Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Master of the World Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 26, 2016

Given their iconic status in both the Vincent Price and Roger Corman filmographies, it’s perhaps a little surprising to realize that the actor and writer-director only made eight feature films together. While the two previous Scream Factory sets of Price material, The Vincent Price Collection and The Vincent Price Collection II, have necessarily reached beyond that vaunted pairing to include other titles starring the legendary thespian, the dwindling supply of available titles may mean this third “at bat” will be the last. While there is a Price-Corman collaboration on tap here, this set, like its predecessors, reaches out into Price’s long relationship with American International Pictures (and others) to provide some charming if often hammy opportunities for Price.

For reviews of the many films released in the previous Price collections, please click on the following links:

The Vincent Price Collection Blu-ray review

The Vincent Price Collection II Blu-ray review

In the commentary included on Master of the World as a supplement, actor David Frankham and Jonathan David Dixon repeatedly at least imply that the whole Corman-Poe series starring Price was already well established by the time this film appeared, but my by no means scientific analysis shows that in fact only House of Usher had been released by the time this film made its debut in May of 1961 (it’s probable that The Pit and the Pendulum was either in production or post-production by that time). One way or the other, Master of the World is in some ways an outlier in the whole Price-American International saga, not merely due to the fact that it wasn’t directed by Corman. Instead of a horror outing based (ostensibly if not in fact) on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Master of the World is more of a science fiction extravaganza (at least as extravagant as American International’s typically paltry budgets would allow) that is more of a sibling to other Jules Verne based films like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and the then relatively recent Around the World in 80 Days . As such, Master of the World presages (if only slightly) other popular Verne entertainments like Mysterious Island, albeit without the special effects blandishments of the legendary Ray Harryhausen.

Several years before the comedic Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines delighted audiences with its “The Great Race in the sky” shenanigans, Master of the World employed a prologue that is in many ways very similar to the one seen in Magnificent Men, albeit without the presence of Red Skelton. In fact some of the very same archival footage seen in Magnificent Men documenting the almost unbelievably inept early attempts for man to achieve flight is included in Master of the World’s relatively brief review of this slow slog toward literal high technology. That then segues into the apparently 19th century terror of some Pennsylvania townspeople reacting to mysterious emanations from a nearby volcano.

A hot air balloon expedition is put into force to investigate these phenomena, and a gaggle of interrelated character signs on to climb into a “vehicle” which will no doubt remind many Verne lovers of a similar mode of transportation in Mysterious Island. These include a government worker named John Strock (Charles Bronson), who enlists the aid of balloon owner Philip Evans (David Frankham). Also along for the ride are Evans’ fiancée Dorothy Prudent (Mary Webster), as well as Dorothy’s father (Henry Hull), who is Evans' argumentative partner in the balloon enterprise. Before their investigation can get very far, however, a trauma intrudes which leaves the quartet hostages of a kind aboard another flying apparatus known as the Albatross, a rather fanciful dirigible like creation helmed by a mysterious stranger known as Robur (Vincent Price).

There’s a frankly curious connection between Master of the World and the iconic science fiction classic The Day the Earth Stood Still, including but not limited to a “higher power” (no pun intended) putting Mankind on notice that their warring proclivities had better come to a quick end or else they’ll come to a quick end. There’s also a none too subtle Biblical subtext here courtesy of Robur’s rantings, an element which is much more overt than the Robert Wise epic’s cautious but unmistakable references to Christian iconography.

While relatively opulent by typical American International standards, there’s still a bit of a low rent ambience wafting through Master of the World. The “special effects” are questionable at best, with some pretty lamentable uses of inartfully integrated stock footage, and the production design certainly can’t match the luxurious surroundings Disney gave a certain Captain Nemo in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Bronson makes for a traditionally stolid (if maybe —just maybe—duplicitous) hero, and Price chews through his fire and brimstone speeches with relish.

Master of the World Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Master of the World is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory, an imprint of Shout! Factory, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. There's a kind of unquestioned acceptance among many videophiles that transfers based off of IPs (as this is advertised as being) or negatives will "necessarily" offer a better looking image than one based off a release print or other secondary source, and while that may be generally true, everything of course comes down to the condition of the source, and in this case, the IP was evidently not in very good shape. There are all sorts of damage issues at play here, including a lot of scratches, nicks, dirt and flecks, as well as two huge, looming black circles that occur early on which resemble "reel change" markers, except for the fact that they're uncommonly large and happen in quick succession. The image is often fairly rough looking, especially in wider shots where detail can be relatively negligible. On the plus side, while there is some evidence of fade, colors are reasonably robust, with blues being especially pleasing throughout the presentation. There's a slightly digital look to the proceedings at times, including what looks like some (relatively minor) sharpening, in what may have been an attempt to overcome inherent limitations of the source elements.

Master of the World Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Master of the World features both a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track (our specs can be a little confusing, and so to minimize questions about what's presented on the disc, I included both stereo and mono options in the listing above to hopefully clarify things). The mono track is a bit brighter sounding to my ears, while the stereo track has a somewhat tamped down midrange that may actually sound less brittle to some, especially when Les Baxter's music plays. Both tracks have some minor but noticeable distortion in that same midrange, especially noticeable when there are loud sound effects. There's a bit of other age related damage as well, but nothing that rises to the degree seen in the video presentation. Both tracks have a somewhat narrow, boxy sound but offer all elements with decent fidelity and prioritization.

Master of the World Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Richard Matheson: Storyteller (Extended Cut) (1080p; 1:12:05) is a fantastic overview of this legendary writer's work.


• Theatrical Trailer (1080i; 2:28)


• Photo Gallery I (1080p; 2:18)


• Photo Gallery II (1080p; 1:59)


• Audio Commentary features David Frankham and Jonathan David Dixon.

Master of the World Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's a little funny at times to see American International attempting a "prestige" picture, especially when it becomes obvious pretty early on that they're spectacularly ill equipped to do so in a convincing manner. Lackluster special effects and a somewhat static ambience (despite the exoticism of the setting) hobble this entry, but Price is a lot of fun as an Apocalyptic minister who just happens to pilot a blimp. While not a great film by any stretch, Master of the World is relatively engaging if taken on its own small scale merits. Video quality encounters some obstacles, as does the audio quality (to a lesser degree), but the supplemental package is quite engaging. Recommended.