Pandora and the Flying Dutchman

[Dothery]

I'm readng some very interesting stuff about that movie in a biography of Ava Gardner, called "Ava Gardner, Love is Nothing," by Lee Server.

 

I had no idea Mario Cabre, for instance, was not only a real bullfighter, but actually DID the bullfight scenes for the movie, with no stunt doubles except in the death goring by the bull, when they used a dummy. The bulls he was to fight were the wrong kind for the picture, but had been bought by someone who had no experience choosing bulls for the ring, and these had terribly big, very sharp horns. He was lucky he wasn't killed. He actually thought he might be, but was very brave and went on as though it weren't an unusual situation. According to the critics he was an awful actor, but I didn't think so. He seemed pretty good to me, for a guy who didn't speak a word of English and had to do it all phonetically. He spoke French and he and Ava had to communicate through a third part interpreter who spoke French and English.

 

I was surprised also to find that the movie is supposed to be very surrealistic (of course I wouldn't be much of a judge of that anyway). It's one of my favorites, anyhow.

 

It's a good bio of Ava. Really good. I understand there's a new one out, "Conversations," which is supposedly the real skinny.