Austrian director Karl Hartl assumes an enormous assignment at Berlin's UFA Studios: leading three separate casts in disparate language productions of Curt Siodmak's debut novel (listed as Slodmak on the screen credits), featuring Hans Albers (German), Charles Boyer (French) and Conrad Veidt (English), obviously a daunting task, but one that he manages to complete in an artistically successful manner. Although the plot is raimented with the trappings of science fiction, it is in fact a romance flavoured by shadowy industrial espionage, with "F.P.1" being a prototypical floating platform destined to serve as a re-fueling depot in mid-Atlantic waters for international aircraft, constructed by London's Lennartz Shipyard firm, of which young Claire Lennartz (Jill Esmond) is one-third owner. Claire is attracted to, and desired by, two men, Captain Droste (Leslie Fenton), the designer of the seaborne aerodrome, and Major Ellisson (Veidt), a renowned test pilot, and the melodramatic complications of this love triangle form the heart of a work that was a financial success upon its release with its depiction of construction efforts for a gigantic landing platform accurately forecasting military aircraft carriers. It is instructive to view the three versions in succession to discover how the players adapt their roles to their personalities, with the English language release arguably the best, despite an unfortunate loss of a great deal of footage over the years, including Veidt's moving singspiel "Where the Lighthouse Shines Across the Bay"; however, the direction, camera-work, creative sets, as well as the spirited performing of Veidt and Esmond provide a goodly amount of pleasure.
13 Reviews
could have been better, but ahead of its time
paulwl30 October 2003
(This review refers to the English-language version of "F.P.1", which was made in simultaneous German and French-language versions with three different casts. The French-language version is presumed to be lost.)
"F.P.1" is of greatest interest as one of very few science fiction features made in the 1930s. Curt Siodmak's screenplay was based on his own novella, the story of Flight Platform 1, a huge aircraft refueling station in mid- Atlantic. Designed to aid transoceanic flight, it frustrates surface shipping interests, who connive to destroy it. Amidst the intrigue is a love triangle between the F.P.1's creator, his aviator buddy, and the shipping heiress who makes it all possible.
It's a great premise, with some unique model and effects work and moments of real adventure. However, there just isn't enough of them. It's not just that the airplane and action scenes are so brief (the German version included a good bit more.) It's that what is left over is so typically tepid and slow-moving - a real tragedy for a film with any pretense to futurism. Result: a muddle, though an intermittently entertaining one.
And what the heck is Conrad Veidt, that preening, sinister aristocrat of the B's, doing playing a daring round-the-world aviator? His Major Elissen spends more time in white tie and tails than in a flight suit, and his appeal to strongheaded heiress Claire (Jill Esmond, delectable in white satin evening dress) is hard to explain. Perhaps he slipped something into her drink. Veidt didn't yet speak English very well in 1932, and his performance is a bit off, leering and simpering over Esmond rather than enveloping her in suave allure. His sidekick "Sunshine" (Donald Calthorp), a shabby news photographer, could have been Veidt's comic foil if he weren't so very underplayed.
Claire eventually does throw Elissen over in favor of his best pal, straight-arrow Commander Droste (Leslie Fenton, "Nails" Nathan from "The Public Enemy"), designer-captain of the F.P.1. The romance angle recedes at that point. Droste is merely a stand-up guy, although he needs Elissen's help not just to build the F.P.1, but eventually to save it from the shipping cabal.
An actual floating soundstage was built in the Baltic Sea just off Hamburg for the F.P.1 sequences. It's fascinating to see, with its broad expanse of concrete flight deck, humungous ballast valve system, and chromium Art Deco chairs for Elissen to throw through windows during a gas attack. Yet Elissen's plane is an open-cockpit Junkers whose slab sides and corrugated aluminum skin give it all the grace and aerodynamics of a grain silo. And few other planes - except a derelict old crate - figure in the action.
The German-language version, "F.P.1 Antwortet Nicht" (F.P.1 Doesn't Answer) retains more of the techno-geek footage and is worth hunting down if you are curious. Not that it's much better in pacing or performance. Hans Albers and Paul Hartmann, the male leads, are way overage for their roles, and Albers is an awful ham even if you don't understand a word of German. But there's Sybille Schmitz as a strong and hauntingly sexy Claire, and Peter Lorre as the sidekick has a more substantial piece of the picture.
