The Appointment (1969) User Reviews

Lumet's Othello-like story pales in comparison to his better work

[JuguAbraham · 6/10 · 1 August 2002]

Considering the film was made in 1969, the film is interesting in its approach to subjects, camerawork, acting, etc. Lumet being an American was making a European film in style and content. Some of the camerawork along the streets of Rome reminds you of Boorman's "Point Blank" (1967) or Goddard's "Alphaville" (1965). It has a pointless helicopter shot of the lovers in embrace in an open field which six years later was used with great elan by Arthur Penn in another existential story "Night Moves" as the final shot in that movie. The film has no semblance to the typical Hollywood cinema of late sixties; it is closer to European cinema which Boorman was able to capture quite effectively with existential dilemmas presented on screen. Lumet went on to make much more memorable films, one of which was "Equus".

The story of a doubting lover, a jealous husband has been presented on screen several times. It is an Othello story retold. Omar Sharif's lead role appears plausible but he seems to overdo every detail. His cigarette smoking scene was meant to be a picture of nervousness--yet he is rarely seen smoking during the course of the film. Lumet seems to overlook details. Or is he teasing you?

Anouk Aimee is great to watch because she is so good looking not because she acts well--at least she is not convincing in this film. What is her relationship with the young man on the island? Lumet makes us wonder with the meaningful shot of the man's face on the second trip of the couple to the island. We are left guessing about Aimee's true character even after the end. Everything is open ended, except for the Othello-like lead character. Probably this was the reason for the film being nominated for the Golden Palm at Cannes. Lumet succeeds in fleshing out the male character, but fumbles with the female lead character. Perhaps it was his intention to leave us guessing.

The film remains a puzzle, a good effort that pales in comparison to Lumet's better works like "Equus", "12 Angry Men" and "the Verdict".

Very rare and very unusual

[FANatic-10 · 5/10 · 29 July 2009]

This film is very difficult to see, but I managed to on TCM and was glad I did. Not that its all that good, but I found it worthwhile just because it was so very unusual for its director. Like others have commented, if you saw this with no knowledge who made it, I don't believe anyone would be able to guess Sidney Lumet was the director. This is a completely European film in style and content. Some beautiful cinematography and lovely Italian locations are the main recommendations, also a supporting performance by Lotte Lenya as a procuress. Her character is not all that evil, despite her admission that she was a fascist and supporter of Mussolini, but no other actress could so effortlessly bring a touch of the sinister than Lenya did just by showing up. The main problem with Sharif and Aimee is that, other than not being the most expressive of actors (though they sure look good), their characters just plain do not act like real people would - they both seem damaged and the screenplay makes them behave in ways that make one long to slap them both. Still, I enjoyed the leisurely pace and 60's fashions and ambiance enough to be glad of the opportunity to see this warped love story.

Lost in Translation

[bababear · 5/10 · 10 April 2006]

This is easily the poorest film Sidney Lumet ever directed. When it came out it was, as best I remember, savaged by the critics and got very little release. Now, seeing it all these years later, I can understand why MGM buried it.

Strike one was trying to turn Omar Sharif into a romantic leading man. He was mysterious in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, wooden in FUNNY GIRL, and here he just looks lost. I'm in a good mood, so I won't make any jokes about his moustache. But he seems totally disconnected from everything going on around him.

Strike two is a Jewish man from New York trying to be very European. Nobody understands New York city as well as Lumet. Woody Allen runs a good second, but Lumet has the edge here.

The wooden stake through the film's heart, though, is actors who are not native speakers of English trying to speak a language not their own. That creates so much distance that meaning and nuances of speech get lost.

And clothes from the 1960's look ridiculous today. Just watch the original THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR to see how styles have changed.

It would be interesting to see how Lumet feels about this film today. If I've seen a mention of it in the many articles about and tributes to Lumet, I don't recall it.

Good or bad...

