James Mason stars as Hendrick van der Zee, a man cursed to travel the seven seas until he can find a woman willing to die for his love. Ava Gardner co-stars. Ava Gardner stars as the siren of a small Spanish town, the type of woman men kill and die for. She s never fallen for anyone until the arrival of a mysterious man, condemned to sail the seas until he finds a woman who would die for him. ‘Watching this film is like entering a strange and wonderful dream’ – Martin Scorsese