Maybe it’s a flying castle!
Vincent Price burns an airship (not a castle) in Master of the World (1961), but this airborne version of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954), regardless of the parallels, is far inferior to the prior movie in all respects. The characters are little more than thin, illogical stereotypes, with the exception of government agent John Strock (Charles Bronson), who at least stays within expectations without chewing the scenery; an opposite example is the arms manufacturer Mr. Prudent, who is quite loud while being a stereotype. The audio and cinematography is adequate, but the plot, although akin to 20,000 Leagues, is far more sketchy.
We know the airship is far in advance of any other known technology. Run by Robur (Price), he seems driven by interior distress, as he mumbles about man’s foolish need for war. He’s caught the attention of the US government when something he does excites a local mountain into appearing to be a volcano. A government agent engages a local hot air balloon for reconnaisance, owned by Mr. Prudent, and he and his daughter and her fiancee come along. They are shot down by unguided missiles (impressive for the 1830s), survive the crash and are taken prisoner. They watch as an American warship is destroyed through the use of aerial bombs, then the British fleet and, presumably, parts of Paris. Finally, they try to stop a war in Egypt, with lugubrious consequences.
The plot abounds with annoying inconsistencies. Prisoners are permitted to run about with little restriction, the suggestion that teeny little bombs from the airship are adequate to cow entire nations otherwise known for obduracy is taken seriously, the airship suffers mysterious failures with no explanation, and the ship’s master, Robur, places his ship in mortal peril for no particular reason.
And his apology to his first mate drew shrugs of puzzlement from myself and my Arts Editor. Perhaps that was the result of an unfortunate TV editing cut.
In any case, perhaps the best part of the movie are the baroque sets, much in the style of 20,000 Leagues, and after a while they grow wearisome. Add in ridiculous special effects, and this is really a time-waster, unless you’re a Price completist.
Even then, you may want to find something else to do while this dog’s playing, just to salve that bleeding wound that opens every time you see a worthless movie.
