F.P.1

F.P.1, or F.P.1 Doesn't Respond was the name of a novel written by noted science fiction and fantasy writer/director Curt Siodmak, best known as the creator of The Wolf Man.

The novel was turned into three films over 1932 to 1933, directed by Karl Hartl — one each in English, French, and German. Filming multiple versions in different languages was common in the early sound film period.

Written after Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic flight, the plot concerned a permanent air station in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

The German version was the last German film that either Siodmak or Peter Lorre, who played a secondary character, would make in Germany before the war. It premiered on 22 December 1932.

Plot

Lieutenant Droste wants to build an airstation 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....
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