The Ballad of Tam Lin
The British Film Institute recently released a Blu Ray of the 1971 film ‘The Ballad of Tam Lin’. The BFI do a fine job of celebrating little known or forgotten pieces of UK film and Tam Lin, which has never had a UK home release before now, definitely falls into this category. The reason I’m writing about it on The Blog is that it’s a very rare example of a feature film shot in The Borders with Traquair House doubling as ‘Carterhaugh’ and further scenes shot at Ettrick (including inside the fine Kirk), Paddy Slacks and Grey Mares Tail.
The film doesn’t lack for star power. It was the only film directed by Roddy McDowall, the former child star who was famous for the Planet of the Apes movies. The star was Ava Gardner, an icon of the golden age of Hollywood, here playing a man eating wealthy woman who preys on young men. McDowall would say in later years that he made the film as a love letter to Gardner and the lingering close ups definitely attest to that! Among the young British cast there are lots of well known faces. Tam (or Tom) himself is played by Ian McShane, later to become an icon of Sunday night telly as antique dealer Lovejoy and to play perhaps the most terrifying psychopath ever seen on film - Teddy Bass in Sexy Beast. Bruce Robinson turns up in a small role, a hero of mine for his movie ‘Withnail & I’ which is my favourite film (I’m afraid to say I watch it 5 or 6 times a year). Finally Dame Joanna Lumley also turns up, fresh from playing a Bond girl opposite George Lazenby she has a small role here as a young acolyte of Gardner. Decades later when appearing at The Borders Book Festival Joanna would recall great memories of making the film and staying at Peebles Hydro with Ava Gardner.
So, is it any good? Well, it’s is definitely of it’s time - lots of arty stylistic flourishes and groovy young things getting stoned and dancing about. In later years it has retrospectively been grouped into the so called Folk Horror tradition so if you like films like The Wicker Man, Blood on Satans Claw or the more recent Midsommer then there is I suspect something here for you to enjoy. For me though, of course, the main attraction is seeing 50 year old footage of Traquair House (pre maze and with a metal footbridge, now gone, across the Quair). There is also a fantastic scene where McShane’s character looks over to Caddon which is virtually bare - no huge spruce trees or warren of mountain bike trails. Locals will enjoy this scene where he wanders out of frame only to appear in the Ettrick Valley then to The Grey Mares Tail to meet his lover, played by Stephanie Beacham. Bit of movie magic there!!!
So do check it out, it’s available now from the BFI I have also suggested to the wonderful Traquair Film Club that it might be a good fit for their film evenings in the village hall, however licensing may be an issue so not getting my hopes up!