[gaby01575 · 5 August 2005]

...this movie deserves a DVD release. I saw it on TV(missed the opening credits) years ago and years after its theatrical release. I had to call a friend to find out who this "European" director was. Surprise--Lumet? Still, I found the ambiguities and open-endedness intriguing. Glacial pacing? Bad acting? I've seen worse. Cinematography and narrative arc were unusual for an American director. The beautiful Anouk Aimée is always eminently watchable and for that alone we should be able to watch this again. Anyone out there have the wherewithal to get this out on DVD? I'm sure others would like to give this one another go and reconsider their opinions.

A story would have been nice.

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 20 April 2021]

So you get some good Italian location footage and some terrific scenes between Omar Sharif and featured actress Lotte Lenya as an antique store owner with fascist leanings from her past. But she's not the lead, and you really get the impression that the relationship between Sharif and Anouk Aimee is not based on love but on possession and the desire to be possessed. She is a high-class model who seems to be involved in prostitution on the side, and he's very suspicious and spends nearly two hours just following her around. When they have serious conversations, there are long pauses between dialogue, and it seems like they're struggling to find anything to say to each other which gives a week impact to the script.

So for nearly two hours, you're waiting for something to really happen, some sort of emotional explosion between the two, and it becomes a struggle to stay awake as this overly quiet film at times becomes painful because of the silence. For a film set in Italy, it certainly lacks passion, and that's one thing you expect from Sharif, one of the sexiest actors of the 1960's. Aimee certainly is gorgeous, but she feels soulless, like she's only go through the motions of loving and is uncapable of really giving even when there is a slight blip of romance between them finally 65 minutes into the film.

So what you don't get from the leads, you hope you'll find with the supporting cast, but outside of Lotte Lenya (fresh from her success on Broadway in "Cabaret"), they all seem artificial and just like walking words that barely jumped off the paper and onto the screen. Even under the direction of Sidney Lumet, this fails to be anything more then on occasional beautiful piece of artwork that you looked at briefly but really can't figure out. Perhaps it's a lesson of karma since Sharif basically stole her from his law partner, and even that story is not fully developed. Still, you can find some visual excitement with the locations particularly a romantic scene in the woods on a broken rowboat and later on a field that seem like they belong in another movie. When the camera in the helicopter filming the scene pulls up thousands of feet above them, it seems like it's time for the conclusion, but there's still another half hour of nothingness to follow. It's the flatness of going through the motion of passion that sadly comes off as two sad people who may have surface beauty but unlike the actors portraying them nothing else inside.

.....a huge DISappointment

[rupie · 3/10 · 9 May 2003]

Seeing Sidney Lumet listed as director, and thinking of his brilliant work in "Network," "Fail Safe," "12 Angry Men," and "The Verdict" (one of my all-time favorites), and seeing the interesting plot premise, I tuned in this movie on TMC with great anticipation. The result was more like cinematic constipation. As it turned out, the flick proved the truism that even brilliant artists turn out the occasional flop. This ranks right up there with Woody Allen's "September" in the category of Great Directors Directing Badly. It was one of the exceptionally few films that, after a certain point I have said "what is the point of watching any more?", and switched it off. The words turgid, glacial, boring, and pointless come to mind. None of the main characters is interesting, nor engages the viewer's interest in any way. The story line moves with the alacrity of molasses in December. Even a key plot development like the revelation of Fendi's lawyer friend that he suspects his fiance Carla of being a high priced prostitute, is revealed with all the dramatic tension of the quotation of the price of pork belly futures on the commodities market. What is evidently supposed to be Fendi's growing romantic fixation on Carla comes off more as the onset of a severe case of constipation, and intentionally or not, Omar Shariff conveys an overwhelming sense of pusilanimity in Fendi's character. Nothing moves, nothing advances, nothing happens. Nice atmospheric shots of Italian street life, though.

Avoid this like poison.

Waaayyyy too cryptic...

