Ava Gardner starred as Pandora in the 1951 film Pandora and the Flying Dutchman.
Albert Lewin directed the romantic fantasy film, which combines the legend of the Flying Dutchman with a modern story set largely in Spain. Gardner plays Pandora Reynolds, an American woman whose relationship with the mysterious Hendrik van der Zee becomes tied to the supernatural curse at the center of the legend.
The film’s title references Pandora, but its plot is not an adaptation of Hesiod’s account of the jar or the first woman. It is instead a poetic combination of European legend, romance, and mythic symbolism. Gardner’s role helped define the film’s visual identity, especially through its lavish Technicolor presentation. The movie is therefore a useful example of how Pandora’s name has been reused in cinema for stories about mystery, desire, and consequences.