Ava gardner stars in pandora and the flying dutchman. One of the great unsung filmmakers of cinemas golden age, albert lewins career may have only spanned six directorial efforts, but thanks to a new 4k restoration of his impossibly great pandora and the flying dutchman, its time for an entire new generation of film fans to get caught up in his brand of impressionistic melodrama pandora stars both ava gardner and james mason in the. Cohen media group is proud to present a new restoration of the timeless romance based on the legend of the flying dutchman. Pandora and the flying dutchman original trailer youtube. The pomp and sweep that make up pandora and the flying dutchmans dna are as much a reason to see the film as gardners lead performance, which arrived in 1951 just after george sidneys.
Its too bad the inspiration wasnt there for the entire film, this could have been something really special instead of being just pretty good. Martin scorsese sultry and surreal, macabre and hopelessly romantic, ava gardner and james mason star in this grownup fairy tale as lovers alternately casting or. A seductive woman falls in love with a mysterious ships ca. Good reason then for enjoying it and its type of film quietly, while letting the rest get on with hollywoods more obvious offerings. We are soon taught that hendrick is the flying dutchman, this sailor of the 17th century that has been cursed by god to wander over the seas until the doomsday. Pandora ava gardner is a woman who has never fallen in love.
A timeless romance based on the legend of the flying dutchman. Ava gardner in pandora and the flying dutchman, a film by albert lewin. Ava gardner, one of the most beautiful screen goddesses of all time, plays pandora, a woman who has never fallen in love. Soar with ava gardner in pandora and the flying dutchman. I cant quite find the masterpiece lurking inside albert lewins pandora and the flying dutchman but theres a spell the film weaves thats close to unique, perhaps comparable to things like the pictures of powell and pressburger and william dieterles portrait of jennie though markedly inferior on the whole. Pandora and the flying dutchman 4 5 stars 4 out of 5 stars. Pandora and the flying dutchman is an english movie directed by albert lewin released in the year 1951. Pandora and the flying dutchman, bluray, 4k mastering, restored, 2 pack, drama, 1929129258. James mason plays the fabled 17thcentury dutch sailor, doomed to sail the seven seas in a ghost ship foreverunless he can find. Pandora and the flying dutchman drama films the guardian. Pandora and the flying dutchman is a technicolored pastiche of symbolism, the supernatural and old romantic claptrap.
Film locations for pandora and the flying dutchman 1951, in spain. I had never seen this film before, and found it to be a very well written tale of the supernatural, and great ghost story, much. Those who dont buy into dismiss it as very pretty but pretentious pap, citing its arch and artificial dialogue, its tendency to overstate and then reoverstate the obvious, and a generally florid style as their reasons for not giving dutchman the time of day. Pandora and the flying dutchman bluray 1951 best buy. Pandora and the flying dutchman 1951 directed by albert. Albert lewins interpretation of the legend of the flying dutchman.
Pandora and the flying dutchman 1951 rotten tomatoes. Albert lewins adaptation of the flying dutchman legend transposes the story into an upperclass englishspeaking community in a small port in 1930s spain. Pandora and the flying dutchman turner classic movies. Pandora and the flying dutchman is a 1951 british technicolor drama film made by romulus films and released by metrogoldwynmayer in the united states. This bizarre 1951 fairy tale starring ava gardner and james mason is an exotic, extraordinary creation. This bizarre 1951 fairy tale starring ava gardner and james mason is an exotic, extraordinary creation, writes andrew pulver. The reincarnation of pandora and the flying dutchman and. James mason is the mysterious dutchman and ava gardner is pandora, the woman every man wants, only she does not really love any man. Pandora and the flying dutchman is a fantastical 50s technicolor melodrama and a one of a kind masterpiece. Shot by the late, great cinematographer jack cardiff, using a palette of dark reds, greens, blues and blacks, the film stars james mason as hendrik, a 17thcentury seaman eternally condemned to sail the oceans, and ava gardner, one of the most beautiful screen goddesses of all time, as pandora, a woman who has never fallen in love. Though theres more than a little unintended camp, it is a feast for the eyes. On dvd, pandora and the flying dutchman the new york times. Pandora and the flying dutchman 1951 film hd youtube.
James mason in pandora and the flying dutchman 1951. The ship is compared to the flying dutchman by sam winchester. Many cineastes consider pandora and the flying dutchman as the masterpiece of filmmaker albert lewin, while others write the film off as a pretentious bore. Pandora and the flying dutchman cohen film collection. A brilliant, new 4k digital restoration of iconoclastic director albert lewins.
Pandora and the flying dutchman albert lewin produced, directed and did the story and script, keeping this film on an almost unrelieved level of sombre depression. How pandora and the flying dutchman still casts a spell. How pandora and the flying dutchman still casts a spell the. Pandora and the flying dutchman cornell cinema cornell.
Ava gardner stars as pandora reynolds, a predatory creature who destroys the lives of all men whove been. A matter of life and death, black narcissus, and the red shoes as well as the underrated if not exactly great 1949 hitchcock offering under capricorn. A dutchman, living in the 17th century, is not permitted to rest until he finds a woman who loves. The 1951 movie, which stars ava gardner and james mason, has. The movie has a mystical, dreamlike and haunting atmosphere. Pandora and the flying dutchman is a beautiful film, dreamlike in the words of martin scorsese. For whatever reason, parts of the curious case of benjamin button also came to mind. Cohen film collection is proud to present a new restoration of albert lewins timeless romance based on the legend of the flying dutchman. Regardless of its flaws, pandora and the flying dutchman is a literate, creative, fairly original, and exceptionally wellacted film, with the exceptional feature of being photographed by jack cardiff obe, who was on quite a run going into this film having photographed the three powellpressburger classics from the 40s. So says critic jonathan rosenbaum about this luscious, ethereal fantasy which has been digitally restored to its original technicolor glory.
This movie had ava gardner, james mason in the lead roles of the film premise no data available. Watching this film is like entering a strange and wonderful dream. A masterpiecethe supreme encounter between surrealism and hollywood. There are a few spectacular scenes, particularly the attempted murder of the flying dutchman.
Shes never really fallen in love with any man, but she feels very attracted to hendrick. Pandora and the flying dutchman is told as a flashback. Pandora and the flying dutchman cornell cinema cornell arts. Black narcissus, pandora unfurls with dreamlike logic somewhere between the physical and the metaphysical, sometime between modernity and antiquity. Pandora and the flying dutchman 4k mastering, restored, 2. Pandora and the flying dutchman is a movie starring james mason, ava gardner, and nigel patrick. Lovingly restored using martin scorseses personal 35mm technicolor print as a color reference, this curio. The film was directed by albert lewin and produced by lewin and joe kaufmann from his own screenplay, based on the legend of the flying dutchman.
When the movie starts two bodies are discovered on the beach after a big storm. Pandora and the flying dutchman view trailer sultry and surreal, macabre and hopelessly romantic, ava gardner and james mason star in this grownup fairy tale as lovers alternately casting or in the clutches of a powerful spell. There are few films that can be acclaimed as truly mad, but pandora and the flying dutchman stands rather wonderfully in this category. Pandora and the flying dutchman with ava gardner is.