On the Spanish coast, a seductress falls in love with a mysterious ship's captain.
Albert Lewin was a former drama and film critic who rose through the ranks of the studio system as a reader, screenwriter, and associate producer throughout the 1920's and 30's before directing his first of six films in 1941. His films are marked by a strong literary bent, one of them an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. Pandora's central conceit is the blending of two folklore elements: the legend of The Flying Dutchman, and the figure of Pandora in Greek mythology.
The film stars British actor James Mason (known most for Alfred Hitchcock's North By Northwest), and rising sex symbol Ava Gardner. Behind the camera is Jack Cardiff, an Oscar-winner and one of the most respected color cinematographers in cinema history.
Shot on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, the townspeople of one location eventually erected a statue of Gardner to commemorate her stay there. Photographer Man Ray was a consultant and contributed paintings to the production.
Overlooked upon its release save for a Director's Guild nomination for Lewin, Pandora is now considered a unique release for its time and a rare example of mainstream Hollywood surrealism. It was viewed more favorably in Europe by various critics and directors, and its status as a lost gem has increased over the years. Martin Scorsese recently sponsored a restoration of the film for a new Blu-ray release.
Running time is 2 hours.
No comments:
Post a Comment