Pandora and the Flying Dutchman

Director: Albert Lewin Albert Lewin

Overview

Based on an old folk tale, this romantic fantasy tells the allegorical tale of an irresponsible emotionally ice-bound American woman living in 1930s Spain who finds herself in an extraordinary situation with a ghostly Dutch ship captain. The ghost must convince a mortal woman to sacrifice her life for his.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/21/2020
UPC:	0191329129241
Original Release:	1951
Rating:	NR
Source:	Cohen Media Group
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:04:00

Special Features

Disc 1: ; Original trailer; Hedda Hopper trailer; Restoration trailer; Alternate opening; Restoration comparison; Death of Manolette; ; Disc 2: ; The Living Idol feature; Restoration trailer; English SDH subtitles

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

James Mason	Hendrick van der Zee,Actor
Ava Gardner	Pandora Reynolds
Nigel Patrick	Stephen Cameron
Sheila Sim	Janet Fielding
Harold Warrender	Geoffrey Fielding
John Laurie	Angus
Pamela Kellino	Jenny Ford
Patricia Raine	Peggy Ford
Marguerite D'Alvarez	Senora Montalvo
Marius Goring	Reggie Demarest
John La Pillina	Spanish Dancer,Dancer
Abraham Sofaer	Judge
Francisco Igual	Vincente
Guillermo Beltran	Barman
Lily Molnar	Geoffrey's Housekeeper
Phoebe Hodgson	Dressmaker
John Carew	Priest
Eddie Leslie	Doctor
Christina Forbes	Nurse
Gabriel Carmona	Members of Montalvo's Quadrilla
Antonio Martin	Members of Montalvo's Quadrilla
Helen Cleverley	Actor
Gerald Welsh	Actor
Mario Cabré	Juan Mantalvo
Alan Rawsthorne	Composer

Technical Credits

Albert Lewin

Albert Lewin	Director,Screenwriter,Producer
Joe Kaufman	Producer,Producer
W. Day	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

Albert Lewin's Pandora and the Flying Dutchman has a tendency to evoke quite differing reactions from people. Those who don't buy into dismiss it as very pretty but pretentious pap, citing its arch and artificial dialogue, its tendency to overstate and then re-overstate the obvious, and a generally florid style as their reasons for not giving Dutchman the time of day. There's definitely validity to their points, but those who can look past these flaws will find Dutchman a strangely haunting picture. It's a pure fantasy, but of the romantic rather than childlike variety, and the simple folkloric tragedy that forms its core is quite intriguing. Yes, the dialogue does get in the way, but even the overwritten style plays a key part in establishing Lewin's tone and mood. And cinematographer Jack Cardiff's sensational work goes far beyond creating "pretty pictures." This is a film in which the cinematography is absolutely essential, creating not just a tone but an actual texture. The riot of color, the use of space, the angles that provoke psychological insight are every bit as, if not more, important than the words that the film employs. Dutchman also benefits from a masterful and absorbing performance from James Mason at the height of his brooding best. Ava Gardner is perhaps not totally up to the task given her; she's much better in the first half of the film than in the second, when she is called upon to give herself up totally to the heightened demands of love. But she is stunningly beautiful throughout, and in Dutchman, that counts for a lot.