So glad to finally see it!!!

My mother has a collection of old movie magazines from the early to mid 1950s, and I used to love looking through them when I was a kid in the 1970s. I always remember seeing a half-page ad for "Pandora and the Flying Dutchman," which was a fantastic drawing of a seemingly naked Ava in the water looking up at James Mason on the yacht in the moonlight. Never having seen the movie (till today), I assumed she was the supernatural character out to charm him...

I'm so glad I hit record when I found out it was on TCM this weekend. What a treat! Absolutely gorgeous, in all its Technicolor glory. The scenery was just amazing, and Ava was never more breathtaking. Was she real??? There are many pretty actresses out there today, but I can't think of anybody who comes close to possessing Ava's beauty and aura of mystery. (I just followed up "Pandora" with a viewing of "Lady from Shanghai," and Rita Hayworth was another of the classic stars who was so fantastically beautiful that she seemed almost not real.) My husband likes the realism of today's films and stars, but I just love watching the classics. In fact, I paused "Pandora" on one of Ava's amazing closeups so I could show him how spectacular she was. I couldn't believe his reaction, which was that she was definitely pretty but he prefers Jessica Biel! Really????

I do have to say, as much as I really loved watching "Pandora," I had a tough time getting past James Mason's teeth, especially in the flashback sequence. All I could think of was Austin Powers. LOL!