The Airship (1983): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1983, The Airship is a drama film directed by Rainer Simon, running about 117 minutes.

What it’s about. Franz Xavier Stannebein, a young boy at the turn of the 20th century, wants to do nothing more than fly. He carries this dream through his years at an orphanage and into adulthood as a merchant in Spain. He eventually invests everything he has into building his own version of an airship. He later meets some industrialists in Germany who want to support his idea, and they ask him to build an airfield in Spain. When he sees the Nazis use the field during the Spanish Civil War, however, he feels betrayed and goes to Germany to protest. There he is thrown into an insane asylum in Leipzig. After WWII, his grandson and other survivors of the family searches for him, only to find the empty asylum... Based on the novel Das Luft-Schiff. Biografische Nachlasse zu den Fantasien meines Grossvaters (1974) by Fritz Rudolf Fries. The non-camera animation in the film was created by internationally known director Lutz Dammbeck.

Who’s in it. The Airship stars Jörg Gudzuhn as Stannebein, Hermann Beyer as Kießling, Kurt Böwe as Psychologe and Gudrun Ritter as Polonia, among others.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Airship page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Airship tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.