The Night of the Iguana (film)
- Richard Burton: Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon
- Deborah Kerr: Hannah Jelkes
- Ava Gardner: Maxine Faulk
- Sue Lyon: Charlotte Goodall
- James ' Skip' Ward: Hank Prosner
- Grayson Hall: Judith Fellowes
- Cyril Delevanti: " Nonno "
- Mary Boylan: Miss Peebles
- Gladys Hill: Miss Dexter
- Billie Mattiks: Miss Throxton
- Eloise Hardt: teacher
The Night of the Iguana is the title of an American black and white film of MGM in 1964 after the play by Tennessee Williams.
Action
A dismissed from the church service Reverend Shannon drives a bus through Mexico as a tourist guide. He passed because he doubted the church, Christianity he remained connected on his cassock.
He accompanied a company of teachers, which is supervised by Judith Fellowes. She observes Shannon with suspicion and feels called to the 18 -year-old Charlotte Goodall in front of him to " protect ", as it is apparently magically attracted to him also. Then the chaperone surprised the two together but in Shannon's hotel room. She wants to make sure that Shannon loses his position, and shall promptly report to the Directorate of the tour operator.
A comfortable hotel with air conditioning, the Group expects after a strenuous trip through the heat and dust. Thither shall come the response message of the Directorate. But Shannon wants to go to the thing out of the way and goes to the hotel past - angry protests among the passengers. His goal is a secluded little flophouse. He knows the owner, Maxine is a recently deceased friend's wife.
He tells her his situation, she wants to help him. Miss Fellowes prevents you from re- establish contact with the tour operator. The teachers want to leave immediately, but Shannon has taken the bus to maneuver and hides the distribution cable. Among the women breaks panic - even in the face of heat - but today, they have no other choice than initially to surrender to fate.
Two strange travelers arrive, Hannah Jelkes and her grandfather. They have no money, live from hand to mouth - or rather, on the charity of their fellow men. Hannah paints and trying to sell the pictures, the grandfather ( with his 98 years reportedly the oldest living, still active poets worldwide) contributes written by himself poetry before and is looking for a finishing touch on his last work - which he finally finds: immediately after his poignant recitation overtakes him a heart attack.
In this oppressive atmosphere of heat and uncertainty in this remarkable collection of different characters, the action unfolds further: Charlotte finds a new friend, the grandfather dies after completion of his work, Shannon decides when choosing between Maxine and Hannah for the hotel owner, with which he wants to lead the House in the future, and the telegraphic contact with the outside world is restored, and Hannah can with their teachers finally leave the lonely place.
And the iguana itself, that great lizard tied behind the hotel ekes out its existence, must return to freedom ...
Background
- Bette Davis and Shelley Winters played this piece on the theater stage. Davis claimed for himself, also the role in the film.
- The movie was filmed in the small Mexican town of Puerto Vallarta, which was hardly accessible then by land, so that the equipment had to be transported in a boat. Still, it was the press succeeded in turning up en masse at the set. Main attraction was not only the individual actor of the cast, but their relationships with each other. Ava Gardner had once had a date with Peter Viertel, who is now his wife Deborah Kerr accompanied. And Burton's Cleopatra affair with Elizabeth Taylor had just reached its peak. The fact that Taylor nachreiste to Mexico and almost every day on the set was to Burton " ... away from the predatory claws Avas undoubtedly caused great excitement ... " ( John Daniell, Ava Gardner)
Reviews
- Lexicon of international film: " Flattened, but theatrically effective film adaptation of a play by Tennessee Williams. "
- Heyne film encyclopedia: " Excellent representational services ... "
- Prisma -online: " John Huston's dense atmospheric Tennessee Williams adaptation is top-notch cast and excellent photographs. The play was designed by star director John Huston for that time typical American style for the canvas: fascinating and repulsive at the same time, often close to the edge of kitsch, with some concessions to public taste. Tennessee Williams is one of the few writers who know disclose with clear texts and scenes the inner life of her characters. That he succeeded already in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof " and " A Streetcar Named Desire " and is probably the reason that his plays were always like a film by renowned directors. "
The Film Review Board Wiesbaden gave the production value the predicate.
Awards
The film was nominated for four Academy Awards 1965
- Costumes ( sw): Dorothy Jeakins
- Design (sw): Stephen Grimes
- Camera ( sw): Gabriel Figueroa
- Supporting Actress: Grayson Hall
And received the Academy Award for Costume Design ( b / w).
Media
- The Night of the Iguana. Warner Home Video 2006
- Benjamin Frankel: The Night of the Iguana. Suite on: Benjamin Frankel. Music for the Movies. cpo, Georgsmarienhütte 2002, Media -No. cpo 999809-2 - digital new recording of excerpts of film music by the Queensland Symphony Orchestra conducted by Werner Andreas Albert
- Tennessee Williams: The Night of the Iguana. Piece in 3 acts ( Original title: The Night of the Iguana ). German by Nina Adler. Fischer -Taschenbuch -Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1994, 126 pp., ISBN 3-596-11985-5