[JasparLamarCrabb · 3/10 · 26 October 2009]

Sidney Lumet's melodrama is far too cryptic to be enjoyed. Omar Sharif is a Rome lawyer enamored with mysterious Anouk Aimee. Is she a high priced fashion model or high priced call-girl? Sharif spends a lot of time trying to figure it out. Although there's more than one montage of long shots with Sharif and Aimee in the throws of passion, Lumet's direction is fairly inert. This is the dullest romance imaginable. Sharif looks very Mastroianni-like but certainly does not have the charisma his role warrants. Aimee wanders the streets of Rome in a depressed fog. This is an Antonioni movie without depth and without Antonioni. Carlo Di Palma's cinematography is stellar and the performance by Lotte Lenya (as an antique-dealer-cum-pimp) spices up the few scenes she's in. There is a fine, occasionally creepy, score by John Barry.

a gorgeous -looking, slightly disturbing film about self-deluded husbands' jealous obsession w/ his beautiful abd doomed wife.

[tlortiz-3 · 7/10 · 12 April 2006]

while clicking around impatiently for something watchable on satellite t.v., i was instantly mesmerized by the wonderful camera work and haunting look of this quiet film. i was further impressed by the way the director , lumet, managed to make Rome, Italy ,look so deserted and depressing, even in the middle of a crowded street. i am not a huge OMar Sharif fan, but he is certainly believable as this cruel, obsessed husband who wants to keep his gorgeous ex-model wife (Anouk Amie) locked away from the world , w/permission to live only in his company. As the doomed beauty , Anouk Aimee is perfect as the almost bland wife that unwillingly is slowly overwhelmed by her controlling husband. A tragic , but unfortunately true portrait of human defects left unchecked. The films' overall feel and look of a haunted mind makes it compelling to watch , and immediately after-wards went to my computer to research the name of the "european' director. i was pleasantly surprised by Mr.Sidney Lumets' name, and film.

waiting and waiting

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 10 April 2024]

Frederico Fendi (Omar Sharif) is a successful middle-aged Italian lawyer although he's a lonely stiff who is very close to his mother. He sees Carla (Anouk Aimée) on the streets and becomes immediately obsessed. She's engaged to a school acquaintance.

This is directed by Sidney Lumet. Maybe he's trying for an Euro relationship psychological thriller. The story starts with a weird coincidence which led me down some wrong paths. Sometimes a coincidence is just a coincidence although that could indicate bad writing. It is a bit slow. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. At least, this has Omar Sharif, but that's not enough.

"Have you ever been in love?" ... "That's a silly question."

[moonspinner55 · 7/10 · 12 October 2009]

Buttoned-up divorce lawyer in Italy, still living part-time with Mom, spies a smoky beauty on the streets just outside of Gucci, cuing composer John Barry to drum up an intensely romantic theme in the background. These two are obviously destined to meet--but she may have an impure past which prevents well-intentioned men from marrying her. Movies such as "The Appointment" are easy targets for critics looking for something to ridicule. By natural law, most conversations between budding lovers are silly, and here (when Omar Sharif explains the mating habits of turtles to an amused Anouk Aimée) you can almost hear the cackling from the balcony. The stars make for a terrifically photogenic couple, and the Italian backgrounds are ravishing, but the central theme of romantic obsession, possessiveness, and destructive jealousy is so intensely drawn that it may elicit giggles from viewers instead of emotion. Omar Sharif gives his standard wet-eyed performance, yet this is an unusually complex man--not a replay of Zhivago--and Sharif captures the nervously boyish tics and overeager longings of the character quite ably. Similarly, the material is an unusual change-of-pace for the director, Sidney Lumet (in uncharacteristically subdued spirits); Lumet pulls off a few audacious moments here, however some of his attributes (such as an elaborate helicopter shot of the lovers in a grassy field) call attention to themselves for no other reason than to be artsy. The slow, steady pacing may turn distracted viewers off, yet this is an oddly beguiling cinematic experience: fantastic, unsentimental actually, and not so removed from the truth. Lumet's heart wants to flutter in the winds, yet he keeps his feet on the ground, resulting in a thoughtful downer. *** from ****

Beautiful

[nickrogers1969 · 10/10 · 10 May 2007]

This is a very underrated film that deserves to be rediscovered. The story does not seem much at first and seems like a simple love story and an excuse to show off two beautiful European film stars in lovely locations.

But the film grows on you when one thinks of how the man ruins both their lives. The scenes in the antiques store with Lotte Lenya are quite sinister. It's chilling when the man and the old woman talk of Mussolini which is the only way to get the old woman to talk of the woman he's looking for.

