The Night of the Iguana (film)

• Release Date: 1964
• Director(s): John Huston
• Writer(s): John Huston; Anthony Veiller
• Principal Actors and Roles: Richard Burton (Rev. Dr. T. Lawrence Shannon); Ava Gardner (Maxine Faulk); Deborah Kerr (Hannah Jelkes); Grayson Hall (Judith Fellowes); Sue Lyon (Charlotte Goodall)
• Book / Story Film Based On: The Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams

The Night of the Iguana is an American drama film that was released in 1964. It is based on the 1961 Broadway play of the same name, a drama written by Tennessee Williams. Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Seven Arts Productions and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, The Night of the Iguana cast included acclaimed actors such as Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr, and Sue Lyon. Burton, however, was not the first choice to play the celebrated role of Reverend Dr. T. Lawrence Shannon. The role was originally offered to James Garner, better known today for his portrayal of two iconic television characters. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he played the title character, Bret Maverick, in the western-comedy series Maverick; then in the 1970s, he played Jim Rockford in the detective dramedy series The Rockford Files. The film’s cinematographer was Gabriel Figueroa, who worked in Mexican and American cinema. Figueroa worked on over one hundred black-and-white and color movies. British composer Benjamin Frankel, who worked on over seventy movies during his lifetime, scored the film, and his scoring on The Night of the Iguana is noted for being one of the best he created. Some of his more prominent work was done on the films The End of the Affair (1955), London Belongs to Me (1948), The Importance of Being Earnest (1952), and The Years Between (1946).

The Night of the Iguana was directed by the prolific John Huston. Huston directed thirty-seven feature films over the course of his career. Many of those movies are considered American classics, such as The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), Key Largo (1948), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), The African Queen (1951), and Moulin Rouge (1952). The Night of the Iguana was shot on site at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and was based on the screenplay by John Huston and Anthony Veiller. Principal photography on The Night of the Iguana, which began in September 1962, lasted seventy-two days. The Night of the Iguana was produced by John Huston and Ray Stark. Stark worked on over 250 films during his own career, including Funny Girl (1968), Fat City (1972), The Way We Were (1973), The SunshineBoys (1975), Annie (1982), and Steel Magnolias (1989). Stark and Huston disagreed on many aspects of production during the filming of The Night of the Iguana. Stark wanted the film to be shot in color, and Huston wanted it to be shot in black-and-white. Huston had his way in the end, and The Night of the Iguana was filmed in black-and-white. Another point of contention occurred when Tennessee Williams made one of his frequent visits to the set and discovered that Huston had altered the ending of the original story. In contrast to the stage version, the film had a happy ending.

Plot

Richard Burton plays the Reverend Dr. T. Lawrence Shannon. Shannon is a defrocked Episcopal priest turned tourist guide for a Texas travel agency called Blake’s Tours. Shannon has been excommunicated for his inappropriate behavior with a young Virginian parishioner. Shannon is given the task of taking a group of middle-aged Baptist schoolteachers from Texas by bus to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; here, they are to visit Mexican religious historical sites.

Seventeen-year-old Charlotte Goodall, played by Sue Lyon, is a young temptress, and she tries to seduce Shannon. The group’s leader, Goodall’s chaperone and aunt, Miss Judith Fellowes, was played by Grayson Hall, and after Goodall and Shannon spend the night together, Fellowes decides that she will get her revenge on the defrocked priest. She vows to ruin the man by informing Blake’s Tours that its employee had seduced her niece. To prevent Fellowes from communicating with his boss, Shannon strands the tour group at a remote and cheap hotel, the Costa Verde hotel in Mismaloya. The Costa Verde hotel is owned by one of Shannon’s old friends, the recently widowed Maxine Faulk, played by Ava Gardner.

Shannon quickly becomes besotted by a new guest at the hotel, Hannah Jelkes, who is played by Deborah Kerr. Jelkes, an itinerant painter from Nantucket, is accompanied by her poet grandfather Nonno, who is played by Cyril Delevanti. Goodall continues trying to seduce Shannon even as Shannon fights the urge to surrender to alcohol and lust. Shannon suffers a mental breakdown and is cared for by Jelkes, Nonno dies, and Shannon reevaluates his life. In the end, Shannon decides to stay with Faulk and run the hotel, and Jelkes leaves.

Significance

The Night of the Iguana’s running time is approximately 125 minutes. The film was a critical success when released, and it earned four Academy Awards nominations in 1965, including Best Costume Design, Black-and-White (Dorothy Jeakins); Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Grayson Hall); Best Cinematography, Black-and-White (Gabriel Figueroa); and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White (Stephen B. Grimes). The Night of the Iguana was also nominated for five Golden Globe Awards in 1965, including Best Motion Picture (Drama), Best Motion Picture Director (John Huston), Best Motion Picture Actress-Drama (Ava Gardner), Best Supporting Actress (Grayson Hall), and Best Supporting Actor (Cyril Delevanti). However, the film did not win in any category. The Night of the Iguana was also a commercial success, earning approximately $12 million worldwide at the box office and an additional $4.4 million in rentals domestically, which was more than enough to offset the production budget of $3 million. Nearly half of this $3 million budget was used to pay the salaries of the three major stars, Richard Burton ($750,000), Ava Gardner ($400,000), and Deborah Kerr ($250,000).

The Night of the Iguana garnered a lot of public interest during production due to the personal lives of the cast. The iconic Elizabeth Taylor accompanied Burton to Puerto Vallarta for filming, and their very public affair attracted paparazzi. Puerto Vallarta was chosen as the primary site of filming for The Night of the Iguana because of its untouched, wild beauty. However, due to the international headlines that were generated by the cast and production crew, the area was transformed into a tourist destination hot spot by real-estate developers after the film’s release.

Awards and nominations

Won

• Academy Award (1964) Best Costume Design (Black-and-White): Dorothy Jeakins

Nominated

• Academy Award (1964) Best Art Direction (Black-and-White)
• Academy Award (1964) Best Cinematography (Black-and-White)
• Golden Globe (1964) Best Actress
• Golden Globe (1964) Best Director
• Golden Globe (1964) Best Supporting Actress
• Academy Award (1964) Best Supporting Actress: Grayson Hall
• Golden Globe (1964) Best Motion Picture (Drama)

Bibliography

Huston, John. An Open Book. New York: Knopf, 1980. Print.

"The Night of the Iguana." Box Office Mojo. IMBd.com, n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2016. <http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=nightoftheiguana.htm>.

"The Night of the Iguana." Encyclopedia.com. Cengage Learning, n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2016. <http://www.encyclopedia.com/article-1G2-2693200022/night-iguana.html>.

Sherman, Paul. "Tennessee Williams’ The Night of the Iguana, Directed by John Huston, on DVD." Turner Classic Movies. Turner Entertainment Networks, Inc., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2016. <http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/117957|0/The-Night-of-the-Iguana.html>.

Williams, Tennessee. The Night of the Iguana: A Play. London: Secker & Warburg, 1963. Print.