Master of the World (1961)

Director:

William Witney

Writers:

Richard Matheson (screenplay) and
Jules Verne (novels)

Release Date:

May 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Adventure

Tagline:

The fabulous adventures of the man who conquered the earth to save it!

Plot:

The world in the late 19th century: A scientist and his team are held as "guests" of Robur on his airship...

Plot Keywords:

19th Century | Foreign Language Adaptation | Ultimatum | Inventor | Flying Machine

Cast

Vincent Price	...	Robur
Charles Bronson	...	Strock
Henry Hull	...	Prudent
Mary Webster	...	Dorothy
David Frankham	...	Phillip
Richard Harrison	...	Alistair
Vito Scotti	...	Topage (as Vitto Scotti)
Wally Campo	...	Turner

Runtime:

102 min | USA:99 min (including prologue)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (StereoSonic Sound)

Certification:

West Germany:6 (nf) | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:11

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

American International had planned on doing a sequel to this film. Concept drawings and even concept models were reportedly made. The sequel was not produced.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The shot of the "warship" from sea level is actually Fred MacMurray's ship, the "Gerrymander" from the 1952 film: "Fair Wind to Java" which was also directed by William Whitney for Republic. The same footage was later used on "The Wild Wild West".

Quotes:

Robur: This is the father of all ironies!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001)

Soundtrack:

Master of the World

A Pretty Good Action Sleeper

I caught this one on cable recently, seeing it for the first time as an adult. I must admit to a slight bias toward this film: when I was growing up in the dreaded BC (before cable) days, it was standard Saturday afternoon TV fare on our local indie channels. I was surprised at how well it's held up after all this time.

Master of the World is actually based on two little-remembered Jules Verne novels. Price is his usual hammy self as the standard Verne not-quite-villain, Robur (read: Nemo in the air) who, like Nemo, seeks to end war through technology. The young Bronson, as a sympathizer who then rebels against Robur's violent methods, is far less wooden than in his later years. But the real star of this movie is its production design. The rendering of what an aircraft might have looked like in Victorian days (had such a thing been possible) is dead-on, and the special effects are pretty impressive for 1961. The script, by Richard Matheson, is a little overwrought, but true to Verne's spirit while eliminating the blatant racism of the original stories. This time around though, I found the sweeping, melodramatic score to be a bit overpowering.

In short, not a perfect film or even a great film, but Master of the World remains a well made, entertaining action fantasy. I'm surprised it isn't better remembered by fans of the genre.