Tam Lin Movie (1985)

Tam Lin (1985)

Listed in Worldcat with description " Retells an old Scottish fairy tale that describes Princess Jenny's rescue of her true love Tamlin from the spell of the Fairy Queen.". Author Michael Korolenko described it on his site as "electric folk operetta,". The film was produced with a grant from the Jerome Foundation. It was never commercially released.

The movie is a short film, running at roughly 15 minutes length.

Plot and images

Tam Lin parts from his fiance, Jenny. Shortly after, his horse breaks a shoe, and he is left stranded. The Fairy Queen appears and offers to take him with her. He agrees, and they ride off together. Several sprites appear and dance a warning around his abandoned horse, indicating that he is in danger.

Once Tamlin and the Queen begin riding, she increases speed and casts off her fine garments, while Tam Lin becomes more alarmed. After riding for some time, the Queen, now wild and disheveled, makes the two of them disappear.

Jenny, playing a game of chess with several of her maidens, sees the knight figure disappear from the board. Concerned, she travels to a nearby abode to consult with a local sorceress. The sorceress, who surrounds herself with exotic animals, informs her than the Fairy Queen has taken her true love away. Jenny asks how to save Tamlin. The sorceress tells her that id she wishes to save Tamlin, she must find the fairy troop and pull him from him horse, holding on to him as he is transformed.

Jenny goes by night to seek the fairy troop, and spies them proceeding along the green. She rushes to Tamlin and pulls him from his horse. The Fairy Queen, enraged, appears behind Jenny's maidens and begins to cast spells at the lovers. Tamlin undergoes a series of transformations as Jenny struggles to hold onto him. At the end of the sequence (fire, ice, snake, beast), Jenny and Tamlin are safe again, but the Fairy Queen yells her anger at their escape before departing. Jenny's maidens cover the lovers in warm cloaks, and they go home.

Type: Fantasy setting

The characters are depicted in gowns and veils, ride horses, and the interior scenes depict kitchen staff roasting food over an open fire. No historical details are given to specify time period, but the setting is clearly pre-industrial revolution.

Magic is depicted as an accepted part of life; when the knight figure disappears from the chessboard, Jenny and her maidens are concerned, but not shocked. When they go to consult with the sorceress, they accept both her ability to summon information from a crystal ball and her advice without question. Although the Fairy Queen initially disguises herself, the other sprites and figures present make no attempt at concealment, and it can be assumed that within this film, their presences is already known.

Some portions of the film use animation to depict supernatural acts, such as the transformation sequences and the disappearances of the Fairy Queen.

Tam Lin in the movie

Music composed by Paul Kovit. Lyrics by Galen Brandt. The film is a musical and uses lyrics written for the movie. The music is evocative of other known recordings of Tam Lin and clearly draws from those traditions, but is overall is an original creation. No separate recording exists.

No clips from this film are presently available online.

Additional Images

Actor Commentary

Some additional stills from this are available on a fan site for the actress Paula Shepherd, which includes the following information on the film:

Paula went on to do a ... medieval musical fantasy called Tam Lin. (This is not the 1972 Roddy McDowell version) Tam Lin was shot on the campus of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY. Filming on this project began in the autumn of 1981 and was completed in 1982. Tam Lin was never released commercially, so it is not available to the public. This is what my source had to say in regards to the film and Paula’s acting career:
"Paula did not have a speaking role, she played a lady-in-waiting to a princess who has to rescue a knight from a sorceress' spell.

(source)

Notes

Added to site October 2014