6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Nineteenth-century government agent Strock hires Prudent, a munitions maker and balloon enthusiast, to help investigate the source of a mysterious voice that emanated from Pennsylvania's Great Eyrie. With Prudent's daughter Dorothy and her fiancé Philip, the pair flies over the mountain, only to be shot down and taken captive by Robur. Using his colossal airship Albatross, Robur plans to end world warfare by decimating any country that refuses to lay down its arms.
Starring: Vincent Price, Charles Bronson, Henry Hull, David Frankham, Vito ScottiSci-Fi | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
William Witney's "Master of the World" (1961) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new audio commentary recorded by film historians Tom Weaver, David Schecter, and Richard Heft, and Vincent Price biographer Lucy Chase Williams; archival audio commentary recorded by star David Frankham and actor David Dixon; archival documentary; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Master of the World arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
The release is sourced from the same old master that MGM supplied to Shout Factory for this release of Master of the World from 2016. It is a rough master with predictable limitations, but I like it a little better than the one that was used for the recent release of Theater of Blood. There are two reasons for this. First, despite some small but obvious fluctuations, plenty of the darker footage here reveals better nuances. There is still plenty of room for improvements, but this footage consistently has stronger organic qualities. Second, despite signs of ageing, the color balance is convincing good as well. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. The film does look a bit softer than it should, but this is primarily because the current master wasn't struck from the OCN. Plenty of minor specks, blemishes, and even some scratches can be spotted, but there are no distracting large cuts, warped or torn frames. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The lossless track is quite good. However, I think that it needs to be fully remastered so that its dynamic range is improved. From time to time the audio becomes a bit flat, in some areas even a tad thin, so there is definitely room for some meaningful rebalancing work. On the other hand, it is clean and healthy, so the upper register, where older audio tracks usually reveals weakness, is already pretty good.
A couple of nights ago, I made a double bill of Master of the World and The Dead Zone and could not stop thinking how similar their main characters are. Both have 'good intentions' and are trying to help, but are actually classic psychopaths. In some parts of the world, these are the exact type of characters that would volunteer to become 'martyrs'. Master of the World is clearly easier to digest, but I don't think that its simplicity ought to be considered a weakness because it works very well for its message. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an old but mostly decent master that was supplied by MGM. At the moment, it is very attractively priced, so if you don't have Master of the World in your collection, consider picking up one. RECOMMENDED.
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