A well-done version of thoughtful classics

The 1961 film “Master of the World” is based on two novels by the great French novelist Jules Verne (1828-1905), both about 90 pages in length “Master of the World” and “Robur, The Conqueror.” Verne is famous for his insightful books about science, foreseeing items that were not discovered during his lifetime. He is called the father of science fiction. The film and novels may raise the question in the viewers’ and readers’ minds, as it did for me, was Robur a madman? Was his method of how the stop warfare crazy? If so, could it be somewhat modified to create a peaceful earth?

Six foot four inches Vincent Price (1911-1993) stars in the film as Robur the creator and captain of a huge flying machine that could fly faster than 200 miles an hour during a time when airplanes were not yet invented, only balloons. He is at war with war. He threatens governments throughout the world that the governments must either disarm or perish. He destroys warships after giving the crew warning that he will do so and giving them time to disembark. He does so by dropping bombs on them.

He happens by chance to save a father, his daughter, her fiancee, and a government official, played by Charles Bronson. He keeps them on his ship promising to release them sometime in the future. He does not want them to stop his quest. Bronson persuades the other three that they need to stop Robur and destroy his ship.

Was Bronson wrong?