Sidney Lumet rehearsed with his actors for two weeks before shooting which is why the performances are so good. Omar Sharif and Anouk Aimee are more than pretty faces and give a lot of depth to their characters.

Apparently the film failed to find an audience because Metro had high hopes for it and sent it to the Cannes film festival where it was not well received. One could not then serve europeans an European film made by an American. Lumet had used Fellinis set decorator and Antonionis photographer and as Sharif said "it was not quite Fellini, not quite Antonioni and not quite Lumet".

So Metro panicked recut it without Lumet and did not release it to cinemas. What a shame. It is a little gem worth repeated viewings. It was shown on TV recut with rock music! If only the studio had released it the word of mouth would have been good. It could never have been a hit though, as it is too tragic at he end.

Sidney Lumet, you made a lovely film! You can be proud of it.

A strangely alluring film

[james-664 · 7/10 · 6 May 2008]

I started watching this film one night and decided it was interesting enough to record the rest for later viewing. Okay it is overlong - in fact, my wife commented that it was like a feature length Tales of the Unexpected. However, what ultimately saved it was the style of the film which had us both entranced. The colours, locations, the people - life seemed to be so much more stylish in those days; smoking actually looked cool, whereas in todays films, cigarettes are disgusting, seedy and smoked by the villain of the piece. The fashion show scene with babbling models in weird designs was fascinating and almost like a documentary. It was interesting to see Lotte Lenya as the madame - I don't think I have seen her in anything except From Russia With Love playing the ghastly Rosa Klebb. Omar Sharif played a similar role as he did in Dr Zhivago - shaking, worried, with puppy-dog eyes.

An interesting failure

[rcraig62 · 13 April 2003]

Anyone familiar with Sidney Lumet's best work (Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, etc.) will know of his meticulous attention to character depth and plot detail. The Appointment has none of this. Rather than tell a story, Lumet instead takes his shot at making a stylish Europeanish sort of art film complete with sullen close-ups, high-angle shots and carefully constructed compositions- perhaps just to see if he could do it. Some of it comes off rather well- I liked the longshot of Omar Sharif trudging dutifully away down a hospital corridor while two nuns hurry in the other direction, and a sequence at a fashion show that features a cluster of models dashing in and out in various costume changes and hair styles including one in the flapping and swaying of butterflies is almost worthy of Fellini. Almost. On the other hand, a shot of the two lovers in a field pulled back and upward into the high distance until the couple is drowned out by the island they're on goes on too long and is less effective. I wonder what Lumet is trying to accomplish there by obscuring the lovers and placing the entirety of the island squarely within the picture frame.

There is very little dialogue in the film; everything is inferred and gently disturbing. I think Sharif and Anouk Aimee are fine in their roles, but what is a little off-putting is the coldness and sterility of the affair and their movements, even during passionate scenes. When the tragic moment occured toward the end, I felt nothing. I give Lumet an A for effort and I must admit I was fascinated by the whole thing but fascination doesn't neccessarily equal enjoyment. This movie puts me in mind of Woody Allen's Interiors for all its emotional distance. And as Woody himself once said about Interiors, "it's an interesting failure."

Underrated film but well worth the watch...

[kriskennedy-79484 · 7/10 · 16 January 2020]

I have to admit after reading certain reviews here that I was skeptical about this movie but as a fan of Omar Sharif's work in many seminal 1960's films such as Doctor Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia I have to say I wasn't disappointed with this movie in the least.

The Appointment is the kind of film that keeps the viewer guessing as to whether Frederico's worse fears about his wife are about to come true and the story of a man who pushes it all to the brink only to realize the truth at the end which he was so certain of. I was actually a little surprised with the ending because right up until that point you could easily believe the obvious was about to be revealed and so to those saying it was too 'cryptic' I say that was the one asset this film had going for it. Anything less and the story told would've been far less effective.

Just reminds me to be wary of user reviews and reaffirms my appreciation for films of this generation that are often overlooked but so much more compelling than a lot of what passes in the movie theatre today.

