“The Airship is one of the most unconventional feature films ever produced in East Germany.”  —Munich Film Museum   

"…the topic of flying is nothing but a metaphor for freedom and self-determination."  —fimdienst.de   

"…the topic of flying is nothing but a metaphor for freedom and self-determination."  —F. B. Habel, Das große Lexikon der DEFA-Spielfilme

“The film catches the turn-of-the [20th] century atmosphere.” —Variety

“In the prominent role it gave to modernist music, The Airship remains […] an unusual experiment.”  —Larson Powell, Re-Imagining DEFA: East German Cinema in Its National and Transnational Context

“The first full-length experimental film made by DEFA.”  "—Heinz Kersten, Der Freitag

“An ambitious work with respect to narrative as well as the visual.”  —arsenal Cinema, Berlin

“I rarely saw a DEFA feature film so rich in inventive images and unusual visual compositions. The film dives into visual experimentation.”  —Matthias Struch, Die Zeit, die Welt und das Ich

“The Airship ventures into surrealistic domains. It flies past the theater of the absurd; embarks fascinatingly into the non-camera animation of Leipzig graphic designer and filmmaker Lutz Dammbeck; and plentifully sends visual signals (from popular erotic symbols to subtle encrypted allegories).”  —Fred Gehler, Sonntag

“Rainer Simon’s production opposed conventional viewing habits. He also invited other nonconformist artists to collaborate with him, such as film and performance artist Lutz Dammbeck, who scraped animation directly into film negative, and avant-gardist Friedrich Goldmann, who wrote the score.”  —Potsdam Film Museum