An aside in the narrative unintentionally calls the whole F.P.1 concept into question. Elissen at one point is said to be flying a new plane that can go around the world without refueling! You have to love a sci-fi flick where the key technology is already obsolete by the end of the second reel.
The real problem with "F.P.1" was beyond the director's or the studios' control. It should have been made by Frank Capra, then still in his Poverty Row adventure days ("Flight", "Dirigible"). It positively cries out for Joel McCrea, Fay Wray, a streamlined Lockheed Vega monoplane, and American-style snappy patter to leaven the love stuff. And what a formidable "Sunshine" Lionel Stander might have made...
"F.P.1" is of greatest interest as one of very few science fiction features made in the 1930s. Curt Siodmak's screenplay was based on his own novella, the story of Flight Platform 1, a huge aircraft refueling station in mid- Atlantic. Designed to aid transoceanic flight, it frustrates surface shipping interests, who connive to destroy it. Amidst the intrigue is a love triangle between the F.P.1's creator, his aviator buddy, and the shipping heiress who makes it all possible.
It's a great premise, with some unique model and effects work and moments of real adventure. However, there just isn't enough of them. It's not just that the airplane and action scenes are so brief (the German version included a good bit more.) It's that what is left over is so typically tepid and slow-moving - a real tragedy for a film with any pretense to futurism. Result: a muddle, though an intermittently entertaining one.
And what the heck is Conrad Veidt, that preening, sinister aristocrat of the B's, doing playing a daring round-the-world aviator? His Major Elissen spends more time in white tie and tails than in a flight suit, and his appeal to strongheaded heiress Claire (Jill Esmond, delectable in white satin evening dress) is hard to explain. Perhaps he slipped something into her drink. Veidt didn't yet speak English very well in 1932, and his performance is a bit off, leering and simpering over Esmond rather than enveloping her in suave allure. His sidekick "Sunshine" (Donald Calthorp), a shabby news photographer, could have been Veidt's comic foil if he weren't so very underplayed.
Claire eventually does throw Elissen over in favor of his best pal, straight-arrow Commander Droste (Leslie Fenton, "Nails" Nathan from "The Public Enemy"), designer-captain of the F.P.1. The romance angle recedes at that point. Droste is merely a stand-up guy, although he needs Elissen's help not just to build the F.P.1, but eventually to save it from the shipping cabal.
An actual floating soundstage was built in the Baltic Sea just off Hamburg for the F.P.1 sequences. It's fascinating to see, with its broad expanse of concrete flight deck, humungous ballast valve system, and chromium Art Deco chairs for Elissen to throw through windows during a gas attack. Yet Elissen's plane is an open-cockpit Junkers whose slab sides and corrugated aluminum skin give it all the grace and aerodynamics of a grain silo. And few other planes - except a derelict old crate - figure in the action.
The German-language version, "F.P.1 Antwortet Nicht" (F.P.1 Doesn't Answer) retains more of the techno-geek footage and is worth hunting down if you are curious. Not that it's much better in pacing or performance. Hans Albers and Paul Hartmann, the male leads, are way overage for their roles, and Albers is an awful ham even if you don't understand a word of German. But there's Sybille Schmitz as a strong and hauntingly sexy Claire, and Peter Lorre as the sidekick has a more substantial piece of the picture.
An aside in the narrative unintentionally calls the whole F.P.1 concept into question. Elissen at one point is said to be flying a new plane that can go around the world without refueling! You have to love a sci-fi flick where the key technology is already obsolete by the end of the second reel.
The real problem with "F.P.1" was beyond the director's or the studios' control. It should have been made by Frank Capra, then still in his Poverty Row adventure days ("Flight", "Dirigible"). It positively cries out for Joel McCrea, Fay Wray, a streamlined Lockheed Vega monoplane, and American-style snappy patter to leaven the love stuff. And what a formidable "Sunshine" Lionel Stander might have made...
