20 Fantastic Blimps, Balloons, And Dirigibles In Movies
9. Master Of The World (1961)
When a film boasts the brilliantly hammy Vincent Price as the commander of a flying ship, what else could it be called but Master of the World? Based on two novels by Jules Verne (who has popped up on this list frequently and clearly had love for flying machines himself), the film is a surprisingly thoughtful and complex story.
Price plays Robur, a man using his ship, military capabilities, and a manipulation of others’ religious fears to attempt to force peace on Earth through fear and obedience. He has captives who figure out what he’s doing and attempt to stop him. Produced by American International Pictures to compete with prestige adventure films, it has an appearance from Charles Bronson after his role in The Magnificent Seven and just before he hit it big in The Great Escape.