Rent The Night of the Iguana (1964)
3.9 of 5 from 72 ratings
1h 53min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- In a remote Mexican seacoast town, a fallen Episcopal priest struggles to pull his shattered life together. And three women - an earthy hotel owner, an ethereal artist and a hot-eyed, willful teenager - can help save him. Or destroy him. With an outstanding cast headed by Richard Burton, Ava Gardner and Deborah Kerr, direction by legendary filmmaker John Huston and a steamy screenplay based on Tennessee Williams' acclaimed stage play, 'The Night of the Iguana' pulses with conflicting passions and a surprising edge of knowing humor. The film explores the dark night of one man's soul - and illuminates the difference between dreams and the bittersweet surrender to reality.
- Actors:
- Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr, Sue Lyon, Skip Ward, Grayson Hall, Cyril Delevanti, Mary Boylan, Fidelmar Durán, Emilio Fernández, Eloise Hardt, Gladys Hill, Barbara Joyce, C.G. Kim, Roberto Leyva, Billie Matticks, Betty Proctor, Liz Rubey, Bernice Starr, Dorthy Vance
- Directors:
- John Huston
- Producers:
- Ray Stark
- Writers:
- Tennessee Williams, Anthony Veiller, John Huston
- Others:
- Grayson Hall, Stephen Grimes, Dorothy Jeakins, Gabriel Figueroa
- Studio:
- Warner
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Romance
- Collections:
- Cinema Paradiso's 2022 Centenary Club, Instant Expert's Guide to John Huston, Remembering Alain Delon, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide, Top 10 Guest Houses On Film, Top Films
- Awards:
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Reviews (1) of The Night of the Iguana
Whisky Priest. - The Night of the Iguana review by Steve
Passionate and philosophical adaptation of Tennessee WIlliams' last great play. It is set on the photogenic coast of the remote Mexican rain forest where wandering strays assemble by chance. It's a location where cinema rarely goes; not just on a map, but in the human heart.
Richard Burton plays a disgraced priest. And he is the image in the title, tied up and hysterical and essentially saved by a nomadic artist (Deborah Kerr). This is like alcoholics anonymous, but for people who can't outrun their demons. She has been there herself and knows what it takes to survive, to endure.
The reverend has been locked out of his church in America. Working as a tour operator, he leads a religious party headed by a repressed middle aged woman more interested in finding the comforts of home than the secrets of Mexico. He is tempted by a sexually precocious young woman (Sue Lyon) which is what got him into trouble in the first place.
There is an amazing cast: Burton, Kerr and Ava Gardner are all believable despite all the poetic mysticism. It's funny in the early scenes with Burton particularly good, driven loco by his frailty until he discovers that in the absence of god, we can only be saved by the kindness of strangers.
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