The Ballad of Tam Lin

aka The Devil’s Widow; Tam Lin

Poster for The Ballad of Tam Lin
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She drained them for their manhood… and then – of their lives!

The Ballad of Tam Lin (1970) portrays a young man living among the youthful followers of a wealthy and possessive woman at her secluded Scottish estate. When he falls in love with a minister’s daughter and attempts to break away, his former lover retaliates and draws him into an increasingly dangerous struggle for his freedom. This British supernatural drama reimagines a traditional Scottish ballad through contemporary relationships and counterculture, gradually allowing ancient folklore to emerge beneath its modern setting.

The Ballad of Tam Lin Blu-ray editions

See which disc extras are included across selected editions.

Disc Extras
Olive BD-A/US 2013
BFI BD-B/UK 2022
Imprint BD-B/AU 2021
Audio Commentary by Dr. Adam Scovell
Audio Commentary by William Fowler and Vic Pratt
“Tam Lin” & The Representations of the Witch in Film - Video Essay by Kat Ellinger (25:29)
Legendary Ladies of the Silver Screen: Ava Gardner - Hosted by Roddy McDowall (1998, 17:33)
Adventures Along the Way - Interview with Actress Madeline Smith (32:07)
Ballad of a B-Movie: Revisiting “Tam Lin” - Interview with David Del Valle (11:45)
The Devil’s Widow’s Coven - Interview with Actress Delia Lindsay (7:47)
Listening In - Interview with Singer Jacqui McShee (27:15)
The Man of the Hour - Interview with Actor Kiffer Weisselberg (25:57)
Occult Cuts - Interview with First Assistant Editor Peter Boyle (17:50)
An Eerie Tale to Tell - Audio Interview with Actress Stephanie Beacham (10:00)
Hans Zimmer Remembers Stanley Myers - Audio Interview (2021, 19:34)
Love You & Leave You for Dead - Audio Interview with Actor Ian McShane (11:04)
Stills Gallery (1:00)
Theatrical Trailer (2:10)
“O’er Hill and Dale: Shepherd’s Spring in the Cheviot Hills” (Short, 1932, 16:00)
“Queen o’ the Border” (Short, 1948, 9:42)
“Red Red? Red” (Short, 1971, 33:49)

Edition and Packaging Notes

  • Olive’s Blu-ray contains no extras.
  • BFI’s Blu-ray includes a 32-page booklet with writing by Sam Dunn (“Tam Lin: The Young and the Restless”, 2010), William Fowler (“The Ballad of a Film Sometimes Called Tam Lin”) and Corinna Reicher (“Visible Vulnerability: Ava Gardner”).
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Collector’s guide

Compare presentation quality and explore notable disc extras across selected editions.

The Ballad of Tam Lin title screen
  • Screen shot for Legendary Ladies of the Silver Screen: Ava Gardner
    Legendary Ladies of the Silver Screen: Ava Gardner (1998, 17:33)
  • Screen shot for Adventures Along the Way
    Adventures Along the Way (32:07)
  • Screen shot for Ballad of a B-Movie: Revisiting “Tam Lin”
    Ballad of a B-Movie: Revisiting “Tam Lin” (11:45)
  • Screen shot for Listening In
    Listening In (27:15)
  • Screen shot for An Eerie Tale to Tell
    An Eerie Tale to Tell (10:00)
  • Screen shot for Love You & Leave You for Dead
    Love You & Leave You for Dead (11:04)
  • Screen shot for “O’er Hill and Dale: Shepherd’s Spring in the Cheviot Hills”
    “O’er Hill and Dale: Shepherd’s Spring in the Cheviot Hills” (Short, 1932, 16:00)
  • Screen shot for “Queen o’ the Border”
    “Queen o’ the Border” (Short, 1948, 9:42)
  • Screen shot for “Red Red? Red”
    “Red Red? Red” (Short, 1971, 33:49)
Editions
Olive box art
Olive BD 2013
  • Video
      • MPEG-4 AVC
      • 1080p23.976
      • 25.32 Mbps
      • 2.35:1
      • 1:47:11.989
      • 20.22 GiB
  • Audio
      • English DTS-HD MA 1.0
      • 48 kHz
      • 906 kbps
      • 16-bit
  • Subtitles
    • None
BFI box art
BFI BD 2022
  • Video
      • MPEG-4 AVC
      • 1080p23.976
      • 29.81 Mbps
      • 2.35:1
      • 1:46:54.700
      • 27.26 GiB
  • Audio
      • English LPCM 2.0 Mono
      • 48 kHz
      • 2304 kbps
      • 24-bit
  • Subtitles
    • English SDH
Imprint box art
Imprint BD 2021
  • Video
      • MPEG-4 AVC
      • 1080p
      • 2.35:1
  • Audio
      • English LPCM 2.0 Mono
  • Subtitles
    • English SDH
Extras Audio Commentary by Dr. Adam Scovell Imprint BD
Audio Commentary by William Fowler and Vic Pratt Imprint BD
“Tam Lin” & The Representations of the Witch in Film - Video Essay by Kat Ellinger (25:29) Imprint BD
Legendary Ladies of the Silver Screen: Ava Gardner - Hosted by Roddy McDowall (1998, 17:33, 1080p) Imprint BD
Adventures Along the Way - Interview with Actress Madeline Smith (32:07, 1080p) BFI BD
Ballad of a B-Movie: Revisiting “Tam Lin” - Interview with David Del Valle (11:45, 1080p) Imprint BD
The Devil’s Widow’s Coven - Interview with Actress Delia Lindsay (7:47) Imprint BD
Listening In - Interview with Singer Jacqui McShee (27:15, 1080p) BFI BD
The Man of the Hour - Interview with Actor Kiffer Weisselberg (25:57) Imprint BD
Occult Cuts - Interview with First Assistant Editor Peter Boyle (17:50) Imprint BD
An Eerie Tale to Tell - Audio Interview with Actress Stephanie Beacham (10:00, 1080p) Imprint BD
Hans Zimmer Remembers Stanley Myers - Audio Interview (2021, 19:34) BFI BD
Love You & Leave You for Dead - Audio Interview with Actor Ian McShane (11:04, 1080p) Imprint BD
Stills Gallery (1:00) Imprint BD
Theatrical Trailer (2:10, 1080p) Imprint BD
“O’er Hill and Dale: Shepherd’s Spring in the Cheviot Hills” (Short, 1932, 16:00, 1080p) BFI BD
“Queen o’ the Border” (Short, 1948, 9:42, 1080p) BFI BD
“Red Red? Red” (Short, 1971, 33:49, 1080p) BFI BD

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