A Sleepy Movie, Perfect to Nap To

[tbonestgeorge · 6/10 · 10 April 2006]

It was surprising to discover that Lumet directed The Appointment, and I have to agree it would be a good addition to a collection of movies by Good Directors Directing Badly. As a matter of fact, I'd probably buy that boxed set. The pace of this movie made it the perfect background noise for an afternoon nap on a rainy day, and just interesting enough so when I occasionally awoke I had something to look at and puzzle over, and then lull me back to sleep again. I hesitate to say this movie is awful because it isn't, but neither is it good. Probably worth seeing because of Lumet, if for no other reason than proof we all make mistakes.

A quiet, longing film

[linxoxox · 8/10 · 10 April 2006]

Drawn into the movie for the sheer enjoyment of watching Sharif - I became immediately swept up in it. Viewers are coaxed gently into the storyline, and it succeeds in drawing you in as you yearn for more. There is a subtle quality of this film that resonates. What is not said with dialog becomes even more important than the actual conversations. We long to know what is behind those eyes, both of theirs - the hurt, the desire, the fear. The film works, in stumbling ways at times, but overall it is memorable, thought provoking and well done. I absolutely loved it, flaws and all. Sharif was well cast, his performance was brilliantly restrained, he held back and became a very believable character. His eyes are so amazing, and so important to see the heart of this character. Aimee is of course lovely, and her Carla is a tortured beautiful soul. I felt both actors were well matched and their seemingly awkward tendencies together made them all the more real. I look forward to watching it again to uncover more of it's intricate layers. Bravo!

Silent people are mysteries to each other

[halfcolombian · 8/10 · 4 September 2002]

Federico falls in love with Carla but is not sure wether she is a prostitute or not. And he has got to find out. Beautiful, slow paced movie. A little silly with the salutes in italian and the dialogue in english though but I'll survive that.:) The name of Sidney Lumet in the opening credits made me watch the whole thing. And I didn't regret it at all. I liked it a lot.



****warning spoilers don't read this unless you've seen the movie.****

I thought this was an interesting movie. All the characters in it only give hints of the truth since they are too embarrassed or afraid to say it out loud. The people in it are having difficulties understanding eachother, and so are we trying to understand them. Everything is done in silence which opens up a big mystery. This wouldn't be a movie if the characters in it were more frank and to the point. But since they are shy, proud and embarrassed it becomes interesting. There are a couple of scenes that you can interpret in many different ways. Especially the ending. It's one of the better, most disturbing endings I've seen. It reminded me a whole lot about the ending in "the pledge" with j.nicholson. The ending doesn't kill your curiosity, on the contrary you are even more interested about the truth after the movie has ended than while it is going on. I don't know if the ambiguous ending is deliberate or if it's just poor directing. Anyway it turned out great, wether it was intended to be that way or not. I thought about different interpretations of the ending: 1) Carla was never a prostitute and federico had been wrong all along on suspecting her. The 100,000-lire prostitute was really someone else. 2) Carla was a prostitute but the woman on the phone only told half the truth by saying that she had had an accident but was coming back. She could easily have found another woman afterwards to take carlas place.

Federicos reaction about this phonecall is also hard to interpret: possible cases:

1) he was convinced he had been wrong all the time. 2) he was convinced carla was the girl and he got annoyed when he heard the woman on the phone saying "she still wanted to see him", knowing it was a lie. 3) he didn't care anymore about wether she was the one.

Anyway I had never heard about this movie before I saw it but I really enjoyed its brilliant ending. A big part of me wanted to see a more ordinary ending where u get all the pieces together but that movie would have been forgotten quickly, this one stays longer in your mind.

Another interesting topic of this film is Federicos reason for so desperately searching for the truth. I think he had different reasons, at first he probably just wanted to sleep with her and was simply curious. Later it became an important issue to him since he felt jealous as being her husband. Anyway a great movie.

underestimated 'European' Lumet

[sanderx · 8/10 · 20 October 2002]

In my opinion, this film is highly underestimated. This is a very well shot film on beautiful locations. It is as if Antonioni was it's photographer. And another comparison: Stanley Kubrick made 'Eyes wide shut'a few years back (also underestimated, als usual with his films), but 'the Appointment' definitely has the same intensity, mystery and erotic tension as 'Eyes wide shut'. Both films are so quiet and intense, I only wish there were more films like this.

