia Syms steals each scene she's in. Still the film belongs to Sharif & Andrews and they make their outlandish situation believable. Excellent cinematography (in Barbados, Paris & London) by Freddie Young.

Saw this film only recently, and was surprised by its complexity. Was enthralled. Julie Andrews plays a very upright British type involved in situations that are inevitably comprimising. It is a pleasure to watch this very romantic thriller.

Wish the soundtrack were available on CD, also wish the movie were available on DVD. Not a big Sharif fan, but I have always enjoyed this movie. Really enjoy Anthony Quayle and Julie Andrews is very entertaining.

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.