1964 dramaRating: 16/20
Plot: In a movie that obviously inspired Speeds 1 and 2, a horny minister loses his God license and scrambles to put some sort of life back together giving bus tours to spinsters in Mexico. A pretty teenager's sexual advances threaten that job, and the Reverend Shannon decides to hijack the party and try to win the ladies over at the beachside hotel owned by a flirtatious widow. Later, a prudish artist and her poet grandfather stop by to stay a few nights at the hotel. Fragile lives collide.
I really like what this has to say about man's frailty (expressed elegantly at the end with the wonderful poem), man's continual grasp for meaning in life, man's need for earthly relationships as well as Godly ones, and especially "man's inhumanity to God." It also tackles one of my favorite conflicts--the internal battles caused because people have both earthly bodies and spiritual souls. Unfortunately, the ideas were a bit convoluted, gummy, like the writer was trying to put too much in one cup, and I'm curious to find out whether some of the philosophical themes would be clearer during a second viewing. It's frustrating in a way because I felt like it teased an itch instead of scratched it. I really liked Burton and Gardner in this. Kerr was just kind of there, and Lyon, I thought, was really pretty bad. Her "C'mon, Hank! Give it to him!" during one of the silliest fight scenes I've ever seen, one that probably should have only been seen on the cutting room floor, was grating. She looked good though. I really like the texture of the dialogue. I'm surprised at how much I like the line "Nothing human disgusts me" considering that I'm disgusted by almost everything human. Burton's lines have the right blend of pissed-off bitterness, tired desperation, and this accepted brokenness, all of it ineffectively hidden beneath a confident exterior. Credit's got to be given to both the writing and Burton's performance there. The dialogue's peppered with plenty of quiet humor, too. The black and white, on-location photography (a shadow of the Garden of Eden, in a way) perfectly complimented the fim's story and themes. I may have enjoyed this on more of an intellectual than aesthetic level, but I did like it and will see it again some time. The guys with the maracas, by the way, nearly stole the movie. I'd like to have a shirtless guy with maracas following me around all the time. That sounds a lot gayer than intended.
Yeah, sure it was more than intended. It is a shame that this film was uneven because there is a great deal to like. I also was very amused whenever the maraca-boys were on screen. I really liked Jack (the scene where Ms. Fellows (?) is beating him on the head is my favorite. I actually liked the girl, especially how she personified the idea that a hot woman can tempt a man to do all kinds of stupid and self-destructive things, even if she has nothing else going for her. Burton was terrific, showing a great range of emotions. He can chew dialogue and scenery with the best of them.
ReplyDeleteIt is ironic that three of the last eight movies I have seen have had Ava Gardner in them. I don't like Gardner and I have no idea what Sinatra saw in her. In this movie, she was the biggest distraction for me. The accent and hysterics just didn't work for me, and combined with the overrated Kerr, they helped keep this from being great.
One thing that amazed me about "...Iguana" was how racy it was for 1964. All Tennessee Williams material seems to deal with sex or sexual repression, but I was shocked that the relationship between Gardner and the maraca-boys was so blatant. Also the Burton lesbian assault on Ms. Fellows was as funny as it was shocking. I would like to read up on the critical and popular reaction when this came out.
"The Night of the Iguana" is a very literate and entertaining movie that has many interesting ideas and moments. I just wish it was a little tighter and had different female leads. Still a 16 and well worth watching.
WR: what do you have as a replacement?
cory, i'll post a replacement soon...
ReplyDeleteand yeah the 1964 of it all blew my mind, maraca sex boy toys, lesbians, teen sex with priest and some weed to boot... i love Burton in this and kinda agree Ava was a distraction... glad you guys enjoyed
I liked Gardner! I had no problem at all with her here. And Sinatra? He was probably tipsy.
ReplyDeleteSeriously though...what was up with that fight scene? "C'mon, Hank! Give it to him!" It's the type of scene that made me yell, "Cut!" so that I could shoot it again. Or shoot the actors.