Lost in translation
Anne_Sharp10 January 2001
Compared to the German language version of the same film that was made simultaneously, this is a disappointment. Conrad Veidt is simply too mature and sensitive for the role of the wild, impulsive aviator, and the whole production seems rushed and underrehearsed. Since it parallels the German film scene by scene, though, it's worth seeing if you don't speak German and only have access to the unsubtitled video prints of "F.P. 1 Antwortet Nicht" currently in circulation.
It seemed a good idea,at the time!
mail-67121 February 2004
This was one of those early 30s attempts to look into the future but with more imagination than practicality little realizing how the technology and fascination of cross-channel air travel would swiftly develop. There was also the idea mooted in "TransAtlantic Tunnel"(1935)which featured Richard Dix & George Arliss that virtually sunk without trace but then actually sort of became reality with the excavation & opening of the(English) Channel Tunnel now a popular and functional reality to change access to Europe forever. But H G Wells got it right in a somewhat ironic way in "Things To Come".
I would like to correct a blind error of confusion & hindsight by some critics who should know better. The film had a long forgotten theme song "Lighthouse Across The Bay" which was later released on record. Conrad Veidt did not sing to this recording, he only recited the words pretty much as Rex Harrison preferred to do in "Dr Doolittle" much later.
I would like to correct a blind error of confusion & hindsight by some critics who should know better. The film had a long forgotten theme song "Lighthouse Across The Bay" which was later released on record. Conrad Veidt did not sing to this recording, he only recited the words pretty much as Rex Harrison preferred to do in "Dr Doolittle" much later.
Exciting and imaginative film
robert-temple-126 November 2006
This is a remarkable film, made with a huge budget. F.P.1 stands for 'Floating Platform' One. It is a floating island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean for transatlantic aircraft to land on and refuel. It therefore foreshadows the naval aircraft carriers of the coming world war. Conrad Veidt is extraordinarily convincing, with the mad recklessness of a man addicted to dangerous adventures, but also with the lonely pathos which this brings him personally. It is one of his finer roles. The imaginative sweep of this semi-sci fi story is remarkable for the 1930s. It is a pity that the film is not better known. I have not seen the German or French versions, but this one is superb. One of the most haunting shots in the film is of a lengthy corridor full of men who have been gassed and are lying unconscious. No expense was spared to make this a big production. However, the producers should have realized that films with initials in their titles do not 'click' at the box office, give no hint to anyone what they are about (except to those familiar with this novel already), and no one could imagine what F.P.1 could stand for until they had seen the film! As a milestone in the history of the cinema, this strange and wildly ambitious film should not be overlooked.
Forget Science Fiction
Zurdta31 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
A tall, sinister looking man, in full evening dress, plots something suspicious over the phone in a nightclub unsurprisingly he is overheard. Despite saying quite clearly "Lenartz shipyard
11 o'clock
" several times, when the eavesdropping lady asks what is happening at the Lenartz shipyard at 11.00pm, he denies any knowledge of the Lenartz shipyard! And so it continues
Connie appears to have been thrown into the film without his usual preparation although he does the only acting in the film. The scene when he explains to Claire that he was too embarrassed to return and that should she still want him he can be found in "
some Polish hotel" is touching despite the lumpy dialogue. But mostly, he stomps around oafishly not taking any of it seriously. Leslie Fenton plays his role sufficiently melodramatically for the ludicrous story but Jill Esmond is quite dreadful as the love interest. Donald Calthrop is excellent but there is not enough of him and everyone else is fair-to-middlin'. Despite all its faults, it is a likable film unintentionally hilarious at times.
Connie's English pronunciation is no where near as clear as in the earlier "Rome Express" (GB Walter Forde 1932) or the later "I Was A Spy" (GB Victor Saville 1933). His thick German accent obscures his English so much that a translation is required at times. He is trying very hard as his face proves whilst straining over the words " captains of industry." He is photographed very badly light hitting the side of his head and casting unflattering shadows across his face. It is as though the lighting had not been adjusted from one film to another. He also has curiously bouffant hair... but he makes a warm and likable Ellissen.
