Appointment in London (1953)

Redundant and unnecessary.

Good movie but grossly overrated

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

We don't get to see that many movies about Bomber Command, though there are a goodly number of Eighth Air Force movies around. I guess American studios poured out more war movies but in the 1950s the Brits produced some hum dingers as well, and this is one of them.It bears some slight resemblance to "Twelve O'Clock High" in its structure. The men are convinced their squadron is jinxed and Bogarde must snap them out of it. Lots of tense ground scenes with the full story of a bombing raid over Germany saved until the end. And, like Gregory Peck, Dirk Bogarde is a pilot who has "done his share of flying" and is now a ground officer, enforcing discipline on the men. In an emergency, he climbs aboard a Lancaster for his final mission -- number ninety. When the Master Bomber, who acts as a kind of coach during the raid, is shot down, Bogarde takes over and saves the day. The appointment in London involves decorations for some of the men, to be awarded at Buckingham Palace. The role of Squadron Commander, though, really belongs to someone like Jack Hawkins, who can convey both empathy and necessity. Bogarde is stern enough but brings a slightly personal, bitchy quality to the role. As usual, the officers and men are a mixed group of Brits, Australians, and whatever people from Sheffield are called. There is an American major who slouches around, hands in pockets, wearing a big smile, acting as liaison officer to the RAF. He risks court martial by sneaking aboard on some raids and acting as tail gunner. You're likely to recognize him as the guarded Dr. Floyd in Kubrick's "2001." There are a couple of women too: a widow who is the object of rival affections, and a widow who generates sympathy. There is also the usual grabass in the mess hall, a kind of riot in which officers mark the ceiling with the inky prints of their bare feet. It's all rather good natured fun.The final raid is shown from its planning stages until the landing of the last overdue Lancaster. It's pretty tense. Bogarde is aboard one of the planes and the dramatic structure could go either way.I suspect that there may be more movies about the Americans' daylight precision bombing than about the British night-time area bombing partly because more combat footage is available from daylight missions. Of course, until fighters with sufficient range became available, daylight bombing meant unsustainable losses and the program was suspended for a while. The British program didn't do much better. Their losses were appalling. And the metric doesn't exist that would allow us to measure the airmen's suffering against that of the Germans beneath them. All the combatants took a terrific pummeling. War is an awful thing. One wonders why some of us seem so anxious to rush into the next one.

Unlike Fighter Command whose exploits were painted across the skies of Southern England during the endless summer of 1940,Bomber Command never caught the public imagination.These were not glamorous public school chaps with silk scarves and Brylcreemed hair downing a brace of Huns before tea,gleaming Spitfires and intrepid Hurricanes doing Victory Rolls whilst beating up the airfield as the Waafs waved out of the Control Tower.No,these were mainly working class grammar school boys sitting in freezing aluminium tubes, little more than lethal containers of H.E and volatile fuel,in the pitch dark 5 miles above Occupied Europe in skies full of white hot metal shards any one of which,at any second,could turn their aircraft into a fiery coffin.Some chewed the ends of pencils whilst calculating the target's co - ordinates on paper,some tracking the amount of fuel being used,others scanned the sky for enemy fighters.Some flew the plane which took considerable strength to keep on a straight and level course under ideal conditions,let alone being bounced around in a hazardous sky where your every instinct is to drop your bombs and race home ASAP.These men displayed dour,determined courage night after long night in a bitter war of attrition.A standard tour of operations consisted of 30 missions,their chance of survival a little over 30%. Wing Commander Mason (Mr D.Bogarde)has flown 87 missions,the equivalent of spitting in The Grim Reaper's face several times.He is determined to complete his third tour despite opposition from his Commanding Officer and the M.O."Appointment in London" tells the story of his fight to survive against all the odds. Superficially resembling the mighty "Twelve o' clock high",closer study reveals more differences than might be immediately apparent.Gregory Peck's character was imposed on a failing squadron whose popular C.O. suffered a breakdown,Mason has been on base for a long time and is well - liked and respected,Peck a martinet where Bogarde tolerates his pilots' horseplay,for instance.There is no doubt "Twelve o' clock high" is the superior movie,but that doesn't make "Appointment in London" a poor one. Much of the pleasure is in the supporting cast,Mr A.Shaw as "Smithy",the adjutant,a much older man,outwardly stuffy,a veteran of the Great War and a man who has seen too many airmen die to allow himself to become affected.Mr C.Victor as the village publican and confidant to aircrew,paternal and compassionate,a splendid bit of acting.Mr C.Singer in a customary senior NCO role as the Flight Sergeant in charge of the groundcrew who lend the planes to the fliers and hope they take good care of them and,last but not least Mr S.Kydd as the mechanic who finds his pilot's lucky charm and is confronted late at night by an angry Mr Bogarde.This is a key scene in the movie as Bogarde's anger(mainly against himself) manifests itself in an exchange that graduallly moves from aggression to awkwardness to genuine respect.It is beautifully played by these two fine actors. My only personal caveat with the film is the complete lack of anything resembling affection between Mr Bogarde and Miss D.Sheridan as the naval officer he falls in love with.I'm sorry I just didn't believe in them as a couple.No spark,no chemistry,no nothing.Maybe it's me. All round though,"Appointment in London" is a well - made,interesting and enjoyable film with lots of well - loved faces.I recommend that you watch it.

From my summary you are entitled to think I found this an inferior rip-off of Twelve O'Clock High and you'd be correct. Dirk Bogarde was no Gregory Peck and though he gives the battle fatigue resulting from leading 80 + missions his best shot he doesn't quite cut it. Of course, if you haven't seen Twelve O'Clock High (released a couple of years earlier) chances are you'll enjoy this take on life on a bomber station in World War Two. All the usual suspects are wheeled out from Brian Forbes to Sam Kydd and there's even William Sylvester and Bill Kerr to ensure a balance of nationalities. Unlike Twelve O'Clock High the film can't resist introducing the female element so Dinah Sheridan is trotted out as the target for a half-hearted rivalry between Bogarde and Sylvester. Check it out if you must then check out a real movie on the same subject, beginning with Twelve.

"Appointment in London" is an unusually-atmospheric, stylish and very-consistently-interesting late British WWII film. The subject is the pilots of British Bomber Command and the stresses they encounter in battles as the fly Lancasters in night missions over the European mainland. Specifically, the film features as its central character a dedicated pilot, played elegantly by Dirk Bogarde. He has completed 89 missions and survived, but very much wants his 90th. Due to fatigue and concerns for his well being, echelon grounds him. he is angry and frustrated, but during his time on the ground, he reconnects to life and wins lovely Dinah Sheridan, who acts very strongly as the widow of a naval intelligence type, winning her from breezy Willaim Sylvester, a U.S. pilot. The added tension in the film comes from Bogarde's desire to complete his third tour with one final mission, and the fact that everything about it sets up to be a "jinxed" mission from the start. I will not give away the breath-taking and vivid climax, but apart from some leisurely spots here and there, I will claim that director Philip Leacock has produced one of the best of all war films in "Appointment in London" The script was credited to Robert Westerby and John Woolridge, with cinematography by Stephen Dade and art direction by Donald M. Ashton. John Woolridge also wrote the fine original score, and costumes were contributed by Sheila Graham. In appearance, the film is very strongly made, and attractively photographed. The aerial sequences are very good and the recreated picture of wartime London is a big selling point for this hard-to-find film. Bogarde and Sheridan are extraordinarily touching and intelligent; I cannot recommend this film too highly as drama, as a war movie or as a cinematic "sleeper", one which in lesser hands would not have been as absorbing as it was made to be.