F.P.1 Doesn't Answer Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

F.P.1 Doesn't Answer Blu-ray Movie Review

F.P.1 Doesn’t Answer is a science-fiction drama production. The film includes both the original German language version and the English language version. Based on the novel by Curt Siodmak, F.P.1 Doesn’t Answer explores themes of science and nature. Produced by Eberhard Klagemann (Nanette, Hard Luck Mary) and Erich Pommer (Metropolis, Faust), F.P.1 Doesn’t Answer is far from a classic but it does have some interesting storytelling flair and impressive performances – including the lead role by Hans Albers.

Flieger Ellissen (Hans Albers) comes up with a large-scale concept to create a floating airport helping to bridge connections between four different nations. As the concept would be expensive to execute, he enlists the help of the wealthy heiress Claire Lennartz (Sybille Schmitz) to fund the giant project and bring together the airport in the sky.

As the project goes underway, unexpected challenges arise to cause Ellissen to find communications might be at risk with the floating airport. Ellissen must do whatever he can to investigate the communications error. Can the concept become reality and ultimately take flight?

The best thing about F.P.1 Doesn’t Answer are the performances. Hans Albers is a terrific actor and has been impressive in many films during his era and this is another worthwhile performance by Albers. A gifted actor with a good range, Albers certainly is effective at exploring the role and providing the film with more imagination. Fans of Alberts will enjoy the role and find it to be a good part for the actor: a worthwhile showcase for his range and style. The supporting performance by Sybille Schmitz is rather good too and helps the storytelling to find a better balance of drama and science fiction.

The score composed by Allan Gray (The African Queen, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp) is one of the highlights of F.P.1 Doesn’t Answer. Gray is a talented composer and someone who scored a lot of great Hollywood classics. The composer did a solid job with F.P.1 Doesn’t Answer and the results are well done. The blend of science-fiction themes and thematic elements makes the score a solid one.

The cinematography by Otto Baecker (A Blonde Dream, The Gypsy Baron), Konstantin Irmen-Tschet (Woman in the Moon, Under the Caribbean), and Günther Rittau (Metropolis, S.O.S. Sahara) has a dream-like quality. The visual aesthetics of the film are compelling and the nice black and white cinematography certainly shines during the feature. The cinematographers added some nice visual elements to the filmmaking.

Edited by Willy Zeyn (Intermezzo, Murder for Sale), F.P.1 Doesn’t Answer might not be perfectly paced, and it could use a re-cut. The edit is a bit over-long even at a shorter run-time and tends to feel a little unfocused in regards to the pacing. Though a talented editor, F.P.1 Doesn’t Answer could be better in this regard.

The production design by Albert Berthold Henninger and Erich Kettelhut (The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse) is one of the standout elements. The science-fiction realm is brought to life by Henninger and Kettelhut. Both production designers certainly understand the material and manage to keep the production more interesting with their artistic contributions.

The costumes by Otto Suckrow (Two Merry Adventurers, Gold) are worthwhile and certainly add some charm to the production. The costumes throughout the production are noteworthy. While not a top element of the production, the designs are nonetheless effective and fit the characters and actors: showcasing the sensibilities of the time.

The screenplay by Walter Reisch (Ninotchka, Gaslight) and Curt Siodmak (The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man Returns) is a solid one and science-fiction fans will appreciate the interesting concept and the execution. F.P.1 Doesn’t Answer stands as Curt Siodmak’s last German script before leaving for Europe. Siodmak then moved on to America in search of more work in Hollywood, where he became a prolific Hollywood screenwriter on genre films and other classics, and helped to shape Hollywood with genre offerings. The script is certainly worthwhile and a highlight of F.P.1 Doesn’t Answer.

Directed by Karl Hartl (Two Merry Adventurers, The Life and Loves of Mozart), F.P.1 Doesn’t Answer isn’t a classic, per se, but it is a solid science-fiction offering with good production merits and entertaining direction. F.P.1 Doesn’t Answer is worth seeing and is a solid science fiction offering aided by solid performances under the direction of Hartl.

F.P.1 Doesn't Answer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, F.P.1 Doesn't Answer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.19:1 full frame. The presentation on the release is a solid one and has good clarity and detail. Though this is not a sparkling new restoration (4K or otherwise) it is a solid presentation and one that has good clarity on the whole for the black and white visuals. The encode by Kino Lorber is solid and the presentation looks great during the transfer.

F.P.1 Doesn't Answer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in German uncompressed PCM 2.0 mono (with English subtitles). The audio quality on the release is solid overall with good sounding fidelity. Dialogue was easy to understand during the feature presentation. The subtitles were of a good quality as well and were free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors. A solid audio encode and presentation.

F.P.1 Doesn't Answer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by Eddy Von Mueller

Secrets of F.P.1 (HD, 1:17:43), the alternate language version, as presented in lossless uncompressed PCM 2.0 mono in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame.

F.P.1 Doesn't Answer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

F.P.1 Doesn't Answer was produced at a turning point in German cinema history when Nazi Germany was starting to force certain elements in to films made by filmmakers in Germany as the monstrous Third Reich began to take partial control over the film industry. This is an unfortunate side-note to consider. If one might wish to skip the film because of this reason it is entirely understandable.

However, F.P.1 Doesn't Answer is a decent science-fiction entertainment featuring a solid performance from Hans Albers and it features a solid screenplay co-written by Curt Siodmak (The Wolf Man) and a score composed by Allan Gray (The African Queen) . Though not an under-the-radar classic, it is still a decent science-fiction offering. Recommended.