Connie's English pronunciation is no where near as clear as in the earlier "Rome Express" (GB Walter Forde 1932) or the later "I Was A Spy" (GB Victor Saville 1933). His thick German accent obscures his English so much that a translation is required at times. He is trying very hard as his face proves whilst straining over the words " captains of industry." He is photographed very badly light hitting the side of his head and casting unflattering shadows across his face. It is as though the lighting had not been adjusted from one film to another. He also has curiously bouffant hair... but he makes a warm and likable Ellissen.
A familiar theme
malcolmgsw30 July 2019
Films with the theme of transatlantic transportation were quite common in this era.I can think of High Treason and The Tunnel.Additionally films made in two or three language versions were quite common.The acting of Conrad Veidt overpowers everyone else.
Bizarre, disjointed early Brit sound flick
overseer-317 December 2004
I guess this was supposed to be an early science fiction - adventure story, about an aviator with personality quirks, but I couldn't find myself interested in the plot very much.
What was with Conrad Veidt's teeth in this movie? His front teeth all had huge gaps in them, which made them look black. He looked old before his time; he actually looked better years later playing Major Strasser in "Casablanca", which was released only a year before he dropped dead from a heart attack in 1943. Warner Brothers obviously knew how to package him so that he looked more debonair in the later film. Poor guy, he really needed a dentist. I couldn't get into the tame romantic scenes at all, since Jill Esmond, who played Claire (very pretty first wife of Sir Lawrence Olivier), looked young enough to be his granddaughter.
I watched the English video version put out by Video Yesteryear. Halfway through the tape it got interrupted by a "PLEASE STAND BY WHILE WE CHANGE REELS" message. I burst out laughing. What was that for?
I bought this to watch the performances of the principals, and to see Warwick Ward in another film, other than the Pola Negri one I watched awhile ago with him in it, from 1929. Had trouble finding him at first, but he played the First Officer. Handsome man, very intense eyes. Maybe he should have been given the role of the rival for Jill Esmond's character's affections.
5 out of 10. Interesting as an example of an early sound Brit film, but not much else.
What was with Conrad Veidt's teeth in this movie? His front teeth all had huge gaps in them, which made them look black. He looked old before his time; he actually looked better years later playing Major Strasser in "Casablanca", which was released only a year before he dropped dead from a heart attack in 1943. Warner Brothers obviously knew how to package him so that he looked more debonair in the later film. Poor guy, he really needed a dentist. I couldn't get into the tame romantic scenes at all, since Jill Esmond, who played Claire (very pretty first wife of Sir Lawrence Olivier), looked young enough to be his granddaughter.
I watched the English video version put out by Video Yesteryear. Halfway through the tape it got interrupted by a "PLEASE STAND BY WHILE WE CHANGE REELS" message. I burst out laughing. What was that for?
I bought this to watch the performances of the principals, and to see Warwick Ward in another film, other than the Pola Negri one I watched awhile ago with him in it, from 1929. Had trouble finding him at first, but he played the First Officer. Handsome man, very intense eyes. Maybe he should have been given the role of the rival for Jill Esmond's character's affections.
5 out of 10. Interesting as an example of an early sound Brit film, but not much else.
Hard to keep awake, but that guy can certainly hold a cigarette.
loza-128 May 2005
I had a video of the thing. And I think it was my fourth attempt that I managed to watch the whole film without drifting off to sleep. It's slow-moving, and the idea of a mid-Atlantic platform, which may have been revolutionary at the time, is now just a great big yawnaroony. Apart from Conrad Veidt, the rest of the cast are pretty forgettable, and it is only in the action towards the end that things get really interesting. When the water started to spill big-time it even, on one occasion, woke me up.
But give the man his due. No one could hold a cigarette like Conrad Veidt. He doesn't wedge it between his index and middle fingers like the lesser mortals. He holds it in his fingers, while showing us the old pearly-browns. There are a few scenes in this film where the smoke drifts up to heaven against a dark background,and looks very artistically done. But it does not say much about this film if all that impresses you is the tobacco smoke.
