clanciai A fascinating variation on the old story of the Flying Dutchman and his eternal damnation, which only a true love can save him from, here Ava Gardner at her most intoxicating, while the Dutchman couldn't have been anyone better than James Mason, who later also played Captain Nemo, almost the same character. The film also offers some fabulous bullfighting scenes with its dances of death in some way symbolically illustrating the character of the film, which emanates into the final difficult and unresolvable issue of what death really is, if not just a gateway to another or even the eternal life? The archaeologist, who is the only one who realizes who James Mason is at an early stage, tries to solve the riddles but only succeeds in documenting them. It's a well written story by the director of other similar cases, like "The Moon and Sixpence" and "The Portrait of Dorian Gray", both with George Sanders, somewhat spiritually related with James Mason with the same kind of more bottoms than one, and this is perhaps Albert Lewin's best film, succeeding very well with his characters, especially James Mason and Ava Gardner - I don't think I ever saw her more to her advantage, and still she is not entirely sympathetic here. Her final black dress really puts the final crown on the performance. There are also some very commendable taverna scenes with flamencos and gipsies, which adds to making this half supernatural story more realistic than it is. Everything happens in a small coastal village of Spain, which you recognize from several other films for its picturesqueness, contributing essentially to the very enjoyable beauty of the scenery throughout the film. The brief appearance of Marius Goring in the beginning should not be ignored in any review - it sets the mood for the entire half melodrama, half noir, half science fiction and half occult character of timelessness of the film, which clearly was the aim of the writer/director, which he succeeds in reaching.

Jackson Booth-Millard From the pages of the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die I found this title, I wrongly assumed it was going to be a foreign film, perhaps a fantasy or mythology based story, but I was looking forward to whatever it would entail, from director Albert Lewin (The Picture of Dorian Gray). Basically, set in 1930, in the small Catalan port of Esperanza fishermen discover the bodies of a man and a woman in their nets, police and resident archaeologist Geoffrey Fielding (Harold Warrender) are at the scene, and returning home Geoffrey tells the story of these two dead people as he makes sense of the events that lead to their deaths. Pandora Reynolds (Ava Gardner) is an American nightclub singer and femme fatale who has many men who believe they love her, but she is unable to love anyone, and these admirers she often tests their devotion to her, including Reggie Demarest (Marius Goring) who commits suicide drinking poisoned wine for her, but she seems to show no reaction. Land speed record holder Stephen Cameron (Nigel Patrick) is her latest admirer, but she says she will only marry him if he sacrifices his treasured racing car by pushing it off a cliff into the sea, but she is curious to know the captain of a yacht that has sailed into Esperanza. One night she swims out to the yacht, and inside she finds Dutch captain Hendrik Van Der Zee (James Mason), he is painting a picture of a woman who bares a striking resemblance to her, and he is calling her Pandora, representing the mythological Greek legend, and as with other men he finds himself falling for the American woman and moves to a hotel on the land to spend more time with her. Geoffrey and Hendrick become friends and collaborate to identify local finds, they even find a notebook from the 16th Century, it was written in Dutch by Hendrick, who is revealed to be the accursed Flying Dutchman, he murdered his wife who he believed was unfaithful, his loss led to blasphemy and his death sentence, but before his execution a spirit showed him his wife was innocent, ghosts were all over the ship, and he was cursed to endlessly sail the seas until he finds a woman who loves and is willing to die for him, and to this day he appears every seven years to try and find this woman. Pandora is in love with Van Der Zee, but he does not want her to die so he does everything he can to make her hate him, and meanwhile she has bullfighter Juan Montalvo (Mario Cabré) to gain her affection, he even murders Hendrick in jealousy, but after leaving Hendrick is alive as if nothing happened, and the next day he turns up at a bullfight, where Juan is so shocked to see him he ignores the bull and gets fatally wounded by it, he explains the murder to Pandora before dying, she is confused. It comes to the day of her wedding to Stephen, but Pandora wants to know from Geoffrey the translations of the notebook, and now she knows the truth she swims out the yacht again, and he reveals that the painting is done from memory, he was married to Pandora in her past reincarnation, she is his chance to lift his punishment, but it would mean her dying, but ultimately he accepts her love and they embrace, but of course fate takes them went a fierce storm turns the yacht over, and the next morning Hendrick and Pandora's bodies are found, destiny has been fulfilled and the curse has been lifted. Also starring Sheila Sim as Janet, John Laurie as Angus, Pamela Mason, James's then wife as Jenny, Patricia Raine as Peggy and Margarita D'Alvarez as Senora Montalvo. Gardner is beautiful looking but obviously has her inability to truly love any man until she finds the unlikely one, Mason is good as the mysterious man who is later revealed to be a cursed sailor who does not want his love to be hurt by his punishment, it is an interesting story of legend mixing with strangeness, it may be a bit barmy and an acquired taste for modern audiences, but it is certainly a most watchable romantic fantasy drama. Very good!

wes-connors A 1930s Spanish seaport is riveted by alluring saloon singer Ava Gardner (as Pandora Reynolds). A strange yacht brings intriguing "Flying Dutchman" James Mason (as Hendrik van der Zee) into her life. She drifts from Nigel Patrick (as Stephen Cameron) to Mr. Mason. Mason's wife Pamela Kellino (as Jenny) keeps an eye on the co-stars. While the original Pandora's box contained hope, Ms. Gardner's holds desire. She is beautiful and bewitching in Technicolor. Alas, the pace is funereal rather than mysterious; sometimes, it feels like the film is running in slow-motion. Gardner and the location photography by Jack Cardiff are the main attractions.***** Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (2/51) Albert Lewin ~ Ava Gardner, James Mason, Nigel Patrick, Sheila Sim

writers_reign It seems churlish to begin with a cavil but this print was preceded by an on-screen message that it was a 'restored' version, only to be followed by what looked like a washed-out third or fourth generation print. It may well have been Lewin's intention to shoot in dull tones in 1950 but somehow I tend to doubt it. There's an immediate nod to A Matter Of Life And Death both in the central couple - one dead, one living - and the use of Harold Warrender, a 'scientific' type who complements perfectly Roger Livesey's 'doctor' and also serves as narrator. As for the hokum that masquerades as plot the less said the better, in this case it is definitely a case of Style not Content. Gardner is so gorgeous she doesn't really need to do anything else yet by 1950 MGM had moulded her into a fairly half-decent actress and Mason was well up to handling any real acting that needed doing. On the other hand Sheila Sim demonstrates yet again why her screen career consisted of a mere ten movies, just as well she married Dickie Attenborough otherwise she may have starved to death. Dorothy Parker wrote only a handful of lyrics, notably I Wished On The Moon, but another is performed by Gardner here, How Am I To Know, and performed well. Apart from this it's the visuals and symbolism that are the main interest and in a decent print they would have been stunning.