Albert Lewin directed the 1951 fantasy film Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, often shortened to Pandora. Ava Gardner stars as Pandora Reynolds, while James Mason plays Hendrik van der Zee, the mysterious Flying Dutchman.
The film combines a modern romantic setting with the legend of the Flying Dutchman, a sailor condemned to wander the seas. Its story is not a direct adaptation of Hesiod’s Greek tale, despite using the name Pandora. The title instead evokes the myth’s associations with fascination, danger, and consequences.
Lewin was an American screenwriter, producer, and director known for visually stylized literary and supernatural projects. Pandora and the Flying Dutchman was filmed in color and includes scenes set around the Spanish coast. Its reputation has grown among viewers interested in unusual postwar fantasy films, romantic melodrama, and distinctive art direction.