Appointment with Venus (film)

Appointment with Venus
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ralph Thomas
Produced by	Betty Box associate Peter Rogers
Written by	Nicholas Phipps
Based on	story and adaptation by Jerrard Tickell
Starring	David Niven Glynis Johns George Coulouris Barry Jones Kenneth More
Music by	Benjamin Frankel
Cinematography	Ernest Steward
Edited by	Gerald Thomas
Production company	British Film Makers Ltd
Distributed by	General Film Distributors (UK) Universal International (USA)
Release date	8 October 1951 (UK) 1952 (USA)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Box office	£144,000

Appointment with Venus is a 1951 film adaptation of the Jerrard Tickell novel of the same name. It was directed by Ralph Thomas, produced by Betty E. Box and its screenplay was written by the novelist Nicholas Phipps. The film was based on the evacuation of Alderney cattle from the Channel Island during World War II.

In the United States the film was re-titled Island Rescue.

In 1940, after the fall of France, the fictitious Channel Island of Armorel is occupied by a small garrison of German troops under the benign command of Hauptmann Weiss (George Coulouris). He finds that the hereditary ruler, the Suzerain, is away in the British army, leaving the Provost in charge.

Back in London, the Ministry of Agriculture realise that during the evacuation of the island, Venus, a prize pedigree cow, has been left behind. They petition the War Office to do something urgently due to the value of the cow's bloodline, and Major Morland (David Niven), is assigned the task of rescuing Venus. When he realises that the Suzerain's sister, Nicola Fallaize (Glynis Johns) is in Wales, serving as an Auxiliary Territorial Service army cook, she is quickly posted to the War Office and the two, with a radio operator sergeant and a Channel Islander naval officer who knows the local waters, are landed on the island.

They contact the Provost and discover that the Hauptmann, a cattle breeder in civilian life, is about to have the cow shipped to Germany. In a race against the Germans discovering their presence, they spirit the cow onto a beach and via a special craft, onto a Royal Navy Motor Torpedo Boat which takes them to Britain, though they are pursued by German E-boat.