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6.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. F. P. 1 Doesn't Answer remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Should you watch F.P. 1 Doesn't Answer? If you have a soft spot for massive, clunky 1930s engineering and models that look like they were built with a lot of spare sheet metal, then absolutely. If you need your pacing snappy or your dialogue to sound like human beings actually talk, you will probably be bored out of your mind within ten minutes. It is a slow burn that feels like it’s trying to build an entire civilization on top of a floating buoy.
The scale of this thing is wild. We are talking about a platform that looks like a giant, circular nightmare. I spent half the time just staring at the background extras, wondering if they knew they were standing on a giant piece of wood and cardboard. It reminded me a bit of the odd, claustrophobic staging in The Bells, though this has way more ambition and way fewer ghosts.
Conrad Veidt is in this, and he brings this weird, intense energy that the rest of the movie doesn't quite know how to handle. He’s running around trying to save the project while everyone else seems to be just walking through the motions. There is a specific scene where the radio goes dead, and the silence isn't just dramatic—it is just plain weird. It feels like the director forgot to add the background noise back in.
There is a lot of talk about fuel and radio frequencies, which is fine, but it makes the whole thing feel a bit like a training video for mid-Atlantic pilots. The movie gets way better when it stops trying to explain the physics of the platform and just lets the characters argue in the control room. The control room is basically the star of the show.
I kept thinking about Martin Eden while watching this, mainly because of the way these old films treat their leads—like they are the only people who can possibly understand the complexity of their situation. Here, the pilot is the only one who can navigate the crisis. It is a bit predictable, sure. But there is something honest about it.
One shot of the platform tilting lingers for a good thirty seconds longer than it needs to. I assume it was to show off the set, but it mostly just made me feel a little seasick. It’s those small, slightly awkward choices that make me like the movie more than I probably should. It is not a masterpiece, but it has heart. It’s got that weird, industrial charm that you just don't see anymore. ✈️🌊
IMDb —
1924
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