Stark, European Point Of View From Lumet

[Urbanaught · 10/10 · 25 April 2008]

I've read a lot of the bad reviews on here, and have to defend this gem of a film. The camera work alone, with each shot so masterfully rendered, made me rewind the film a few times at different scenes throughout. Aimee is at the peak of her beauty. That quiet, understated European acting, where the eyes talk and the mouth doesn't, is superbly exemplified in this film. The screen play is equally fascinating; it allows the viewers to make up their own minds on what really did or did not happen. The toast of the film, however, is definitely the art direction and camera work, and the fantastic atmosphere they instill. A definite underrated film that I hope will be broadcast or released soon.

At Least It's Eye Candy!

[Pamela-5 · 10 April 2003]

While I appreciate the previous person's comments, this is not a great movie. It's a movie about jealousy and possession, and haven't we all seen too many movies about that? (Lifetime channel, anyone?) Watch this movie if, for no other reason, to see Anouk Aimee and Omar Sharif at their most beautiful. O.K., so Anouk's character is rather vapid and insipid. Who CARES? Anouk is a world-class beauty (as she STILL is; see "Festival in Cannes"[2001]) and as feminine as feminine gets. And Omar's EYES in this movie! Wow! You could easily drown in the mysterious dunes of the Sahara just staring at those Egyptian eyes! So, see it for the eye candy. And, no, I'm not ashamed. I like eye candy.

Haunting and Enigmatic While Obvious

[info-627-664439 · 10/10 · 1 February 2014]

I did not want to wait another day and not attempt to write a review since seeing 1969's "The Appointment" about four weeks ago. It was director Sidney Lumet's "European" film starring at the height of their cinematic charisma and appeal Omar Sharif (big enough box office due to "Doctor Zhivago" (1965) and Anouk Aimee (a Best Actress nominee in 1965 for "A Man and a Woman"). While the movie may be very obvious, it leaves one as an enigmatic, and strangely, miscalculated masterpiece. The rather straightforward, simple script by James Salter about a man who becomes obsessed with his wife's fidelity, is still as puzzling as a Chinese box. The fact that MGM, who did not have any faith in the film acquiring any successful word of mouth upon release, which I find in my opinion to be rather obvious that it very well could have achieved success rather than not gaining much of a release at all, although Lumet received a Palme d'Or nomination at Cannes, which today on that strength with audiences for film now the releasing studio would have felt much more guaranteed a strong theatrical release. And to rip out one of John Barry's (with Don Walker) most inspired and right on the mark themes and music scores (when shown on television it was replaced with a rock score by Stu Phillips) shows the ultimately perplexing hypocrisy of the film business always being re-cycled as an art form. The editing (Thelma Connell), photography (Carlo di Palma) and acting is all superb. Definitely deserves to be seen and not regarded as some kind of dreadful misfire which is certainly is by the hands of those responsible for suppressing such a beautiful film. In Metrocolor, produced by Martin Poll. Knowing of the injustices committed against this film's chance for success and acclaim, if you are faced with the prospect of seeing it, do not put it off.

Dis appointment

[dbdumonteil · 24 October 2011]

Sidney Lumet shines when it it comes to filming a story in an enclosed place: "twelve angry men","murder on the orient express" "dog day afternoon",etc .He is virtually unable to highlight the splendid Italian landscapes ;even the sea looks muddy !

Omar Shariff had just made "Mayerling" which was not a masterpiece but was not boring."The appointment "is tedium itself,the actors move slowly in the luxury places and are not given a single chance to shine;Anouk Aimée ,whose best movies are French, is cast in a part close to that of "model shop" :a model and a luxury prostitute,suicidal, never a smile lightens her face.The subjects were already treated ,and in a much better way ,by Luis Bunuel ("Belle De Jour",high class prostitution),and "El" (jealousy).Lotte Lenya (everybody remembers in "from Russia with love")plays a sinister go-between , an art lover who admires Mussolini and fascism.And there is a pointless scene in which an old lady Shariff meets on a train tells him that she enjoys traveling by train cause she was born on a train.Absorbing huh?

