Night of the Iguana

Ok, so admittedly I'm not a fan of most Tennessee Williams movie adaptations.  They're typically super serious, super neurotic, super self-important, and super talky (although, I can appreciate the occasional Brando "Stella! Hey Stella!" or Elizabeth Taylor "Maggie the Cat is alive!" impression).  So when "Night of the Iguana" came on the other day, I was pretty tempted to skip it.  I saw it once years ago, and it was SERIOUSLY all of the above.

But the thing is, I'm the world's biggest fan of Deborah Kerr. So how could I not watch, at least for a few minutes, right?  Well, let's just say that few minutes turned into watching pretty much the entire picture.  Shot on location in Mexico, it's really a story of a group of lost souls, trying desperately to hang on to whatever goodness is still in them.  And while I still say that Tennessee Williams is just too much, my opinion has changed of this one.  For one thing, it has plenty of atmosphere. And for another, it is seriously Deborah Kerr's best work ever.  I've seen enough plays and movies to know when acting is good, and man - she was good in this.  Really, she should have gotten nomination #7 for this one.  And not only that - it's Ava Gardner's best work ever. She was known more for being a beauty, but she was seriously underrated as an actress.

That said, I'm not a huge fan of Richard Burton - he's always trying to make his diction too precise, and he never knew the meaning of the word subtle.  And my opinion doesn't change here.  Really - the picture belongs to Deborah Kerr and Ava Gardner, in the last great parts of their careers.  What a note to end on!

Word to the wise: If you do decide to watch this - make sure the kids are not in the room. This one's for grownups.