But give the man his due. No one could hold a cigarette like Conrad Veidt. He doesn't wedge it between his index and middle fingers like the lesser mortals. He holds it in his fingers, while showing us the old pearly-browns. There are a few scenes in this film where the smoke drifts up to heaven against a dark background,and looks very artistically done. But it does not say much about this film if all that impresses you is the tobacco smoke.
The F.P. 1 won't be there in an hour. Only water
mark.waltz21 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
That's the warning that a communications man is given, held at gunpoint by someone who delivers this ominous message. The floating platform is in the middle of the atlantic, a strip of man-made metals and plastic and other materials that from far above in the sky looks like a giant ice cube tray. This film is memorable more for its photography than the plotline, and the presents of the German born Conrad Veidt and the one time Mrs. Laurence Olivier, Jill Esmond, at one time a successful stage actress.
The first half before the plot gets going is much more interesting than the slow moving second half, with amusing banter between Veidt and Esmond, especially since she thinks that he's at first a masher, then believes that he's out to sabotage her company which built this floating airstrip. Frankly, the importance of such a piece of man-made contraptions in the middle of the ocean really saw no significance to me, unless it was meant to be a refilling station of fuel which isn't indicated to my recollection.
Veidt always commands attention with his severe voice which is often able to lighten people up after their first impressions of him because of his charm, something he did even when he played the most horrible of villains. I find his pre-Hollywood films quite interesting because of their stylistic filming and unusual subject matter. Even at just 75 minutes, however, this feels a bit too long as it drags quite a bit in the middle section.
The first half before the plot gets going is much more interesting than the slow moving second half, with amusing banter between Veidt and Esmond, especially since she thinks that he's at first a masher, then believes that he's out to sabotage her company which built this floating airstrip. Frankly, the importance of such a piece of man-made contraptions in the middle of the ocean really saw no significance to me, unless it was meant to be a refilling station of fuel which isn't indicated to my recollection.
Veidt always commands attention with his severe voice which is often able to lighten people up after their first impressions of him because of his charm, something he did even when he played the most horrible of villains. I find his pre-Hollywood films quite interesting because of their stylistic filming and unusual subject matter. Even at just 75 minutes, however, this feels a bit too long as it drags quite a bit in the middle section.
That Sinking Feeling
wes-connors26 May 2008
The acronymic "F.P.1" stands for "Floating Platform #1". The film portends the building of an "F.P.1" in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, to be used as an "air station" for transatlantic plane flights. Based a contemporary Curt Siodmark novel; it was filmed in German as "F.P.1 antwortet nicht" (1932), in French as "I.F.1 ne répond plus" (1933), and in English as "F.P.1" (1933). Soon, technology made non-stop oceanic travel much more preferable.
Stars Conrad Veidt (as Ellissen), Jill Esmond (as Droste), and Leslie Fenton (as Claire) find love and sabotage on and off the Atlantic platform. Karl Hartl directed. Mr. Veidt is most fun to watch; but, he is not convincing in the "love triangle" with Ms. Esmond and Mr. Fenton. The younger co-stars were the spouses of Laurence Olivier and Ann Dvorak, respectively. Both the concept and film have not aged well.
**** F.P.1 (4/3/33) Karl Hartl ~ Conrad Veidt, Jill Esmond, Leslie Fenton
Stars Conrad Veidt (as Ellissen), Jill Esmond (as Droste), and Leslie Fenton (as Claire) find love and sabotage on and off the Atlantic platform. Karl Hartl directed. Mr. Veidt is most fun to watch; but, he is not convincing in the "love triangle" with Ms. Esmond and Mr. Fenton. The younger co-stars were the spouses of Laurence Olivier and Ann Dvorak, respectively. Both the concept and film have not aged well.
**** F.P.1 (4/3/33) Karl Hartl ~ Conrad Veidt, Jill Esmond, Leslie Fenton
I enjoyed the USA cut!
