Appointment in London

The Daily Mail offered the film as a FREE DVD a few years ago. Copies are still available from various eBay vendors – prices from around 49p, 50p and 99p (various P&P charges). Other former FREE DVDs include:

The Way to the Stars
Reach for the Sky
The Dambusters
Angles One Five

The Way to the Stars (aka Johnny in the Clouds in the US) is my personal favourite, there’s less action than the others but it is very moving and has a powerful sense of place and time.

I know i have posted this on here before….but for those who are interested here is an original movie quad poster which i’am very lucky to have:cool:

all the best Matt

The Daily Mail offered the film as a FREE DVD a few years ago. Copies are still available from various eBay vendors – prices from around 49p, 50p and 99p (various P&P charges). Other former FREE DVDs include:

The Way to the Stars
Reach for the Sky
The Dambusters
Angles One Five

A couple of minor points about the film that always occur to me when watching it:

– Acknowledgement of the part played by Black aircrew, long before it became “de rigueur” to do so.

– The actor Harold Siddons, who plays the part of a desk bound Flt. Lt. was a pilot in the RAF during WW2. He played a very similar role as a Signals Officer in the Ops Room at Grantham in The Dam Busters too. I don’t think he’s a well known actor but in his short career (death by suicide in 1963) he also appeared in Angels One-Five, The Malta Story, The Purple Plain, Conflict Of Wings, Dunkirk and The Battle Of The V1, amongst others.

– The briefing before the climactic raid that Mason is barred from going on, seems very authentic and notwithstanding the fact that the screenplay was written by John Wooldridge, ex-Bomber Command, I’ve often thought that some of the other actors might have experienced the real thing too. The Gunnery Leader is particularly “gritty”, to use Ed’s word.

Returning to my previous theme, while I agree that in many ways it’s a better, more representative Bomber Command film than The Dam Busters, the latter film used the Lancs to much better effect. AIL was never going to out do DB in flying sequences but scenes of Lancasters at dispersal, aided by the right music and lighting helped build magical tension in DB which I feel was an opportunity missed in AIL. Just my view though, others may disagree.

One thing is for certain, we’ll never see a better film about Main Force operations.

“You’ll ‘ave yer 26 all right, Sir!”

Appointment in London

As a veteran from 1945, this film is a remarkable creation showing the tensions amongst aircrew and another favourite of mine is “Night Bombers”.

Having watched it, I thought it was terrific. I actually thought it put “The Dam Busters” to shame.

While the story and flying sequences are undeniably more exciting in the Dam Busters, I found “Appointment in London” to be a lot grittier and seemed to reflect the reality of bomber command raids very well. The fact that a lot of the Lanc sequences were apparently actually filmed at night was a definite bonus! The shots filmed from the cockpits of flying lancs were very nicely done – it certainly captures the ambience of a Lanc!

As you said, Al, some technical issues that the bomber command afficionados would notice (not least that the Lancs are all B.VIIs with Martin turrets), but I found it quite easy to overlook them.

Does anyone know where the German nightfighter control room sequences were filmed? It looked like an original room had been used?

About the best depiction of a Main Force raid we’ll ever see on the screen, but slightly misleading as it is set in mid 1943 and Master Bombers weren’t in regular use at that time.

Other than that, and the rather dull and uninspired use of the real stars, it’s a pretty good film.

From www.lancaster-archive.com:-

According to Dirk Bogarde, the character of Tim Mason was based on Wing Commander Guy Gibson who led the Dambuster’s raid in May 1943. Gibson was at one stage the commanding officer of 106 squadron and one of the flight commanders was Squadron Leader John Wooldridge, co-writer and composer for “Appointment in London”. The movie was filmed at RAF Upwood. The Lancaster’s used were NX673 NX679 NX782, these aircraft also took part in the filming of The Dambusters two years later at RAF Hemswell.

Martin

One of my very favourite films.

Watched it over Christmas, really enjoyed it, well worth seeing.

The Lancs that “starred” in Appointment in London also starred in
The Dam Busters.

BTW,I lost my “iron driver’s licence” many years ago.
I dunno how it “happened”,but I managed to singe one of The Boss’s togs.
That was it,licence permanently suspended(smirk,smirk)

Mark

It is nice ……..it cost £250 last year:eek: worth every penny though. I live on the old married quarters at RAF Upwood so i just had to have it (although now saving up to get it framed)
It would be great if Flypast did that …. make a nice channge;)

All the best Matt

Here is a pic of an original quad poster for the movie…….i picked this up from an anitques fair a year ago:D

all the best Matt;)

You lucky, lucky, lucky chap. Can I ask how much you paid, and please don’t say £5. Suggested to Ken Ellis that they stick a repro copy of Reach for the Sky poster on the cover of Flypast – they are considering my suggestion. There is an original quad going to auction next week – guide price of between £300 and £600.