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''F.P.1'' ( ger, F.P.1 antwortet nicht) is a 1932 German film directed by
Karl Hartl Karl Hartl (10 May 1899 – 29 August 1978) was an Austrian film director. Life Born in Vienna, Hartl began his film career at the Austrian Sascha-Film company of Alexander Kolowrat and from 1919 was assistant to the Hungarian director Alexande ...
. The film was based on the 1931 novel of the same name by
Kurt Siodmak Curt Siodmak (August 10, 1902 – September 2, 2000) was a German-American novelist and screenwriter. He is known for his work in the horror and science fiction film genres, with such films as '' The Wolf Man'' and ''Donovan's Brain'' (the latt ...
. The plot concerned a permanent air station in the middle of the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
. The film was developed as a multilingual version, with one film each in German, French, and English. The film was shot in 1932 and premiered in Berlin late that year with English and French-language versions premiering the next year.


Plot

Lieutenant Droste wants to build an air station in the middle of the ocean to allow pilots on intercontinental flights to refuel and repair any damage to their aircraft. With the help of the pilot Ellissen, he manages to win the support of the Lennartz-Werke for the project. Ellissen, who has taken up with the owner's sister Claire Lennartz, shies away from marriage and seeks new adventure. After two years, the platform has become a city on the ocean, with runways, hangars, hotels, and shopping centers. During a storm, the connection to the platform is severed. The last sounds to come over the telephone were gunshots and screams. The weather clears and the best pilots immediately head for F.P.1. Ellissen, in a lovesick depression, is convinced by Claire to accompany her to the platform. Their plane crashes on the island but they survive. The crew of F.P.1 has been the victim of a saboteur, who knocked them out with gas. Before chief engineer Damsky fled in a boat, he opened the valves, causing a danger that F.P.1 will sink. Claire finds the badly injured Droste and takes care of him. Ellissen has to recognize that Claire is slipping away from him. After a short time, he pulls himself together and takes a plane out to get help. He sees a ship, jumps from his plane, is taken aboard the ship, and calls for help via radio. A fleet of ships and planes are sent to rescue F.P.1.


Cast


Production

''F.P.1.'' was based on the 1933 novel by ''F.P.1 antwortet nicht'' (). The film was shot in Berlin. Other parts of the set were filmed on platforms designed by Erik Kettlehut on the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
island of
Greifswalder Oie Greifswalder Oie (literally "Greifswald's isle") is a small island in the Baltic Sea, located east of Rügen on the German coast. The island covers an area of about 54 hectares. The isle forms part of the municipality of Kröslin. Geography The ...
. The film was shot between August 15, 1932, and December 15, 1932. Three versions of the film were made for international audiences: a German version titled ''F.P.1 antwortet nicht'', a French version titled ''Î.F.1 ne répond plus'' and an English-language version titled ''F.P.1''.


Release

The German version of the film was released was shown on December 22, 1932, in Berlin at the
Ufa-Palast am Zoo The Ufa-Palast am Zoo, located near Berlin Zoological Garden in the New West area of Charlottenburg, was a major Berlin cinema owned by Universum Film AG, or Ufa. Opened in 1919 and enlarged in 1925, it was the largest cinema in Germany until 19 ...
. The French-language version was shown in Paris on February 24, 1933. The English-language version debuted in London in 1933 where it was released by
Gaumont-British The Gaumont-British Picture Corporation produced and distributed films and operated a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. It was established as an offshoot of the Gaumont Film Company of France. Film production Gaumont-British was founded in 18 ...
running at 74 minutes, over half an hour less than the German version. When Fox released the film in the United States it ran for 90 minutes. The English version was shown in the United Kingdom on April 3, 1933, and in New York on September 15, 1933.


Reception

Reviewing the German-language version, ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' declared the film to be "UFA's greatest picture of this year" and found it to be "a success with regard to speed, continuity and cast of the leading femme role" and that photography and sound were "first class". Reviewing the French version, ''Variety'' called
Charles Boyer Charles Boyer (; 28 August 1899 – 26 August 1978) was a French-American actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found his success in American fi ...
"excellent" and said the film had an "Ordinary enough story but redeemed by wonderful photography and the thrills provided by trick machinery." Reviewing the English-language version, ''Variety'' proclaimed it "well made with good photography and lighting, sound that is well recorded and generally good direction and acting. Picture falls short of best result partly because of the English accents of the players", and concluded that "It's a good English product but not yet competition with Hollywood on the finer points." ''
Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...
'' highly praised the film, stating that the production "have outdone anything of its kind that Hollywood has ever conceived", specifically praising the built floating island, and calling the plot "a powerful romance intertwined into a very realistic story, with a great series of climaxes" with "Superior photography". The ''
Motion Picture Herald The ''Motion Picture Herald'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1931 to December 1972.Anthony Slide, ed. (1985)''International Film, Radio, and Television Journals'' Greenwood Press. p. 242. It was replaced by the ''QP Herald ...
'' noted the "imaginative setting" and that set were "marvelously contrived ..There is no lack of thrills in the serial shots and sequences showing the incursion of water and the desertion of the crew." ''
Harrison's Reports ''Harrison's Reports'' was a New York City-based motion picture trade journal published weekly from 1919 to 1962. The typical issue was four letter-size pages sent to subscribers under a second-class mail permit. Its founder, editor and publisher ...
'' declared it "a fairly good melodrama" with "ingenious and clever background" while noting that "the first half is slow, but the second half holds one in tense suspense."


Legacy

Following ''F.P.1'',
Hans Albers Hans Philipp August Albers (22 September 1891 – 24 July 1960) was a German actor and singer. He was the biggest male movie star in Germany between 1930 and 1960 and one of the most popular German actors of the twentieth century. Early life ...
and director
Karl Hartl Karl Hartl (10 May 1899 – 29 August 1978) was an Austrian film director. Life Born in Vienna, Hartl began his film career at the Austrian Sascha-Film company of Alexander Kolowrat and from 1919 was assistant to the Hungarian director Alexande ...
teamed up for ''
Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
'' and ''
The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes ''The Man Who Was Sherlock Holmes'' (German: ''Der Mann, der Sherlock Holmes war'') is a 1937 German mystery comedy film directed by Karl Hartl and starring Hans Albers, Heinz Rühmann and Marieluise Claudius. The film's sets were designed by th ...
'' (1936). By 1933, a political joke referring to
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
played on the title of the film: "''P.G.1 antwortet nicht.''" (meaning "''Parteigenosse 1 antwortet nicht,''" or "Party Member 1 doesn't answer.").


See also

*
List of films made in Weimar Germany A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
Project Habakkuk Project Habakkuk or Habbakuk (spelling varies) was a plan by the British during the Second World War to construct an aircraft carrier out of pykrete (a mixture of wood pulp and ice) for use against German U-boats in the mid-Atlantic, which were ...
*
Pykrete Pykrete is a frozen ice composite, originally made of approximately 14% sawdust or some other form of wood pulp (such as paper) and 86% ice by weight (6 to 1 by weight). During World War II, Geoffrey Pyke proposed it as a candidate material for ...


References


Sources

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External links

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Photographs and literature
{{Curt Siodmak 1932 science fiction novels 1932 films 1930s science fiction films German science fiction films Films of the Weimar Republic 1930s German-language films 1930s French-language films 1930s English-language films Films directed by Karl Hartl Films with screenplays by Curt Siodmak German multilingual films German black-and-white films Films based on German novels Films based on science fiction novels German aviation films Films set in Hamburg 1932 multilingual films 1930s German films