The Night of the Iguana

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Rafi แก้ว M 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. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/27/25 Full Review Wayne K 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. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/21/25 Full Review Alec B 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. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/05/25 Full Review Lawrence A 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. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/25/24 Full Review Margaret P 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!! Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/10/24 Full Review BJ M 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. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Night of the Iguana

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