Film
Master of the World
1961
UK Quad (30" x 40") Single Sided, Printed in England by ELECTRIC (Modern) PRINTING CO. LTD. MANCHESTER 8
UK / British
Very Fine plus – Near Mint minus / Originally rolled (as issued)
William Witney
Charles Bronson, Henry Hull, Mary Webster, Richard Harrison, Vincent Price
1960’s ‘Boys Own’ action adventure science fiction doesn’t get better than Jules Verne’s “Master of the World”. This beautiful original UK quad film poster for William Witney’s 1961 blockbuster is superb and everything you could ask for an adventure film poster. As war engulfs the surface the magnificently detailed ‘steam punk’ airship ‘The Albatross’ hovers menacingly above the carnage. Originally rolled (as issued) the poster is in excellent condition; totally original and unrestored, boasting some dazzling colours and detailed artwork…Any paper from this much loved Jules Verne sci-fi action movie is rare but the UK quad poster with its country unique artwork is by far the rarest. It really is stunning with it’s design perfectly suited to the landscape format of the UK quad film poster…A great looking and very collectable British film poster that represents a premium piece of original film memorabilia from a classic of the sci-fi genre that is considered one of the first ‘steampunk’ movies.
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“In 1868, an American scientist and his team become hostages of fanatical pacifist Robur who uses his airship Albatross to destroy military targets on Earth.”
Any movie starring Vincent Price and with a screenplay by Richard Matheson is at least going to be interesting, especially for fans of old-school B-Movie, Sci-fi, and Horror. In my opinion, “Master of the World“ has been unfairly scrutinised for its 1961 special effects sequences, the use of anachronistically inaccurate stock footage, and the strange-looking flying machine. On the basis of total aesthetic and entertainment value, I say it is immensely enjoyable.
Price and Matheson always improved whatever they were given to work with. In this movie, we essentially get to see how Vincent Price would have played Captain Nemo, which was quite fun. Matheson, for his part, synthesised and improved upon material from two Jules Verne novels, and added in a few bits of ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea‘ for good measure. As usual, Matheson also throws in some provocative observations of the human condition, and leaves clues for the audience to contemplate, such as the efficacy of attempting to halt humanity’s war gods by means of propaganda leaflets and an airship that is, for all intents and purposes, also constructed of paper. Certainly Jules Verne longed in earnest to pacify the nations, and certainly paper was his medium.
The special effects and the model airship both have an unfortunate effect on modern audiences, which is too bad because both serve to tell the story and create a unified mood. Vincent Price was a great actor, but his style was not realistic, per se. Therefore, you really should not be expecting realistic effects in a Vincent Price movie. Conveying a mood, telling the story and having fun are the primary goals here, and they are achieved quite well.
In the slew of Jules Verne movies from the 50’s and 60’s, this one ranks behind Disney’s Captain Nemo adaptation, and roughly equal with Ray Harryhausen‘s ‘Mysterious Island‘ (Harryhausen’s effects are much better, but his script is weaker.) Although cheaper than Pat Boone’s ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth‘, this is miles ahead of it in terms of intelligence.
In addition, this film helped pave the way for the TV series ‘The Wild, Wild, West‘ which is one of the possible starting points for the Steampunk Genre.
Trade Address:
Vintage Movie Posters (UK) Limited
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The Broadway
Old Amersham
HP7 0HL
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Mint
A poster that has never been used or displayed and may show the most minor signs of age and wear. The poster should have no holes or tears.
Near Mint
A generally unused poster with fresh, saturated colors. May have minimal tears at folds. Has no significant holes, no paper loss, may have minor tears along edges, may have fine pin holes.
Very Fine
A poster with bright colour and crisp overall appearance. It may have very general signs of use including slight fold separation and fold wear. It may have pin holes or very minor tears. This is the highest grade allowed for a poster that has been restored either on linen or on paper.
Fine
A poster with good colors and overall clean appearance. It may have minor tears small paper loss and minor stains. It may have some fold seperation.
Good
An average poster with overall fresh color. May have tears, minor paper loss, minor hazing. Paper may be brittle due to age, may have minor stains. May have a small amount of writing in an unobtrusive place. May have medium or major restoration.
Fair
A poster with faded colors and brittle paper, showing significant signs of use. May have tears and paper loss. May have tape, writing, stains in image area. In need of restoration or had major restoration.
Poor
A poster that is worn, torn, and/or damaged. May have staining, cracking, dry rot, and/or large tears. May be heavily soiled, may have pieces missing. In need of major restoration.
All photographs and images used on our site are photographs of the actual poster/item you are buying, we do not use stock photographs.
LOBBY CARD
11 x 14″ printed on heavy stock paper. Used as display in theatre lobbies. Originally made in sets of eight. Some sets have a title card, which contains credits and artwork, essentially a mini-poster. The remaining seven cards are coloured photographic credits and poster artwork showing different scenes from the movie.
WINDOW CARD
14 x 22″ printed on heavy stock paper with the top 4-6 inches usually left blank for the local cinema owner to fill in the cinema and the date it was due to play. Largely discontinued during the 1970’s.
HALF SHEET
22 x 28″ printed on heavy stock paper. The image displayed is normally a smaller version of the main poster, although some do have different artworks and sometimes come in two versions.
INSERT
14 x 36″ printed on heavy stock paper. Inserts usually have the same artwork as a one sheet. Popular with collectors since they are smaller and easier to frame. Normally come tri folded or rolled.
STYLE Y/FORTY BY SIXTY
40 x 60″ printed on heavy stock paper. Rare since they were primarily used for major motion pictures only. Designed to be used outside the theatre, on an easel, normally at a drive-in movie theatre.
ONE-SHEET
27 x 41″ printed on paper. This is the most common size of poster, intended to be displayed in a glass “marquee” case. It is the most sought after size by collectors. Since the 1980’s most posters are sent to the theatre rolled and maybe slightly smaller measuring 27″ by 40″ and with the advent of backlit light boxes a growing number of modern movie posters are available double-sided and the more traditional single-sided.
THREE-SHEET
41 x 81″ printed on paper. These were printed on two or three separate sheets designed to overlap, few survive. Used for larger advertising spaces, normally posted on walls, perfect for huge movie theatres the drive-in, where people could see them from a distance. From the 1970’s on, three-sheets were sometimes printed in one piece and issued as “international” versions to be used abroad.
BRITISH QUAD
30 x 40″ Most common poster size used in the UK. British Quads are horizontal and may have different artwork to the US one sheet. Like a US one sheet they normally come in two versions. Like a US one sheet they are usually supplied single-sided or more commonly now as a double sided poster.
BRITISH ONE-SHEET
27 X 40″, printed on paper. Very rarely used size.
ITALIAN LOCANDINA
13 x 28″ six inches shorter than the US insert, very nice size to frame. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.
ITALIAN PHOTOBUSTA
18 x 26″ Glossy, high quality, used as lobby cards in Italy. Size may vary, either vertical or horizontal format. There are also double Photobusta or mini Photobusta.
2-FOGLIO (DUE)
(DUE): 39 x 55″ This is the standard poster size used in Italy. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.
4-FOGLIO
(QUATTRO) 55 x 79″ Very large Italian poster printed in two pieces, often contains very beautiful artwork.
FRENCH
47 x 63″ (GRANDE) or 24 x 33″ (PETITE) French movie posters normally come with different artwork to either the US or the UK. Like the Italian’s some of the artwork is extrememly beautiful.
