Ava Gardner plays Pandora Reynolds in the 1951 film Pandora and the Flying Dutchman.
The film is a romantic fantasy directed by Albert Lewin. Gardner’s character, Pandora Reynolds, is an American living in Spain who becomes involved with Hendrik van der Zee, a mysterious sailor linked to the legend of the Flying Dutchman. The movie combines elements of Greek myth, European legend, melodrama, and surreal visual storytelling rather than directly retelling Hesiod’s account.
Gardner was one of Hollywood’s major stars during the 1940s and 1950s. Her performance as Pandora helped give the film its title and its central emotional focus. The film’s Pandora is therefore a named fictional character, not the ancient mythological woman. This distinction prevents a common mix-up between the 1951 movie and the classical story of Pandora’s jar.