The Night of the Iguana

1964 "One man... three women... one night"
7.6| 1h58m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 06 August 1964 Released
Producted By: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A defrocked Episcopal clergyman leads a bus-load of middle-aged Baptist women on a tour of the Mexican coast and comes to terms with the failure haunting his life.

Genre

Drama, Romance

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Director

John Huston

Production Companies

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

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The Night of the Iguana Audience Reviews

Limerculer A waste of 90 minutes of my life
Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.
Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
Staci Frederick Blistering performances.
henryhertzhobbit For those of you with sore heads who cannot figure it out let me see if I can help you. This movie is supposedly about a defrocked minister coming to terms with his values with a touring group of Baptists. So far so good but even as a teenager, like the Grinch, I puzzled until my puzzler was sore. Eventually I moved on with other things like getting a degree in Psychology along with my degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science.My degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science didn't help me understand this movie but with the one in Psychology I went from a state of puzzling to enlightment. I finally understood that one of the ladies was a flaming lesbian. The other one played by Deborah Kerr is what I call a pseudo-lesbian. Frequently they become more religious and don't even realize themselves what is happening. If they say something like "I hate the Vienna Choir Boys because they sound like a bunch of Screech Owls" or other statements like that they are revealing their hatred for men. So watch for the segments that reveal that and this movie will finally start to make sense. I will not take the fun away from you finding the episodes that reveal this for yourselves.After that, you will have to decide whether or not you like the movie. Personally I like it because it does such a good job of showing what a pseudo-lesbian is like. What do I do when I encounter pseudo-lesbians? I avoid them! But then I am male, not a female.
classicsoncall If this film were made in the Thirties, it might have been one of those exploitation films delving into taboo subjects like repressed sexuality, homo eroticism and substance abuse. But by 1964, actors of considerable name recognition lent their services to this Tennessee Williams play and put it on the big screen. It's an odd name for a film, but the symbolism involved with the freeing of a creature at the end of it's rope does much to explain the characters of Rev. T. Lawrence Shannon (Richard Burton), hotel proprietress Maxine Faulk (Ava Gardner) and itinerant sketch artist Hannah Jelkes (Deborah Kerr). All three appear to be at the end of their rope in one way or another, the script deftly exploring their inner fears and motivations as they come together in the Mexican coastal village of Puerto Vallarta.The film brought to mind the oddest of connections for me, such as Maxine's reference to her 'beach boys' and the way she picked up on those 'vibrations' between Shannon and Hannah. So a couple of years later in 1966, The Beach Boys released 'Good Vibrations', written by Brian Wilson in response to his mother's explanation of dogs barking at people who give off bad vibrations. It would all be just a little too surreal to draw a connection between these two instances, but you know what they say about life imitating art.This is probably one of those movies one needs to watch more than once to pick up all the innuendo and nuance in the characters. A sit up and take notice moment for me was when Maxine offered the shrewish Judith Fellowes (Grayson Hall) some pot to mellow her out (see earlier comment). And didn't the choice of 'Happy Days are Here Again' strike anyone else as the last thing that would be on anyone's mind as the 'Tour of God's World' bus made it's way along the Mexican Coast with a band of female Baptist sight seers? With all that, the film is rich in dialog and the manner in which Hannah bares her soul to Shannon is truly heart rending. Definitely recommended for fans of character driven films.
SnoopyStyle T. Lawrence Shannon (Richard Burton) is a defrocked reverend working as a low rate travel guide in Mexico. He's guiding a group of middle-aged ladies from Texas. Their leader Judith Fellowes warns him against getting too close to flirtatious teen Charlotte Goodall (Sue Lyon). Charlotte tries to seduce a drunken Shannon and Fellowes finds them together in his room. Fellowes aims to get him fired. Shannon strands them at his friend Maxine Faulk (Ava Gardner)'s remote closed resort to stay away from the telegraph to fire him. Then Hannah Jelkes (Deborah Kerr) arrives with her elderly grandfather.These are memorable characters especially Richard Burton's Shannon. I like watching him at the beginning when he's a weaselly hopeless drunk. He's almost comical in his lying desperation. I am a little split on everything else. Some of them go well over the top whether it's Sue Lyon's Lolita wild thing or Ava Gardner melodramatic turn as the brassy resort owner. I just feel the movie eventually overwhelms any rooting interest or compassion.
FilmCriticLalitRao There is something really enigmatic and magical about American film "The night of the Iguana" as it captures the raw beauty of Mexico as a preferred destination for pleasure seeking American tourists.It is one of those acclaimed films directed by renowned American director John Huston which succeeds at almost all levels.It is quite a pleasure to watch such a mature,serious film full of intellect and wit based on a humanist play by acclaimed American playwright Tennessee Williams.This film has its own balanced share of comedy and drama as everything in it is a remarkable ode to human judgment."The night of the Iguana" is able to strike a chord in viewers' minds as it has been transformed into a great character study thanks to amazing acting performances by famous actors Richard Burton,Ava Gardner and Deborah Kerr.How can a moody man retain his sanity in an environment full of doubts and passion seems to be this film's core issue.It is an extremely complex issue for both men and women who have to deal with it using their limited resources.Both men and animals need to be freed from shackles to act and think freely appears to be this film's humane message.