F.P. 1 non risponde

The famous pilot Ellissen (Hans Albers) helps his friend Droste (Paul Hartmann) to have FP1 built, a platform in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean which will make a connection between the continents possible (in a time when non-stop flights with passengers were science fiction). During the years when FP1 is built and Ellissen is far away, his girlfriend Claire (Sybille Schmitz) falls in love with Droste. Saboteurs try to destroy FP1, so Ellissen must come to the rescue. "FP1 antwortet nicht" is an excellent piece of work for its time. First, the science fiction novel by Curt Siodmak provided a spectacular story. But then, Albers portrays a really interesting hero, a man who often doesn't succeed (he loses his plane in a crash in Australia, he loses Claire to his best friend) but always comes back. Claire tried to teach him the advantages of a normal life, but no, it will always be adventure for him, "life is too short", he once says. With this charismatic performance, it is easy to see why Albers was one of the most popular stars of his time. Peter Lorre of "The Maltese Falcon" fame is responsible for the comic relief here as a photographer who tries to get the first picture of FP1. Last not least, a memorable musical score with the theme song "Flieger, grüß mir die Sonne" contributes to the fame of the movie.

This film was made at a time when technology was moving almost faster than the imagination. Only a few years after Lindbergh's non-stop flight across the Atlantic, in this Germany decides to solve the problem of long transatlantic flights not by building planes that can fly further, but by building a gigantic platform in the middle of the Atlantic where planes can land and refuel. Only there are forces at work trying to keep the Floating Platform (hence F.P. #1) from becoming a success. Sabotage and spies add a layer of intrigue to what essentially is a love triangle between the commander of F.A. #1 and a gregarious pilot who both love the same woman. For the time, this film is quite impressive for its North Sea location photography as well as its flying scenes. Peter Lorre has a couple of good scenes as the hero's photographer buddy. I'd rate it higher, but many parts of the story either don't hold up or don't make sense. Still, glad I got to see it once.

The German version of this sci-fi yarn comes a big disappointment all around. Chief liability is Hans Albers, a ham of the first water, who is not only allowed to dominate every scene but indulged with more dialogue than all the rest of the players put together. He just never stops talking. Exotic Sybille Schmitz manages to collar a few nice close-ups, but Peter Lorre is wasted. Most of the time, Lorre simply serves as a listening post for the garrulous Albers.

Oddly, the Droste character (played with reasonable force by Paul Hartmann) has even less footage here than in the cut American version. Indeed, despite the amazing fact that this German version runs 40 minutes longer, the action scenes are more complete and far more convincing in the 74-minute edit. The little bit of extra footage in which Albers is not featured are merely propaganda shots of the German air force conquering the skies.

This big-budget technothriller-romance was state-of-the-art for 1932, featuring a top-notch cast (especially Hans Albers as the rowdy, untamed hero and Peter Lorre as his long-suffering sidekick) and a lickety-split plotline in which industrial sabotage, sexual politics and the psychology of heroism are artfully intertwined. An English-subtitled video version of this SF classic is long overdue.