Posted: 09/18/2011

Master of the World

(1961)

by Ruben R. Rosario

Now available on DVD from the MGM Limited Edition Collection.

Master of the World is a forgotten gem of an adventure film and it’s a joyous occasion that MGM’s Limited Edition Collection has finally released it on DVD. Based on two Jules Verne novels, Master of the World and The Conqueror, the film chronicles the mission of a mysterious scientist named Robur (Vincent Price) trying to take over the world in order to stop warfare. John Strock (Charles Bronson), Mr. Prudent (Henry Hull), his daughter Dorothy (Mary Webster), and her fiance Mr. Evans (David Frankham) are kidnapped by Robur and are taken around the world in his flying machine, The Albatross, to be witnesses to his goal of ending warfare. Master of the World was directed by William Witney, scripted by Richard Mattheson and is a fantastic adventure film that all ages can enjoy.

The film is a low budget picture, but one would never be convinced of this due to the use great production techniques. Everything from miniatures, matte paintings, elaborate sets and great cinematography makes Master of the World a great adventure film. The script from Mattheson is rock solid and adapts both of Verne’s novels very well into the 102 minute running time. All of the cast, from Vincent Price’s Robur to Charles Bronson’s John Strock do a great job with the material keep things moving from the opening frames of the film. If there’s any big problem with the film, it’s when the budget peeks its head during a major climax of the film.

There’s a point Robur want to stop a battle happening in Egypt by bombing it from above. The film then splices found footage of another film with the Master of the World footage and it comes off as really cheap and doesn’t match the film at all. There are multiple times in the film where it uses found footage but during this scene, the cuts between the two different kinds of footage are very obvious that they’re from two separate films and the scene falls a little flat for it.

MGM’s Limited Edition Collection version of Master of the World is presented in a 1.85 aspect ratio. The only extra feature that’s included on Master of the World is just the original theatrical trailer. While the film does showcase some flaws in the budget department, it’s a fantastic take on Verne’s material and utilizes some great techniques that are no longer used in Hollywood. I only wish that more adventure films now had the bravado and muster that Master of the World manages to showcase because then current adventure films would be a little more exciting.

Ruben R. Rosario is a graduate from Columbia College Chicago with a degree in Audio for Visual Media. He works as a freelance location sound mixer, boom operator, sound designer, and writer in his native Chicago. He’s an avid collector of films, comics, and anime.

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