The Night of the Iguana

Shannon, a clergyman thrown out of his church, works as a tour guide on the Mexican coast. When trouble with a girl on the bus threatens that job too, he strands his group at an old friend's seaside hotel and spends one night with its owner and a travelling painter. It comes from Tennessee Williams's 1961 play. John Huston directed, with Richard Burton, Ava Gardner and Deborah Kerr. Shooting began at Mismaloya near Puerto Vallarta in September 1963 and ran 72 days. The production was large enough that a village of twenty-five houses was built to accommodate the cast and crew. Huston liked the area so much he bought a house there. Its effect on the town lasted. Puerto Vallarta became an international tourist destination on the back of this production, and a statue of Huston was eventually erected there. On a 3 million dollar budget it grossed 12 million worldwide. It took four Oscar nominations and won Best Costume Design, plus five Golden Globe nominations including Best Drama and Best Director. Who it is for: viewers who like Williams adaptations and single-night chamber drama. Who it is not for: anyone wanting pace. It is almost all conversation and most of the characters stay stuck on the same veranda.