Master of the World

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

1961 1h 42m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 86

Science FictionAdventure

Synopsis

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A mad genius tries to bomb the world into peace.

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

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Vincent Price
Captain Robur
Charles Bronson
John Strock
Mary Webster
Dorothy Prudent
Henry Hull
Prudent
David Frankham
Phillip Evans
Wally Campo
Turner
Vito Scotti
Topage
Richard Harrison
Alistair

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: William Witney
Writers: Richard Matheson
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

65 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by William Witney, shot by Gilbert Warrenton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Anthony Carras shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Vincent Price and Charles Bronson and Mary Webster carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The fabulous adventures of the man who conquered the earth to save it!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0055152 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 86 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

William Witney directs. Gilbert Warrenton behind the camera. Anthony Carras cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

165 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by William Witney, shot by Gilbert Warrenton. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Editor Anthony Carras shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
4Vincent Price and Charles Bronson and Mary Webster carry the top of the cast.
5Marketing tagline: "The fabulous adventures of the man who conquered the earth to save it!".
6IMDB entry: tt0055152 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 86 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Gilbert Warrenton
Editing: Anthony Carras
Production design: Daniel Haller
Makeup / hair: Fred B. Phillips
Runtime: 102 min · 1h 42m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.78:1 (16:9)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Master of the World (1961)

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William Witney

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2024-10-07
★ 4/10
Ranks with the least of the classic Jules Verne flicks In 1868, a scientist and his team are exploring a volcanic crater in the Appalachians when their hot air ballon is shot down and they become “guests” on an amazing airship, part zeppelin and part helicopter. The captain of the vessel (Vincent Price) is at war with war and intends to obtain peace on Earth by destroying military targets. “Master of the World” (1961) was based on two books by Verne, Robur the Conqueror from 1886 and its sequel from 1904, the latter of which shares the name of this film. The character of Robur is basically Captain Nemo in the skies, but Disney’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” had ten times the budget while the contemporaneous “Mysterious Island” had twice the budget. Except for the model used for the airship, the special effects are dubious and so are the sets, costumes and score. The writing is on the wall in the opening scene, after an entertaining prologue featuring historical attempts at functioning aircraft: The mountains in the background of the fictional town in Pennsylvania look fake and nothing like the Appalachians, particular the volcano. Then Price’s voice is heard via an early loudspeaker, which is just as cringeworthy. Vincent is his usual entertaining self and it’s interesting to see Charles Bronson when he was so young (38 during shooting). Speaking of which, Price was known to make friends with his costars, but he said it was impossible to do so with Bronson. On the feminine side of things, there’s winsome Mary Webster. A similar film is “Captain Nemo and the Underwater City” from seven years later. It had a slightly bigger budget (yet not that much bigger, considering inflation) and takes the same basic concepts for an all-around superior viewing experience, very colorful and awe-inspiring. It just exchanges Robur with Nemo, the skies with the depths of the ocean, and the airship with a magnificent underwater city. On top of all this, it has Luciana Paluzzi and Nanette Newman. The movie runs 1 hour, 42 minutes, with location work (outside the studio sets) shot in Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, in east-central California. Archival footage from “The Four Feathers” (1939) was extensively used. GRADE: C-

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