Not only does this film contain good solid performances, and also evidence the director's solid capabilities, but more importantly captures the tension and high risks of serving in Bomber Command in the Second World War. This is evident from the opening sequence ahead of the film's titles, with the reconstruction of the tense night-time take-offs, filmed at RAF Upwood in Cambridgeshire.
Throughout the film, the audience acquires a better feel for the sheer exhaustion of completing endless bombing sorties, together with the pain at the loss of comrades that those serving in these squadrons experienced. The degree of realism achieved was largely the result of the presence in the team of writers of John Wooldridge, who as part of his professional expertise also provided the typically bombastic score. Before becoming a film composer he had been a decorated member of Bomber Command, having flown 108 sorties over Europe, and had served alongside Dambuster Guy Gibson, before the latter's famed mission to destroy the dams in the Ruhr valley. Tragically, his life would be cut short by a car accident just five years after this production. The links with that famous bombing raid are further bolstered by the fact that Dirk Bogarde based his interpretation of Wing Commander Tim Mason on Gibson, while the same Lancasters used in this production would two years later be captured to magnificent effect as cinematic tribute to the 'Dambusters' in the much more revered film detailing their exploits.
Bogarde is nothing short of excellent in portraying a committed commanding officer who, despite his mental exhaustion of having flown 87 sorties, is determined to reach the milestone of 90 missions. Instead, he finds himself grounded by his superior officer, portrayed by Hollywood veteran, Ian Hunter, Errol Flynn's Richard the Lionheart. Though well-respected by his men, a combination of recent losses and near-misses gradually lead to the feeling that both Mason and the squadron are jinxed. This escalates after the loss of one of the most popular members of the squadron, Pilot Officer, Pete 'The Brat' Greeno, played by a youthful Brian Forbes. There is a short but powerful sequence where Mason, and the rest of the control room, stare in abject silence at the clock as 'The Brat's' Lancaster's final two minutes of fuel run out with no phone call of any sighting.
Bogarde's character holds himself responsible for the loss of this young pilot having reprimanded him prior to his fateful mission about endangering the secrecy of the squadron's missions. It transpired that Greeno had been sending coded messages to his girlfriend notifying her of his safe return after each completed mission. This sequence of events leads to one of the most memorable scenes of the movie when the lost pilot's wife, played by Michael Gough's then wife, Anne Leon, reveals that her deceased partner had hidden their marriage, conscious of his commanding officer's demands that nothing should interfere with their focus on the mission at hand.
By contrast, the weakest element of the movie is the stiff treatment given to what becomes the unconvincing love interest provided by Dinah Sheridan, obviously introduced to soften Bogarde's attitude to the importance of civilian life for his men. Her portrayal of a naval intelligence officer, Eve Canyon, widowed at Dunkirk is satisfactory enough, as is that of William Sylvester, later to become more recognisable for his role in Kubrick's '2001', as the other part of the love triangle, Mac the American observer. Yet, the stilted dramatisation of this love affair fails to ignite more than a flicker of interest. Of note at this point, this is the only occasion on celluloid that the real-life long-term partner of Bogarde, Anthony Forwood, would appear with him, portraying Sandy the Navigation Officer.
This depiction of a man burdened by his heightened sense of responsibility to his men and by his own mental exhaustion is magnificently played by Bogarde, in one of his finest but most underrated roles. When asked by Sheridan's character, 'How Do You Go On?', he earnestly replies 'By being scared someone will see how afraid you are'. Outside of these psychological factors, where the film achieves great dramatic effect is with its depiction of the final mission over occupied Holland to destroy a secret weapons facility. In terms of the plot line, when a pilot is injured by a bomb slipping out of its bay, Mason joins the crew, playing a crucial role as substitute navigator to the squadron when their initial attack badly misses the target. This nighttime raid fully captures the dangers to which bomber crews were exposed, with the added realism provided by Wooldridge's screenplay, while Philip Leacock's earlier expertise in his career as a director of documentaries, comes to the fore, with this extended sequence's subtle interplay between genuine pictures of a Bomber Command mission, special effect lighting, and realistic radio communication.
The title of the film not only is far better than that it acquired on its US release ('Raiders of the Skies') but has poignant significance to the film's storyline. The eponymous appointment refers to that which Bryan Forbes' character was never able to attend to pick up his Distinguished Flying Cross from Buckingham Palace for his bravery under fire. In the final scene of the film we accompany Mason, Eve, and a fellow pilot, as they head towards their own medals for gallantry, together with the widow of their lost colleague. Not that Dinah Sheridan approaching Buckingham Palace should have phased her in any way, as both her Russian grandfather and German father served as photographers to the royal family. The tribute the film's creator and producers wished to pay to the bravery of these men, involved in a war of attrition where casualties far outnumbered those of the Battle of Britain, is underlined by the epilogue contained in the closing credits: 'This story is humbly dedicated to all those airmen who were unable to keep an Appointment in London. Atmospheric despite its low key approach, this British feature sits comfortably against its much better known American counterpart, 'Twelve O'Clock High', released four years earlier.
