screenplay by Anthony Veiller and John Huston

Based on a play by Tennessee Williams

Directed by John Huston

I first saw “Iguana” many years ago, alone in Dinky town(business area for University of MN). I was at first perplexed by some of it, but wound up loving it. I have seen it several times since on TV including the other night on TCM

What I mean by that possibly misleading headline is that I first thought it was –contrary to my own expectations-pretty bad. But it changed and won me over. When I see it again I find my tastes have changed little if any here. I still think the first part is very disappointing, but it corrects itself(or John Huston, one of the great directors did )and it became spectacularly good and compelling. Here’s how this actually worked–

The first scene takes place in a church and it is clear from the sign outside that it is an Episcopal church. The clergyman, The Rev T Lawrence Shannon(Richard Burton)is about to give a sermon. He does so and he confesses to an inappropriate relationship with a young Sunday School teacher who had come to see him about her faith. He breaks down spectacularly and, shouting, drives all his parishioners from the church. Obviously, he’s in big trouble

Now my objection here is that I don’t think an Episcopal congregation would have behaved in this way, at least not all of them. Some would have been supportive or tried(which would have been hard)and would have let him go reluctantly rather than vengefully. Also, the parishioners are portrayed as, just about to a man and woman, a bunch of prissy, condescending, self-righteous jerks. Now it is true that a lot of churches give this impression and sometimes it is largely accurate. If filmmakers get that impression of them it is partly the church-goers’ fault-though I think the film makers might try to understand this matter a little more deeply, maybe applying their presumed logic and fairness). I do not think it was appropriate here and it is also a huge cliche something I had not expected.

The story then jumps ahead two years. Shannon has been removed from his position at the church but, he is quick to point out, NOT defrocked, That means he still can do a marriage ceremony, conduct a communion(Eucharist)service, etc. But getting hired by another church might be difficult. He is working now as a tour guide for a bus company, taking groups of Americans on trips through northern Mexico where they stay at various pre-arranged hotels and see the sights, courtesy of Shannon, who is drinking and appears to be working hard on being a real alcoholic. His group is from a Baptist church, all but one middle aged(or more)women, and all of them foolish, silly or neurotic and shallow–sometimes all of the preceding.

Once again, we have a gigantic cliche here. Sensitive, intelligent philosophical man deals with group of simple-minded pitifully naive middle class American ladies.(Wow, who would have thunk it?) At this point Huston seems to be 0 for 2 on the big ones. This is particularly true when you add in the fact that the one young lady is Charlotte, a rich teenager portrayed by Sue Lyon, whose father has sent her there to keep her out of trouble at home(You do wonder a bit about the father’s reasoning here, but …)Charlotte is hot for Shannon, and the long celibate(presumably),drunk, depressed and now despairing man Shannon has become is pitifully vulnerable to her beauty and charm.(If you aren’t familiar with Sue Lyon google her–you’ll see what I mean)

The unofficial(?)leader of the ladies group is a puritanical, angry, suspicious, nasty case of female aggression and neurosis named Miss Fellows. She is suspicious of Shannon and his intentions with Charlotte. She’s more or less right, but it would have been more accurate to make them the other way around–Charlotte’s intentions with him, which are clear. She is certainly one more cliche, making Huston is now 0 for 3 on my cliche scorecard.

But wait–I sense a change. Well, maybe only because I know the story so well, but you almost see it coming, particularly when through a series of incidents I won’t tire you with Shannon manages to get them into a different hotel than the one planned. This one is a place he’s familiar with and he often went there to visit his older friend, Fred, and Fred’s much younger wife, the middle aged, seductive, obvious but somehow charming antidote to Miss Felloes and her lot, Maxine, played by the always magnificent Ava Gardner. But a nasty piece of news for Shannon- Fred died recently and now she runs the place by herself with her two beach boys, two young Mexicans who sing, dance leer at Maxine and occasionally, when asked, do a bit of work. They also seem to take turns in being alone with her.

Shannon had often talked to Fred when troubled in the past., He was a sort of non-professional counsellor and had often gotten Shannon through rough times. Now he’s gone and Shannon is more alone than he thought.

But, wait again–things are about to get better(at least different) for Shannon and for Huston’s movie, thanks mainly, I guess to Huston himself. Now Deborah Kerr shows up, about a decade after her memorable scene on the beach in “From Here to Eternity,” still lively, still capable of looking glamourous or subdued and best of all still a sensitive and tremendous actress. She is a New England spinster travelling with her 90+ year old grandfather, a once famous poet who is working on one more but can’t quite get it finished. She is a sketch artist and while he gives readings she displays her sketches and occasionally picks up a few bucks from customers who like her work.

