The Appointment

...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.

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.

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.

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".

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."