The Night of the Iguana
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Movie Reviews of The Night of the Iguana
Movie Review: "Who wouldn't like to atone for the sins of themselves, and the world, if it could be done in a hammock with ropes"
Summary: 4 Stars
John Huston's film version of Tennessee William's play Night of the Iguana is a talky and complex affair. I can't say that it is my favourite of the collection of William's films currently being released on DVD - it lacks the final cataclysmic denouement typical of his other works such as Suddenly Last Summer and the Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone.
But the film is always psychologically compelling and it's most notable for the terrific performance as Richard Burton as the Rev. Shannon, a desperate, alcoholic and recently defrocked minister who has resorted to working as a tour guide, busing groups of old ladies across Mexico. Shannon is constantly trying to resist temptation, especially from the advances of buxom young blonde Charlotte Goodall (Sue Lyon).
Eventually, he's lured into an uncompromising position and discovered by group leader and Charlotte's overprotective chaperone Grayson Hall, (Judith Fellowes) who acts to get Burton fired for sexual misbehavior. In an effort to head off her inquisition of him, Shannon leads the group to a rundown hotel perched high on cliff in west Mexico owned by the raucous widow Maxine Faulk (Ava Gardner).
He tries to outwit Grayson, and stay away from Charlotte, enlisting the help of Maxine, his like-minded partner in crime. Almost at once Hannah Jelkes (Deborah Kerr), a New England spinster arrives with her 97-year-old grandfather, spreading gentility and oozing a sense of cultivation by virtue of the second-rate poetry the old man writes. She is attracted to Burton despite their opposites, and she is somewhat envious of his freewheeling and boozy ways, while he admires her stoic no-nonsense resilience towards life.
The stage is set for an attraction and a clash of opposites, with each character confessing and even unleashing their inner demons. Grayson is probably attracted to the young Charlotte, but because this is 1964, her same sex attraction can only be hinted at. Maxine is loose and tarty -she even has a couple of hunky Mexican boys on call - and she doesn't take kindly to Grayson's puritanical moralizing or Hannah's fussy and superior ways.
The sexually repressed Hannah is contrasted with Charlotte's aggressive sexual appetite and the besotted, drunk Shannon, and it all comes across as an absolute plethora of sexual tension. The film is loaded with symbolism - a captured Iguana, a dark, stormy night, and Shannon's tirade as he walks around on broken glass. Most of the action consists of talking on the hotel terrace through the sticky tropical night about love, sex and the meaning of life.
The acting is solid, with Burton giving the most compelling performance. He's a figure of wild chaos, a damaged sufferer without a shred of real genuineness. Ms. Kerr is quite spectacular as the spinsterish Hannah and is in many ways quite sad in her restrained beauty. And dear Ava - perhaps the weakest of the trio - is appropriately tough and raucous. She sweeps around the premises, yelling at the clattering guests, raising eyebrows as she flirts with her luscious Mexican beach boys.
At film's end all the characters seem to have atoned for the sins of the world, or at least found something within each other that enables them to achieve a type of happiness. In typical fashion, the film is packed with many ideas and they are introduced in such a loud, strident and boozy way, that it's impossible not to continue to admire the literary genius of Tennessee Williams. Mike Leonard May 06.
Movie Review: The Jewel of Mismaloya
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a classic movie from a Tennessee Williams play with some of the finest acting talent available in the 60's. At the time it was filmed, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor were carrying on with a very public illicit affair which was great tabloid fodder. Today that type of behavior only elicits a yawn. "Night of the Iguana" was filmed south of Puerto Vallarta in a gorgeous cove covered with jungle. The story is as steamy as the weather and even for the 60's this is pretty hot stuff. A defrocked preacher who can't control his urges for women is reduced to conducting cut-rate tours of Mexico. His latest busload of female tourists includes a precocious young blond (Sue Lyon) who is after him. Her chaperon is on to Burton and is trying to get him fired when he happens upon a hotel run by an old friend, Ava Gardner. Throw in the arrival of a father and daughter con artist team and you have the ingredients for a typical Tennesee Williams human stew which boils over before the story climaxes. The movie set still exists in this beautiful locale in the Mexican jungle on the grounds of a resort called La Joya de Mismaloya. You can eat a meal in the courtyard where most of the movie action took place or have a seafood dinner in director John Huston's house while you watch the sun set over the Pacific. A great film and a great place to visit.Movie Review: a super gift for a friend
Summary: 4 Stars
this is a wonderfully acted movie. it is not my favorite but it is a great favorite a close friend, who will recieve this copy for christmas.
if you enjoy an often comedic "serious" movie please take a couple of hours to enjoy this flick. you will not be dissappointed. it has some great lines, like all of the silver screen post 1970!
Movie Review: Night of the Iguana
Summary: 4 Stars
We spend a lot of time in Puerto Vallarta and it is wonderful to see old Puerta Vallarta.
The acting is wonderful and the behind the scene footage is most informative.
Movie Review: A Modern Point of View
Summary: 3 Stars
Just because a film is older and has a few names attached to it, there will always be people willing to label it a classic.
That certainly seems to be the case with this film. It's based on a play by Tennessee Williams, directed by John Huston, and features performances from Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr, and Richard Burton. Still, you're not going to find it on any Best Film lists compiled by critics. Surprisingly, the film received 4 Academy Award nominations in 1965, though none of them went to the stars of the film and the one win came for Best Costumes. (If you watch the movie, that one might make you laugh out loud. What costumes? Did it win because of the cabana boys in white pants with maracas?)
The plot revolves around an ex-minister who's not a drunken tour guide in Mexico. In one night, he is forced to examine his mistakes and his life and make some decisions. It's the type of drama and sexual angst that plays out well on the stage, but it doesn't translate well to the screen.
This is a movie that has aged poorly. Several of the characters (cabana boys, old American ladies) lack even the slightest hint of realism. The acting is mostly laughable. Richard Burton is downright Shatner-esque in his portrayal of a drunk ex-minister. Kerr is stiff, as normal. The only interesting part comes from Ava Gardner, who's a bit past her prime and forced to actually act.
From a historical standpoint, the movie is interesting if only because it seemed to push the limits of what the censors would allow in the early sixties. The film is entertaining, even if it's philosophical themes come out a little flat. Over all, it's not a waste of your time if you enjoy older movies or any of the stars, but the star power and on screen chemistry doesn't come close to that found in earlier American films (The Philadelphia Story, Bringing Up Baby), the movie doesn't can't be mentioned in the same sentence with Huston's best (The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre), it's not the best Tennessee Williams film adaptation (A Streetcar Named Desire or Cat On A Hot Tin Roof), and from an artistic point of view it falls far short of the movies being made in France in the same time period.