Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Short Review: The Night of the Iguana (1964)

Jan. 12, 2011<br /><br />11. The Night of the Iguana (1964)<br /><br />Starring Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr, Sue Lyon<br /><br />Directed by John Huston<br />Based on the play by Tennessee Williams<br /><br />Plot: After scandal rocks his life, a suffering Episcopal clergyman becomes a tour guide for a group of Baptist women traveling Mexico. When his past failings begin to catch up with him, he detours the group to a resort run by a friend of his. [seriously, I am so bad at writing plot summaries!]<br /><br />I can&#8217;t really decide what I think of this film. I both love it and hate it. It&#8217;s not the type of film that I would usually watch, but I saw a clip of it on Tumblr and decided to give it a chance. Despite several elements that I wasn&#8217;t quite comfortable with, it provides a lot of food for thought and a really interesting story (the plot is certainly original!). However, I don&#8217;t think that I really agree with all its messages. Some of them I found to be quite muddled. Richard Burton (he has a gorgeous voice, by the way) and Ava Gardner breathe life into their respective characters in two very fine performances. Deborah Kerr is okay, even if her role comes across as a little preachy. Sue Lyon, on the other hand, was almost insufferably annoying. Needless to say, there were some really great moments in the script, as well as some stunning visual scenes. Though this is an intriguing and riveting piece of cinema, I can&#8217;t say that it is without its flaws. Still, it&#8217;s one of those movies that I can&#8217;t stop thinking about after watching.

Jan. 12, 2011

11. The Night of the Iguana (1964)

Starring Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr, Sue Lyon

Directed by John Huston
Based on the play by Tennessee Williams

Plot: After scandal rocks his life, a suffering Episcopal clergyman becomes a tour guide for a group of Baptist women traveling Mexico. When his past failings begin to catch up with him, he detours the group to a resort run by a friend of his. [seriously, I am so bad at writing plot summaries!]

I can’t really decide what I think of this film. I both love it and hate it. It’s not the type of film that I would usually watch, but I saw a clip of it on Tumblr and decided to give it a chance. Despite several elements that I wasn’t quite comfortable with, it provides a lot of food for thought and a really interesting story (the plot is certainly original!). However, I don’t think that I really agree with all its messages. Some of them I found to be quite muddled. Richard Burton (he has a gorgeous voice, by the way) and Ava Gardner breathe life into their respective characters in two very fine performances. Deborah Kerr is okay, even if her role comes across as a little preachy. Sue Lyon, on the other hand, was almost insufferably annoying. Needless to say, there were some really great moments in the script, as well as some stunning visual scenes. Though this is an intriguing and riveting piece of cinema, I can’t say that it is without its flaws. Still, it’s one of those movies that I can’t stop thinking about after watching.

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