Ava GardnerPandora And The Flying Dutchman

Possibly James Mason’s best film, beautifully filmed.

James Mason gives his best performances in movies made before 1960’s. This one is Choice! Mysterious and Romantic. It has a feel of fantasy as in the mystical. Do you know the story of Pandora’s Box?

Decent love story...kind of an enchanted folklore-esque tale. With an edge of eeriness.I wish Ava Gardner wouldn't whisper 90 percent of her lines!!! It's not sexy, so stop it! I felt like screaming towards the end of the movie ..."SPEAK UP!" It was very annoying and affected.James Mason is a dashing class act even with those crooked bottom teeth. It's all about the panache and the voice.A movie for the true romantic but not for the hard of hearing or for people who like women with a voice.

Albert Lewin, the writer/director of Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, had a distinctive style that was unique in Hollywood. His surrealist references, the choreography-like blocking of his characters, and his fascination with existential/psychological themes may have been more obvious in his films of the 1940's (The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Moon and Sixpence) but they are all present here as well. Blended with the lush sensuality of the Spanish Coast, mirrored in his heroine, Pandora, they are less obvious and more richly illustrated.Lewin was never interested in a naturalistic style of film making; he lets the theme dominate the characters, moving them like chess pieces toward their fate. In this case, the theme is human passion. In the opening scenes we are introduced to the theme through the suicide-for-love of one of Pandora's suitors counterpointed by the impassioned flamenco dancing of La Pillina. To live or die for passion: that is the question. Each of the male characters is driven by their need to possess Pandora and each works it out --and pays for it--in different ways. The Dutchman is the wild card here because he must deal with a fate that has left him with human passions but demands that he transcend his humanity in order to die.Pandora is more than a mere catalyst for the male characters. Unlike most heroines of the early 50's, she is given a willful personality and left to work out her own fate. Which of the men will she choose and why?If you are looking for a piece of romantic escapism, this film works on that level but to look at it in this way is to miss its richness and the challenging questions raised by the theme. References to the work of artists Man Ray, De Chirico, Max Ernst, Marcel Duchamp and the Surrealist school abound. Aesthetics, philosophy, art, and life are intertwined. Buy the film and watch it. Then peel back the layers with Susan Felleman's book "Botticelli in Hollywood: The Films of Albert Lewin" and watch the film again. It's challenging, intriguing, awkward, entertaining, and a sensual treat.

This is one of a handful of films from this period of saturated color and the gorgeous cinematography of Jack Cardiff. Many of these films incorporate within their story and script elements of literature, art, mystery and timeless love that transcends death. This one delivers all. Ava Gardner's character is beautiful and untouchable in this film, her heart is as cold as the statues she caresses, her attention as bloodthirsty as the bullfights of her ex-lover... one of many we discover. Her requirements of a lover are that she be given all, and of course, no one can deliver. The story begins in one of these trite vacation atmospheres - playground of the very rich dilletantes. We are told she was a singer - not a very good one by her own admission. We are treated to Gardner's real singing voice, which is not cultured, but unique and husky (too bad they didn't let her sing all her own stuff in SHOWBOAT - it's the right voice for that character). She seems to get by on her beauty, which is immense, and her capriciousness. She is not particularly likable, but she doesn't pretend to be better than she is, and that is interesting. Then a mysterious boat appears, with a sad handsome man who is working on a painting of Pandora... which bears a resemblance to her. At this point the movie moves from the mundane into the magical, with tormented love at its most operetic. This movie was an artistic enterprise, with high emotions, high risk. If F.Scott Fitzgerald's characters interbred with Greek mythology, this is the child they would create. It has some faint awkward moments of voiceover and explanation, but it is magical in it's look, and moreover, it is, like many other Jack Cardiff films, simply one-of-a-kind. The perfect rainy day movie. Very watchable.

2 1/2 starsIf you're a bona fide old movie buff, this movie is worth seeing for the gloriously restored Technicolor cinematography alone. James Mason and/or Eva Gardner fans will also find plenty to enjoy. As always, Mason delivers a stunning performance, particularly in a scene where his character faces judgment for his sins. While Gardner is not a top-notch actress in my opinion, her physical presence--arguably in its prime here--and her ever-present aloof and disinterested nature is exactly what this movie calls for.Now, for the story itself: Despite the star power, there's a justifiable reason this movie isn't one of Hollywood's immortal classics. Take one part Great Gatsby, one part Vertigo, one part Groundhog Day (with none of the humor or warmth--by no means is this a comedy), then throw in some Ernest Hemingway and a sprig of Chad and Lori Daybell for kicks. I don't know how else to describe it. The movie is marginally thought provoking in some ways, but mostly it's just bizarre (and I say this as someone who typically enjoys off the beaten path faire).When it ended, "Pandora and the Flying Dutchman" left me feeling the same way "Forest Gump" and "Cast Away" left me: Not disappointed I saw it, but not something I'd bother to watch again.

Maravilhosa edição esta em blu-ray da Contracorriente, cores vivas respeitado o colorido da época um pouco na linha do Red Shoes, obra mágica quase operatica. Nunca fui grande fã de James Mason mas reconheço-lhe o mérito no personagem do Holandês errante. A trilha sonora é excelente, quanto a Ava Gardner acho que nesta obra foi captada toda a sua beleza e rebeldia. Recomendo vivamente grande aposta

Excellent quality prompt delivery . Excellent viewing

One of my favorite old (1951) movies. I saw the VHS, the DVD and both had a very dark picture. The bluray has been restored and is appreciably brighter. the Bluray includes a six minute demo of the remasterization. A star vehicle for Ava Gardner for sure, this movie retells the Flying Dutchman legend in a romantic fashion. Recommended for romantic old movie lovers.

Comme protagoniste principal d'Ava Gardner, le premier rôle masculin est joué par James Mason, comme à l'accoutumée de manière sobre et élégante (on se souvient de son rôle dans Notorious d'Hitchcock par exemple). Quant à l'histoire, il s'agit de la reprise de l'histoire mythique du 'Hollandais volant'.Mais ce qui fait de ce film un incontournable, c'est la captation, la sublimation de la beauté d'Ava Gardner. Je ne connais pas un autre film où l'actrice est si bien mise en valeur. Sa beauté est d'autant plus exaltée par le Technicolor employé offrant des teintes profondes.Nul doute que ce film contribue, encore longtemps, à installer Ava Gardner au panthéon des stars hollywoodiennes.

This is one of my favourite films and I was very pleased to find it available on DVD. I have not watched the film for years and I am very much looking forward to watching it again after so long.