PANDORA AND THE FLYİNG DUTCHMAN
KUNDURA CINEMA

Feature Length Narrative Film / 1951 / UNITED KINGDOM / Color / 120’
English; with Turkish subtitles

Director: Albert Lewin | Producer: Albert Lewin, Joseph Kaufman | Screenwriter: Albert Lewin | Starring: Ava Gardner, James Mason, Nigel Patrick, Sheila Sim, Harold Warrender | Director of Photography: Jack Cardiff | Editor: Ralph Kemplen | Music: Alan Rawsthorne | Art Director: John Bryan | Costume Designer: Beatrice Dawson | Production: Dorkay Productions, Inc. Romulus Films, Ltd.

“Watching this film is like entering a strange and wonderful dream.” - Martin Scorsese

Written and directed by Albert Lewin, this passionate British classic is a gothic fusion of two myths: one is of Pandora who opens the forbidden box with only hope remaining inside and the other is that of The Flying Dutchman who is considered a prophet of doom sailing in his ghostship. The film, set in the early 1930’s in a fictitious fishing town named Esperanza (Hope) in Spain, tells the sad love story between an attractive yet cold hearted American singer Pandora whose ethereal beauty drives men over the edge and the mysterious and distant Dutch sailor Hendrick van der Zee whose ship is moored in town for a short time. While inspired by myths, the film also draws heavily on the film-noir genre and stands out with its wide array of literary references, among which are Guillaume Appollinaire, Matthew Arnold and Omer Hayyam. The elevating cinematography by Jack Carddiff whom we recognize from his fine craftsmanship in films like “The Red Shoes” and “Black Narcissus” and the paintings and designs by the well-known artist Man Ray whose De Chirico style creates a surreal world are among the things that make this film unique. The other element that makes this adult fairy tale this accomplished and unprecedented is the performances by Ava Gardner and James Mason who play the lovers in the grip of a powerful spell. As agreed by many film historians, Ava Gardner’s appearance as the siren-like femme fatale Pandora is her most enticing performance and just like the Dutchman, we are lured to her devastating splendor.
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, the Technicolor masterpiece from 1952, will be screened in Turkey for the first time at Kundura Cinema with a 4K copy whose restoration lasted more than 10 years, with Martin Scorsese, a big fan of the film, personally contributing to the film’s color palette.