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The Night of the Iguana
original film poster
Directed by	John Huston
Produced by	John Huston Ray Stark
Written by	Tennessee Williams (play)
Starring	Richard Burton Ava Gardner Deborah Kerr
Music by	Benjamin Frankel
Distributed by	MGM
Release date(s)	August 6, 1964 U.S. release
Running time	125 min
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Night of the Iguana is a 1964 film based on the play by Tennessee Williams. Set in 1940s Mexico, the main character is an ex-Episcopalian minister turned tour guide, the Reverend Dr. T. Lawrence Shannon (Richard Burton), who was defrocked after having an inappropriate relationship in Virginia with "a very young Sunday school teacher," in his own words. Shannon, now a tour guide for Blake Tours in Texas, takes a group of Baptist School teachers to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. During the trip, he is accused by the leader of the group, Judith Fellows (Grayson Hall), of trying to seduce her seventeen-year-old niece Charlotte Goodall (Sue Lyon)—who in reality is coming on to him—and is fired. In a moment of despair, Shannon shanghais the bus and occupants and takes it to the Costa Verde Hotel in Mismaloya, which is owned by outspoken Maxine Faulk (Ava Gardner). Between his weaknesses for the flesh and alcohol, Shannon is "at the end of his rope," just like the iguana kept tied by Maxine's cabana boys. In this setting, Shannon experiences a night of despair and madness, from which only the care and advice of itinerant painter Hannah Jelkes (Deborah Kerr), the poetry of Jelkes' grandfather Nonno (Cyril Delevanti), and the eventual companionship of Maxine will help him overcome.

As bus tour guide for a party of faded middle-aged women employees of a small Baptist college, their brittle group leader Miss Fellowes, and the alluring juvenile sexpot who is in her charge, Rev. Shannon is put in hot water by the young woman's insistent overtures. Miss Fellowes, a latent lesbian, is furious and declares her intention to ruin him. Shannon tries to prevent her from calling his boss by stranding their bus at a cheap (and, he mistakenly thinks, phoneless) hotel on the coast of Mexico run by an old friend named Fred. Shannon finds out Fred has died, so the hotel is now run by Fred's gorgeous, highly-sexed widow, Maxine Faulk. On the edge of a nervous breakdown and trying to manage both his tour party (who hate him) and Maxine (who would much prefer him to the two handsome maraca-shaking local youths currently keeping her company), Shannon is struck by Hannah Jelkes, a beautiful and chaste itinerant painter from Nantucket who appears at the hotel with her elderly poet grandfather. Hannah and her grandfather have run out of money, but Shannon convinces Maxine to let them have rooms. Over a long night, the jailbait makes big trouble for Shannon, Shannon goes round the bend, the maraca-shakers truss him in a hammock, Hannah ministers to him there with poppy-seed tea and frank spiritual counsel, Maxine despairs over the bond between Shannon and Hannah, lightning flashes above the palm trees, and Grandpa dies. The next day everything poignantly works out for the best.

• The film was directed by John Huston and starred Richard Burton as Rev. Shannon, Ava Gardner as Maxine, and Deborah Kerr as Hannah. It also featured Sue Lyon, Cyril Delevanti, and Grayson Hall, who received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. The screenplay was written by Huston and Anthony Veiller. The film won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design (B&W), and in addition to Ms. Hall's nomination, was also nominated for its art directions and Gabriel Figueroa's cinematography.

• The film version removes the Nazi tourist characters from the original stage version.

• The film was shot just south of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico on La Jolla de Mismaloya (The Bay of Mismaloya). Due in no small part to the presence of cast member Richard Burton and actress Elizabeth Taylor, who were carrying on a very public affair at the time (1963), the filming attracted large numbers of paparazzi, made international headlines, and in turn made Puerto Vallarta world-famous.

• Three of the stars were involved in romantic affairs while the film was made, and all four stars had their share of arguments with Huston. A hotel and resort complex now occupies the bayfront at what is now the village of Mismaloya; it maintains the old sets as restaurants and tourist attractions.

• A statue of John Huston was eventually erected in Puerto Vallarta, where it still stands, because of his role in creating the city's current reputation.

The Casa Iguana hotel in Mismaloya

• Richard Burton  : Rev. Dr. T. Lawrence Shannon
• Ava Gardner  : Maxine Faulk
• Deborah Kerr  : Hannah Jelkes
• Sue Lyon  : Charlotte Goodall
• Skip Ward  : Hank Prosner
• Grayson Hall  : Judith Fellowes
• Cyril Delevanti  : Nonno

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