JohnHowardReid11 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Director: KARL HARTL. Screenplay: Curt Siodmak, Walter Reisch from the novel by Curt Siodmak. Screenplay translated by Donovan Parsons. Dialogue editors: Robert Stevenson and Peter MacFarlane. Photography: Konstantin Irmen-Tschet, Gunther Rittau. Production designer: Erich Kettlehut. Costumes designed by Otto Suckrow. Music composed by Allan Gray, directed by Hans Otto Borgmann. Special effects: Konstantin Irmen-Tschet, Theo Nischwitz. Stills: Karl Ewald. Technical advisor: Albert Berthold Henninger. Sound editor: Rudolf Schaad. Make-up: Waldemar Jabs. Film editor: Willy Zeyn. Sound recording: Fritz Thiery. Producer: Erich Pommer.
Copyright (as F.P. One) 29 June 1933 by Fox Film Corporation. New York opening at the 7th Avenue Roxy: 15 September 1933. U.S. release: 16 September 1933. U.K. release through Gaumont-British: 3 April 1933. Running times: 93 minutes (U.K.); 74 minutes (U.S.A.).
SYNOPSIS: Shipping interests attempt to sabotage a giant refueling platform built for the use of aircraft flying the Atlantic.
COMMENT: Even in its abbreviated USA cut, this is a fascinating and highly exotic (and at times even bizarre) sci-fi entry, with fine performances from almost the entire cast (weak-as-water Leslie Fenton lets the side down), especially nervy Conrad Veidt and the beguiling Jill Esmond. Also to be commended, George Merritt who does nobly by the biggest role of his career. A mammoth budget is right up there on the screen, complete with breathtaking sets, atmospheric photography and fast-paced, imaginative direction. AVAILABLE on DVD through Grapevine. Quality rating: Six out of ten. (Visuals are fine, but sound is out of sync throughout).
Copyright (as F.P. One) 29 June 1933 by Fox Film Corporation. New York opening at the 7th Avenue Roxy: 15 September 1933. U.S. release: 16 September 1933. U.K. release through Gaumont-British: 3 April 1933. Running times: 93 minutes (U.K.); 74 minutes (U.S.A.).
SYNOPSIS: Shipping interests attempt to sabotage a giant refueling platform built for the use of aircraft flying the Atlantic.
COMMENT: Even in its abbreviated USA cut, this is a fascinating and highly exotic (and at times even bizarre) sci-fi entry, with fine performances from almost the entire cast (weak-as-water Leslie Fenton lets the side down), especially nervy Conrad Veidt and the beguiling Jill Esmond. Also to be commended, George Merritt who does nobly by the biggest role of his career. A mammoth budget is right up there on the screen, complete with breathtaking sets, atmospheric photography and fast-paced, imaginative direction. AVAILABLE on DVD through Grapevine. Quality rating: Six out of ten. (Visuals are fine, but sound is out of sync throughout).
That floating airstrip looks familiar...
jshoaf2 June 2004
I was surprised that others commented that the technology presented here was impractical or immediately obsolete. FP 1 is really an aircraft carrier, stuck in the middle of the Atlantic, true, but looking mighty like an aircraft carrier to my untechnological eyes.
I haven't seen the German version, but for me the main attraction of this one was Conrad Veidt's role. He was very funny and charming, and dashing, too!
The story did seem to have some holes in it--I would have liked to pinpoint the emotional problem of Ellisen's disappearance,but even more certain technical points: that the rescue plane doesn't bring a radio or radio parts for the silenced station; that Ellisen's plane was seriously damaged after landing on FP 1 (? or did they use a junk plane to go get help because they knew it would have to be ditched?); exactly what happened to the diesel oil on FP 1, why there was no backup supply, and why any passing ship would have the required quantity to spare; what happened to that storm that necessitated opening the valves in the first place?
All the same, this was fun to watch.
I haven't seen the German version, but for me the main attraction of this one was Conrad Veidt's role. He was very funny and charming, and dashing, too!
The story did seem to have some holes in it--I would have liked to pinpoint the emotional problem of Ellisen's disappearance,but even more certain technical points: that the rescue plane doesn't bring a radio or radio parts for the silenced station; that Ellisen's plane was seriously damaged after landing on FP 1 (? or did they use a junk plane to go get help because they knew it would have to be ditched?); exactly what happened to the diesel oil on FP 1, why there was no backup supply, and why any passing ship would have the required quantity to spare; what happened to that storm that necessitated opening the valves in the first place?
All the same, this was fun to watch.
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