EuroTrash

[nowreviewing · 11 April 2003]

`The Appointment' has to be a prime candidate as Sidney Lumet's worst picture. Not even a guilty pleasure, you watch as if transfixed by the appalling Eurotrash pointlessness of the whole thing, on every level. The first sight of Omar Sharif in that John Waters-like mustache is more than enough to frighten the horses -- it kills any chance for favorable audience response. When Anookie Aimée arrives, walking down a street filled with swanky shops, she still retains that chic `Un Homme et une femme' somnambulism, but in no time she pretends to be an even more vacuous puzzle. With Capucine's thinness and wearing that wallabalsam hair up in an Irina Demick number, she's nothing if not a nincompoopish nympho.

A rare film but well worth seeing!

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 25 February 2018]

Copyright 31 December 1968 by Marpol (Martin Poll) Productions Released through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. U.S. release: 20 March 1970. No New York opening. No U.K. release at all. Though the film was announced for early 1970 release, it was not even trade-shown. Running times: 115 minutes (U.S. copyright), 108 minutes (Australia), 100 minutes (U.S. release).

SYNOPSIS: Federico Fendi (Omar Sharif), a Roman lawyer, becomes transfixed by a girl he sees on the street. She is later introduced to him by his friend, Renzo (Fausto Tozzi), as Carla (Anouk Aimee), the latter's fiancee. Not long afterward, Carla comes to Federico for help. Renzo has thrown her over. But Federico then begins an ardent pursuit of Carla.

COMMENT: A rare film which certainly far from deserves its obscurity, The Appointment finds New York director Sidney Lumet on unfamiliar ground in Italy. Although he has not managed to overcome the obvious handicap of dubbed and post-synched dialogue (especially with the support players), he has pulled off some marvelously inventive (even showy by his standards) sequences, including a fantastic helicopter pull-back on to the island and a fascinatingly long tracking shot through the hospital corridor. Atmosphere in fact is the film's strongest feature. A fine music score helps.

On the other hand, he script is somewhat tenuous. It concentrates on Sharif and Anouk. Fortunately their delivery is okay and they thus manage to keep and hold our interest, despite plot digressions and the generally slow pace. Lumet uses his Italian locations most effectively, though the photography in the print under review is a little on the dark side - and not altogether flattering.

No less watchable now than some of Lumet's more widely-recognized works

[philosopherjack · 5 January 2020]

For every Dog Day Afternoon and Network, Sidney Lumet's filmography contains something more obscure or uncharacteristic - as often as not belonging in the "interesting failure" category, but at least evidencing an appealing curiosity and openness to disparate influences. The Appointment is a prime example - made at a time when Europe's art film giants were at their zenith, set in Rome without a single American actor (although with English dialogue), it feels as if Lumet was almost willing himself to become an Antonioni, although with a more common touch. Omar Sharif plays a lawyer, falling for a beautiful woman and then marrying her despite allegations that she occasionally works as a high-end escort (shades of the then-recent Belle de Jour) - his suspicions start to consume him, and when he tries and fails to catch her in the act, the circumstances of his failure appear as incriminating as success would have been. In terms of Antonioni references, the use of enigma and absence-as-presence evokes several of the Monica Vitti movies, and there's a fashion show sequence that seems pointlessly extended unless to bring Blow-Up to mind (it's presumably not coincidental that Lumet was working here with that film's cinematographer, Carlo di Palma). Anouk Aimee (of course triggering further resonances) is well-cast as the woman, embodying helpless evasiveness; Sharif is a blander presence, but workable as a comparative lightweight overwhelmed by events. Lumet anchors the story effectively in its environment, whether in chillily spacious well-to-do living spaces, or the cluttered antique shop that runs a mini-brothel in the back, or (in one striking if perhaps rather pointless flourish) in a God's eye view aerial shot, emphasizing the lovers' relative insignificance. The film never attains the sublimity of its reference points, but it's a solid enough narrative on its own terms, and overall no less watchable now than some of Lumet's more widely-recognized works.