Kerr and her grandfather are a signal that now things are going to change. The characters will remain much the same , Shannon, charming but depressed drinker and thinker, Miss Fellows a huge pain in the rear, Charlotte a big temptation to Shannon, Maxine a new entry in the chase Shannon game, and Hannah an anomaly–is she really artistic? really devoted? interested, in her prim way, in Shannon? Just what is with her, anyway(self-disclosure–this lady has always been one of my favorite actresses and I may be unable to be entirely objective here).

The movie now becomes different–the same story but a new seriousness brought to it. It is difficult to describe the change and I perhaps am the only one who thinks its a big change–and maybe I’m wrong. But this is how it came off to me. Before it was a serious enough story ,actually pretty good in its way, but cluttered with cliches and obvious attitudes. Greatness seems to be lurking in the background but can’t make it through, not entirely. After Hannah r and her grandfather arrives, it does.

Shannon, in a depression semi-attempts suicide by jumping into the Pacific and starting on a certainly fatal swim to China. The beach boys rescue him as instructed by Maxine. Completely lost and now hysterical as well, Maxine and Hanna(Kerr)subdue him and tie him hand an foot in a hammock where he cannot get away.

Shannon calms down a bit and some special herbal tea Hannah has calms him further. Maxine goes off and leaves them alone for awhile and, they begin to talk. This is the most important part of the story and it is handled with great delicacy by writer and director, and performred to a “T” by Burton and Kerr.

Up to this point Shannon had been an exorbitant figure, showy and loud in his protestations and comments, obviously brilliant and messed up but also something(perhaps subconsciously to him) of a put-on, as part of the Shannon package to be enjoyed but not taken entirely seriously. Burton’s flamboyant acting style and his obvious extravagant talent made this easy for him to convey.

Now, without in any way losing any of Shannon’s personality or forcefulness, Burton is still somehow more serious. Not that he hadn’t been before, but now is seriousness is more concentrated and he is a little bit bleaker, still flamboyant but a darker Shannon, maybe looking at the absolute end of his career and what he will do with the future. Partly, at least, this comes from the writing, but perhaps from him, too. HIs persona before was sometimes Burton-as-Burton.

Alma, also, comes more face to face with herself. She gives the impression of having spent a lot of time fooling both other people and herself in the past. This was perhaps unintentional dishonesty and certainly was not selfish, not aimed at financial gain or social success. But she seems to have accepted that she was a New England Spinster who would never be anybody’s star or perhaps even anybody’s beloved, but she would take pride in what she had–intelligence, dignity, honorable behavior–and go on from there, but without tipping her hand on what must have been at times a depressing inner life.

She shares with Shannon some of her religious thoughts, certainly more profound and searching than ones usually heard in movies, now or then. But she does something else, too. Spurred by perhaps mostly curiosity, but I prefer to think also as an example of caring and trying to understand, Shannon probes more deeply into her hidden self. More or less rational now, Hanna has untied him and and he is his full self(as close as he gets, anyway)and in command of his thoughts again. He tries to figure out exactly who this strange woman, so different from his past women, presumably(certainly if Charlotte was his prototype female),but so fascinating and is her odd way perhaps alluring.

So Shannon wanders into dangerous grounds for both of them and asks her if he would tell him about her experiences with love. And she does, although it doesn’t take long. I will not share these, it would be like giving away the end of a mystery, but let’s say she has a story or two for him. One never doubts her honesty, she is telling the truth And the truth is somewhat humorous, more pathetic and finally deeply moving. And Shannon is perhaps struck by all of this himself, surprised at the depths in this quite and unassuming woman, and seriously attracted to her in more than one way.

The characters have now all in some ways revealed themselves to the audience and each other and themselves. It is time to close it down. And so they do. Despite Shannon’s desire for a longer relationship, Hannah will go on her way, basically the same person doing mostly the same things, but perhaps with the memory of a few dazzlingly unusual days in Mexico and a deep and deeply troubled clergyman. Miss Fellowes will likely never discover he inner truth. Charlotte will likely go home and become a pushy, rich blonde who will get what she wants and then regret it. Shannon apparently will stay with Maxine. They will have a chance.

The original play had a darker ending than this. I don’t know if it was lightened(Only a bit, mind you)for the suppose4dly tender sensibilities of the movie audience or just because Huston like it better this way. Being a sentimentalist myself, I tend to favor the movie ending, but the play was likely “better” from an academic point of view.

As to the fact of how the story changed from something irritating to something great, I have thought of that more than once. I have given you my impressions. But maybe this is the only way it would have worked. Anyway, if you’ve never seen “Iguana,” I suggest you do, if you get the chance. You’ll be richer if maybe more perplexed after you see it.