It’s very difficult for me to be objective with Master of the World. The film was
released in 1961 and I was born in 1962, so I didn’t have a chance to see it in
the theater. But I did see it repeatedly on television. I was a voracious
reader at a very young age. I loved fantastic tales of grand adventure and read
everything Jules Verne wrote. Although people still read his books, I think
many pass over “Robur the Conqueror” and its sequel “Master of the World”
because the scenarios expressed in these early science fiction books would be
kicked to the curb. WWI and WWII quickly revealed the true pros and cons of air
warfare. But I found his books fun reading. Verne’s contraptions were a subject
of many of my doodles. The Albatross, with its forest of propellers, was my
favorite to draw. I’d seen Master of the
World so many times that I had its shape and construction memorized. Yes, Master of the World might seem a little
hokey by today’s standards. But Vincent Price gives a great performance.
Charles Bronson’s star rose quite a bit after he was Charles Buchinsky playing
Igor in 1953’s House of Wax, in which Vincent Price was also the lead. And
while the war footage might be reused from other films, it does the job of
showing fun explosions. Watching it renews my desire to discover and read new
books. I still find Master of the World as fun to watch now
as when I saw it as a kid. I’d like my friends who are into Steampunk to
discover this gem and enjoy it just as much as I do.
