F.P. 1 Doesn't Answer

An intriguing little piece of movie history. This early talkie was filmed in English, French and German versions with different casts, as was common in the early days of talking pictures when dubbing was not yet a thing. The identity of the group that wants to sink F.P.1 is never revealed, so the viewer is free to fill in whatever group he likes (though it probably isn't supposed to be the Nazis, since it's a German film and they hadn't yet risen to power when it was made). Apparently, there were actually serious proposals to build something like F.P.1 at the time, but it would have been enormously expensive and aircraft technology was advancing so rapidly in the 1930s that in a few years it would have been obsolete, so nobody wanted to sink that much money into something that would soon become a white elephant.

Enjoyed these movies, one the German original and the other a shot-by-shot remake in English. Bought this because of my being a fan of Conrad Veidt.

F.P.1 Doesn"t Answer is a obscure German made film that is a very interesting and entertaining piece of early sound filmmaking (1933). F.P.1 stands for Floating Platform 1, a grandeur airport anchored in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The concept was envisioned as a possible solution for flying across the Atlantic Ocean in days gone by. The reason being that very few aircraft at that time (1933) had the range capability to cross the Atlantic without refueling.There are two versions of this movie filmed simultaneously, one in German with Peter Lorre and one filmed in English with Conrad Veidt.This is the English version with Conrad Veidt as the cocky and arrogant adventurer/pilot who fly's out to F.P.1 to investigate why all communications have been lost the airport. What he discovers is that there is a plot underway to sabotage F.P.1 and sink it. But with some difficulty he is able to foil the bad guys. In the process he manages to save F.P1 from a watery grave but is not successful in winning the girl of his desires ( a different outcome for early films like this). But not to worry, the story hints that his charismatic personality and flamboyant mannerism will take him on his next adventure.The vintage aircraft and equipment are really fun to look at. The sets are really great and the special effects are done quite well (forget about Flash Gordon's sparkers here) for it's era. However there is some serious product placement going on here for Junker's aircraft company.This is a very good sci-fi/thriller with a good amount of mystery injected into it. A real find for avid old film buffs. But be forewarned, this may not be much of a thrill for the younger crowd who were reared on "action, action, action" in their films. This film has action , but it delivers its story mostly through drama, suspense and characterization.

Entertaining movie, given the era in which it was made. Best of all: the wonderful Conrad Veidt. An actor all but forgotten today, he was arguably the best film actor of his day. Worth watching every minute he's on screen.

An action, sci-fi, adventure movie in black & white? Yes, all those things and well-paced and fun to watch.

Last night I watched F.P. 1 DOESN'T ANSWER. (The title card calls it simply F.P.1, but what do they know? They say the screenplay was written by Kurt Slodmak!) It's an interesting film. The story is part intrigue, part love triangle, part science fiction. The print this rather amateurishly produced DVD is made from is choppy in places. Sometimes it's hard to follow a conversation when the ends of sentences are lost from splicing. But the basic idea is fun. It's not a great movie, though it is an intriguing concept. (I was under the misconception from the Peter Lorre biography THE LOST ONE that the part he played in the German-language version was played by Conrad Veidt in the English-language one, but apparently not. That was a somewhat annoying photographer named "Sunshine," played in this version by someone named Donald Calthrop -- not exactly your household name.) There are plot holes bigger than the landing platform itself. There's this thing about sabotage, with a "mole" on the platform who unleashes a lethal gas and locks the pumps that allow ballast in, so that the platform will sink. But it's never explained who the shadowy men are behind the sabotage or what happens to him and them ...or even why they're doing it. Visually the FX were quite good. The platform in the distance shots didn't look terribly cheesy or miniature. The concept of the mid-ocean fueling stop is of course now a reality only in huge aircraft carriers that planes fly to and from. With jet travel, non-stop flights between America and England became commonplace. But in the early 30s I guess that wasn't a possibility...or at least not common practice. It would have been nice, perhaps, to have included the German language version (the one that Peter Lorre does costar in) as a bonus. But no...

Loved the costuming. A military Thin Man. Enjoyed it immensely.

u know,i found it pretty good.just consider how old it was when they made it,i think you too will enjoy it