F.P.1 Doesn’t Answer is a bit of aviation futurepast coming out of pre-WWII Germany at the dawn of the sound era. Like some other films of the time, F.P.1 was filmed simultaneously in different German, English and French language versions for worldwide release. Kino’s new edition generously provides both German and English versions, making for an interesting comparison.
The Production: 3.5/5
Someone once told me that there was such a thing as single sentence stories, and that the scariest one of all was simply, “The last man in the world hears a knock at the door.” I don’t know who said that originally, but it’s stuck with me as the perfect example of economy. It gives a visual to draw you in, and leaves you wondering not only what happens next, but how you got there in the first place. Movie titles, and posters for that matter, are little short stories of their own, and at their best should stop a potential viewer dead in his tracks, and force him to lean in.
F.P.1 Doesn’t Answer is such a title, with such a poster. The original artwork, which Kino Classics has seen fit to preserve as the cover of their new edition of the 1932 German film, boasts three stoic faces looking ahead, a glimmer of apprehension or concern in their glances. Below them is a massive floating platform, an air strip in the middle of the ocean, a vision of the future as conceived in the past. It’s striking in its scale and unique in its design. It’s F.P.1, the first floating way-station, designed as a way station placed in the ocean equidistant of all continents to allow planes to fly across the globe without needing to fly to dry land to refuel. Built by idealistic scientists, engineers and businessmen, it represents a strikingly altruistic vision of the world, the last such vision to come out of Germany before the rise of Hitler’s regime. And, as the title notes, it has stopped responding. I can’t think of the last time I was sold so quickly on a film.
Adapting his own novel with an assist from Walter Reisch, the writer Kurt Siodmak (who would soon flee Germany and make substantial contributions in Hollywood under a more Americanized spelling of his name) envisions a not-too-distant future where the best minds of private industry rally together to create a floating station that will allow people to travel with ease around the world. Directed by Karl Hartl, the film’s execution doesn’t reach the heights of Fritz Lang’s sci-fi endeavors, and gives equal focus to table setting melodrama as it does more thrilling mystery and espionage.
The film begins with Droste (Paul Hartmann) distraught over a lack of funding for his vision to create a new kind of air station. But with the help of a Ellissen (Hans Albers), a famous pilot, he is able to convince Claire (Sybille Schmitz), the daughter of a prominent industrialist, to lend her family’s support to the project. For a brief while, Ellissen and Claire are an item, but Ellissen is ultimately more interested in his aviation adventures than settling down. Two years later, F.P.1 has become a city at sea, a floating airport with hotels and shopping centers. Ellissen is out of the picture, and Claire has fallen for Droste. But when contact is lost with F.P.1 with Droste aboard, Claire seeks out her old flame Ellissen, persuading him to take her to F.P.1 so that they can solve the mystery of the communications blackout. Look out for Peter Lorre in a smaller role as a reporter on the trail.
F.P.1 Doesn’t Answer was one of the German studio UFA’s last major productions before Hitler rose to power; in short order, the Nazi party would essentially nationalize film production, and a great many of the studio’s talented artists would flee, some staying in Europe or Britain, others coming all the way to Hollywood. Unlike the films that would follow as propaganda for the incoming regime, F.P.1 Doesn’t Answer imagines a future where the best and the brightest minds partner with private industry to make the world a better and more accessible place for all. It is not a film without flaws – the first half of its 112 minute running time are too focused on a love triangle that doesn’t have much heat – but from the moment F.P.1 goes silent and the mystery kicks into gear, the film becomes a suspense ride that rarely lets up. The combination of practical sets, miniatures and special effects work is ahead of its time, conveying an appropriate sense of scale even today.
Video: 3.5/5
3D Rating: NA
F.P.1 Doesn’t Respond is presented in a 1.19:1 aspect ratio in a transfer supervised by the F.W. Murnau Foundation. This presentation here appears more the result of a photochemical preservation of the best surviving elements, rather than a full fledged digital restoration to return the film to pristine condition. The good news is that the movie is never anything less than watchable, and retains a pleasing film-like look throughout. The less than stellar news is that it is obviously cobbled together from different sources, some of which do not particularly match. At it’s best, the imagery has a striking greyscale with an abundance of fine detail, but at other times, there are numerous examples of scratches, flickering, loss of detail and poor contrast. The presentation is mostly steady, and surprisingly clean. The imperfections of the source material do not detract from enjoyment of the film, and should not dissuade interested parties from giving the disc a look.
Audio: 4/5
The monaural German-language audio, presented in the uncompressed PCM format, fares surprisingly well. Although it will never be mistaken for a modern track, it sounds reasonably clear without any obvious artifacts of untoward digital manipulation. Dialogue is well recorded and expertly blended with the music and sound effects. The film’s use of motor sounds during its few flying sequences, as well as the use of silence during some of the later suspense sequences, are particularly inspired. Optional English subtitles are also available.
Special Features: 4.5/5
Secrets of F.P.1 (1:17:43) – The English language version of F.P.1 Doesn’t Answer, filmed simultaneously with the same director, crew, sets and special effects, with dialogue by Robert Stevenson, is an interesting example of how the same concept can be executed to different effect. Conrad Veidt takes over the Albers role, with Jill Esmond filling in for Schmitz and Leslie Fenton for Hartmann. While the German language version runs 112 minutes, this English language edition doesn’t waste a moment, trimming much of the melodrama and clocking in at a much brisker 78 minutes. With the focus more on mystery than character this time around, it plays more as a genre film than prestige production. Although some of the German language version’s idealism gets lost along the way, the suspense and special effects work still shine through. This version is presented in high definition (also in a 1.19:1 aspect ratio), and the film elements used are for the most part in better shape than those of its German counterpart. The English audio here is uncompressed PCM format. There are no subtitles provided for this version, though dialogue is reasonably clear and mostly easy to understand.
Audio Commentary on the German Version by Eddy Von Mueller – Von Mueller’s audio commentary for the German version provides a wealth of insight into the production of both the German original and French and English language variants. He provides ample context on the history of the UFA studio and the period of German history in which the film was made, while also analyzing what works and what doesn’t in the finished film. Though Von Mueller appears to be drawing from prepared text, his observations are presented in a more conversational style that makes for easy listening. It’s a worthwhile track which leaves no stone unturned.
Overall: 4/5
F.P.1 Doesn’t Answer is a fascinating film which Kino has done justice in bringing to Blu-ray. The presentation retains a pleasing film-like quality, and compelling bonus features include a very insightful commentary along with the English language alternate version of the film.
https://www.amazon.com/F-P-1-Doesnt-Answer-Blu-ray/dp/B096TL7JLF
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