Directed by: Albert Lewin
Starring: James Mason and Ava Gardner
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
IMDB
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman is a nice little film. It’s the type of film where your attitude going into it will effect your enjoyment of it. At over two hours long and a bit “laggy” in certain areas, if you can’t get yourself into itss mindset (fantastical and a bit pseudo-intellectual) then I can see it becoming a chore to sit through. The plot is pretty true to the myth, a man condemned to the sea is able to take human form every seven years in order to try to find a woman who will die for him to break his curse, and the actors turn in performances of varying skill. Mason is great as the Dutchman, a fairly difficult role which he pulls off with precision and nuance.
Gardner doesn’t fair as well. From what I know of her as a person, she is basically playing herself in this film. Though fine for the first half of the film (where she needs to be aloof and unnattainable) she falters in the second half where we need to see her undying devotion to the Dutchman. Not to sound chauvinist, but she is saved by her looks in this film. Shot in beautiful technicolor, Gardner has a glow and an aire about her that actually covers for her mediocre acting. Jack Cardiff, the film’s DP, knew what he had in Gardner, and his camera embraces her in stunning fashion. More than a few times I paused the film during a particularly stunning shot of Gardner just to admire it. While not nearly a bad film, Pandora is ultimately a bit forgettable outside of Mason’s performance and the beautiful technicolor cinematography. I believe all of the early technicolor films are worth seeing, if only to marvel at how directors dealt with this novel technology, and what better way to enjoy it then with Ava Gardner on your screen.