Throughout the film, the audience acquires a better feel for the sheer exhaustion of completing endless bombing sorties, together with the pain at the loss of comrades that those serving in these squadrons experienced. The degree of realism achieved was largely the result of the presence in the team of writers of John Wooldridge, who as part of his professional expertise also provided the typically bombastic score. Before becoming a film composer he had been a decorated member of Bomber Command, having flown 108 sorties over Europe, and had served alongside Dambuster Guy Gibson, before the latter's famed mission to destroy the dams in the Ruhr valley. Tragically, his life would be cut short by a car accident just five years after this production. The links with that famous bombing raid are further bolstered by the fact that Dirk Bogarde based his interpretation of Wing Commander Tim Mason on Gibson, while the same Lancasters used in this production would two years later be captured to magnificent effect as cinematic tribute to the 'Dambusters' in the much more revered film detailing their exploits.
Bogarde is nothing short of excellent in portraying a committed commanding officer who, despite his mental exhaustion of having flown 87 sorties, is determined to reach the milestone of 90 missions. Instead, he finds himself grounded by his superior officer, portrayed by Hollywood veteran, Ian Hunter, Errol Flynn's Richard the Lionheart. Though well-respected by his men, a combination of recent losses and near-misses gradually lead to the feeling that both Mason and the squadron are jinxed. This escalates after the loss of one of the most popular members of the squadron, Pilot Officer, Pete 'The Brat' Greeno, played by a youthful Brian Forbes. There is a short but powerful sequence where Mason, and the rest of the control room, stare in abject silence at the clock as 'The Brat's' Lancaster's final two minutes of fuel run out with no phone call of any sighting.
Bogarde's character holds himself responsible for the loss of this young pilot having reprimanded him prior to his fateful mission about endangering the secrecy of the squadron's missions. It transpired that Greeno had been sending coded messages to his girlfriend notifying her of his safe return after each completed mission. This sequence of events leads to one of the most memorable scenes of the movie when the lost pilot's wife, played by Michael Gough's then wife, Anne Leon, reveals that her deceased partner had hidden their marriage, conscious of his commanding officer's demands that nothing should interfere with their focus on the mission at hand.
By contrast, the weakest element of the movie is the stiff treatment given to what becomes the unconvincing love interest provided by Dinah Sheridan, obviously introduced to soften Bogarde's attitude to the importance of civilian life for his men. Her portrayal of a naval intelligence officer, Eve Canyon, widowed at Dunkirk is satisfactory enough, as is that of William Sylvester, later to become more recognisable for his role in Kubrick's '2001', as the other part of the love triangle, Mac the American observer. Yet, the stilted dramatisation of this love affair fails to ignite more than a flicker of interest. Of note at this point, this is the only occasion on celluloid that the real-life long-term partner of Bogarde, Anthony Forwood, would appear with him, portraying Sandy the Navigation Officer.
This depiction of a man burdened by his heightened sense of responsibility to his men and by his own mental exhaustion is magnificently played by Bogarde, in one of his finest but most underrated roles. When asked by Sheridan's character, 'How Do You Go On?', he earnestly replies 'By being scared someone will see how afraid you are'. Outside of these psychological factors, where the film achieves great dramatic effect is with its depiction of the final mission over occupied Holland to destroy a secret weapons facility. In terms of the plot line, when a pilot is injured by a bomb slipping out of its bay, Mason joins the crew, playing a crucial role as substitute navigator to the squadron when their initial attack badly misses the target. This nighttime raid fully captures the dangers to which bomber crews were exposed, with the added realism provided by Wooldridge's screenplay, while Philip Leacock's earlier expertise in his career as a director of documentaries, comes to the fore, with this extended sequence's subtle interplay between genuine pictures of a Bomber Command mission, special effect lighting, and realistic radio communication.
The title of the film not only is far better than that it acquired on its US release ('Raiders of the Skies') but has poignant significance to the film's storyline. The eponymous appointment refers to that which Bryan Forbes' character was never able to attend to pick up his Distinguished Flying Cross from Buckingham Palace for his bravery under fire. In the final scene of the film we accompany Mason, Eve, and a fellow pilot, as they head towards their own medals for gallantry, together with the widow of their lost colleague. Not that Dinah Sheridan approaching Buckingham Palace should have phased her in any way, as both her Russian grandfather and German father served as photographers to the royal family. The tribute the film's creator and producers wished to pay to the bravery of these men, involved in a war of attrition where casualties far outnumbered those of the Battle of Britain, is underlined by the epilogue contained in the closing credits: 'This story is humbly dedicated to all those airmen who were unable to keep an Appointment in London. Atmospheric despite its low key approach, this British feature sits comfortably against its much better known American counterpart, 'Twelve O'Clock High', released four years earlier.