Pandora and the Flying Dutchman

Ava Gardner is Pandora, a beautiful American nightclub singer vacationing in a Spanish seaport town who spurns her admirers with a mix of cruelty and ennui, while James Mason is the literally ageless Renaissance man Hendrik in this handsome 1951 romantic fantasy drama inspired by the legend of the Flying Dutchman. Written and directed by Albert Lewin, this entrancing tale blends ancient and contemporary mythology with a sophisticated script full of literary and classical references amidst a Hemingway-esque story of a lost generation of wealthy Europeans during the early 1930s. While Lewin takes a too-literal approach with the central myth about a man doomed to sail the seas until he finds a woman who loves him so much she would die for him, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman works thanks to the superb performances by Gardner and Mason, coupled with the beautiful images and hyper-saturated Technicolor hues created by Oscar-winning cinematographer Jack Cardiff. Both the DVD and Blu-ray versions are mastered from a new restoration, displaying rich, deep colors along with fine detail (a before-and-after featurette nicely shows off the difference). Bonus features include the alternate UK opening and a 1947 Spanish documentary short on the legendary bullfighter Manolete, the inspiration for one of Gardner's fictional admirers in the film. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)