Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The Night of the Iguana

Play trailer Poster for The Night of the Iguana 1964 2h 5m Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
75% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Lusty defrocked minister Lawrence Shannon (Richard Burton) is a tour guide in Mexico. Leading a tourist group from a Baptist women's college, he finds it difficult to avoid acting on his attraction to Charlotte (Sue Lyon), the young niece of the group's leader, Judith Fellowes (Grayson Hall). When Fellowes swears to ruin him, Shannon strands the bus at a hotel to seek advice from the manager, an old friend. Over the course of one night, the alcoholic Shannon spirals out of control.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

The Night of the Iguana

Critics Reviews

View More
Variety Staff Variety 05/05/2008
Direction by John Huston is resourceful and dynamic as he sympathetically weaves together the often-vague and philosophical threads that mark Tennessee Williams' writing. Go to Full Review
Neil Jeffries Empire Magazine 05/05/2008
4/5
Brilliant, apart from some minor plot glitches. Go to Full Review
Dave Kehr Chicago Reader 05/05/2008
No one but Tennessee Williams could have concocted it, but anyone other than John Huston should have directed it. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 12/12/2022
3.5/4
Although it's often ignored or outright forgotten, The Night of the Iguana is actually one of the better screen adaptations of a Tennessee Williams work. Go to Full Review
Joe Riddle Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 11/06/2020
The three main female leads (Gardner, Kerr and Hall) help make this the classic it has become. Burton is also terrific as a man who is about "to take the long swim to China." Go to Full Review
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 07/21/2008
B
Though uneven and not as powerful as other Williams-based films, Huston's version benefits from a high-profile cast, headed by Burton, Deborah Kerr, Sue Lyon and best of all Ava Gardner as the lusty hotel owner and Grayson Hall as the repressed lesbian Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Rafi แก้ว M Oct 27 Totally engaging mix of characters thrown together in a situation that forces most of them to make great personal transformations, sometimes funny, sometimes deeply moving, and always fascinating. Burton, for once, doesn't eat all of the scenery, and Ava Gardner is a paragon of inner strength. Grayson Hall, or 'The Bell Cow,' as Burton calls her, is delightful as a neurotic, always angry, repressed lesbian. Deborah Kerr provides the sincerity that shatters all of the calcified cynicism. Nono's poem, 'How Calmly Does the Olive Branch,' is so beautiful - it was read at a dear friend's funeral and it goes directly to the deepest questions we all have. This thought provoking, touching film is one of my favorites, I only wish I could see it the first time again, instead of the twentieth. See more Wayne K Apr 19 Screen legend John Huston brings one of Tennessee William’s lesser-known plays to the big screen, with movie star and tragic figure Richard Burton in the lead role. It seems that the backstage drama was more noteworthy than the film itself, despite the movie having a lot going for it. It has one of the traditional problems of stage to screen adaptation, in that its dialogue driven nature can be tedious at times, especially when characters use a lot of words to say what could be communicated with only a few. But the limited locations allow us more time to get to know them, and it’s the same for the characters. Burton gives a compelling performance as a deeply flawed man who might be judged more harshly than is fair, and aside from some bizarre scenery chewing in the hammock scene, he plays his roles very well. Ava Gardener is the standout for me; charismatic, funny and charming, the kind of person who sees themselves as the sanest one in an insane world. It’s all about exploring our deepest regrets and insecurities, and how making mistakes is what makes us human, and having a chance to learn from that and redeem yourself is always worth striving for. Not a film I’d rewatch in a hurry, but a film I’m happy to recommend. See more Alec B Apr 5 The original play is one of Williams' strangest. Its never quite worked but I admire that people keep trying to do it. Huston attempted to wrangle it into something more cinematic and conventional here. While I think he might have cut it down and changed too much, I think he also found a way for mainstream audiences to understand a really bizzare story. See more Lawrence A Dec 25 I saw "Night Of The Iguana" as a teenaged college student and was drawn to its characters and themes like a moth to flame. Despite being naive and unworldly, the story intrigued me. Something dark yet ironically comical was going on here. Like a screenplay set in some smokey, disputatious pool hall, it was at once contentious and beautiful. Only in that place, in that perfect habitat for lugubrious lizards, defrocked priests and reptilian con artists could such a tale unfold. And I was all in. By resonating with such personal affinity, this movie confirmed that I was different, that I had some mutated DNA well adapted to the "big con". It was an interior confidence game that I could always sink the "9-ball" on the break. Sometimes fate is serendipitous like that ...and sometimes it's like a prelude to a doomsday dirge of dreams betrayed. So, hey...yeah, I loved this movie for its pessimistic allegory and fortune teller zeitgeist. See more Margaret P 06/06/2024 One of my favorite movies. Love Richard Burton in anything but he is superb in this drama. The other actors, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr and all members of the cast are outstanding!! See more BJ M @HotMovieStar 11/23/2023 Great classic movie. Holds up well over time. Entertaining, funny, great acting, clever dialog and fun to watch. Never fails to amaze me how the directors and actors in classic movies could make such great films with so much less technology and money than today. See more Read all reviews
The Night of the Iguana

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
The Children's Hour 78% 84% The Children's Hour Watchlist The Sergeant 20% 75% The Sergeant Watchlist The Young Philadelphians 71% 81% The Young Philadelphians Watchlist Suddenly, Last Summer 68% 83% Suddenly, Last Summer Watchlist The Group 75% 61% The Group Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Lusty defrocked minister Lawrence Shannon (Richard Burton) is a tour guide in Mexico. Leading a tourist group from a Baptist women's college, he finds it difficult to avoid acting on his attraction to Charlotte (Sue Lyon), the young niece of the group's leader, Judith Fellowes (Grayson Hall). When Fellowes swears to ruin him, Shannon strands the bus at a hotel to seek advice from the manager, an old friend. Over the course of one night, the alcoholic Shannon spirals out of control.
Director
John Huston
Producer
Ray Stark
Screenwriter
Anthony Veiller, John Huston
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Seven Arts Productions
Genre
Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 6, 1964, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 21, 2012
Runtime
2h 5m
Most Popular at Home Now