How The Night of the Iguana Made Puerto Vallarta Famous
Some films are remembered for their scripts. Others are remembered for what happened around them. John Huston’s The Night of the Iguana is both. Shot in 1963 and released in 1964, it brought Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr and Sue Lyon to a stretch of Mexican coast that most of the world had never heard of. The headlines that followed made that coast famous. Today, Puerto Vallarta is one of Mexico’s best-known resort cities, and the Night of the Iguana story is still part of how the town tells its own history.
Key Takeaways
- John Huston directed the film from Tennessee Williams’ 1961 play, and MGM released it on August 6, 1964.
- The film earned four Academy Award nominations and won the Oscar for Best Costume Design.
- Filming in Mismaloya, near Puerto Vallarta, began in September 1963 and lasted 72 days.
- The press attention around the shoot, and Burton and Taylor’s later home there, helped draw visitors to the town.
- A statue of John Huston stands on Isla Cuale, dedicated on the 25th anniversary of the film’s release.
What The Night of the Iguana is about
The story follows Dr. T. Lawrence Shannon, played by Richard Burton, a clergyman who has lost his church and now works as a tour guide for a cut-rate Texas travel company. He is leading a busload of schoolteachers through Mexico when his past and his nerves start to catch up with him.
Rather than take the group to their planned hotel, Shannon drives them to a cheap, out-of-the-way hotel in Mismaloya, run by his late friend’s widow, Maxine Faulk, played by Ava Gardner. Soon a traveling painter, Hannah Jelkes, played by Deborah Kerr, arrives with her elderly poet grandfather. They have run out of money, and Shannon talks Maxine into giving them a room.
Over one long, hot night, the guests wrestle with loneliness, faith and the fear of being left behind. The title comes from an iguana that the hotel staff keep tied by a rope. Shannon, at the end of his own rope, finally sets it free.
The screenplay was written by Huston and Anthony Veiller. It is a talky, character-driven drama in the Tennessee Williams tradition, and it rewards viewers who like strong performances more than plot twists.
How the film was received
The film opened to mixed reviews. Time magazine called it “one of the best movies ever made from a Tennessee Williams play.” The New York Times was much harsher, and its critic singled out Burton’s performance for criticism.
Audiences turned up anyway. The film grossed about $12 million worldwide, and Variety counted it among the ten highest-grossing films of 1964. It earned four Academy Award nominations, including Best Supporting Actress for Grayson Hall, and won for Best Costume Design. It also picked up five Golden Globe nominations, including Best Director and Best Actress for Gardner.
A few fun facts round out its history. Bette Davis was once attached to play Maxine, the role she had created on Broadway in 1961. James Garner later said he turned down the lead. A young James Earl Jones narrated the trailer.
A remote coast becomes a film set
In September 1963, Huston, Burton and Lyon arrived in Puerto Vallarta, then described as a remote little fishing village. Elizabeth Taylor came with Burton, though she was not in the film. Principal photography took place in Mismaloya, south of town, and lasted 72 days.
The location was hard to reach. Many of the shooting sites could only be reached by boat, so the production built a small village of 25 houses for the cast and crew. Huston loved the fishing so much that he bought a house in a cottage colony outside town.
The press could not get enough of the shoot. The off-screen lives of Burton and Taylor filled tabloids and newsreels, and every story put Puerto Vallarta’s name in front of readers around the world.
How the shoot changed Puerto Vallarta
After filming ended, Burton and Taylor bought a house in Puerto Vallarta and visited regularly while they were married. Huston also stayed connected to the area, with a home on remote Las Caletas beach and a house in town. His children Anjelica and Danny Huston later helped found and support the Puerto Vallarta Film Festival.
Tourism grew steadily in the decades that followed. By 2020, tourism made up 80% of the city’s economic activity. The film did not do that alone, but it made the town’s name known far beyond Mexico, and the town has never forgotten it.
Visiting the film’s Puerto Vallarta today
Puerto Vallarta sits on Bahía de Banderas, on the Pacific coast of the state of Jalisco. The town lies on a narrow plain at the foot of the Sierra Madre, so green hills rise right behind the beaches.
Start your film trip on Isla Cuale, a small island in the Cuale River in the center of town. The statue of John Huston stands there, dedicated on the film’s 25th anniversary. The island also holds the Cuale Archaeological Museum, with pre-Hispanic art from the region, and shops selling local crafts.
Walk the Malecón, the paved seafront promenade in the Centro. It is lined with modern sculptures, including the Boy on a Seahorse, and it is especially lively on Sunday evenings. South of the river lies the Olas Altas neighborhood, which some travel brochures call the Zona Romántica.
Then head south along the coast toward Mismaloya, where the film was made. Offshore, the rock arches known as Los Arcos rise from the bay, part of a protected marine park. Standing on that shore, it is easy to see why Huston fell for the place.
When to plan your trip
Puerto Vallarta has dry winters and rainy summers. The rainy season runs from mid-June to mid-October, with most of the rain between July and September. February, March and April have the least cloud cover.
The high season for international visitors runs from late November through March, and sometimes later, depending on spring break. The city is especially popular with travelers from the southern and western United States because of its direct flights. Visitors who fly in arrive at Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport, known by its code, PVR.
Where to Stay When You Make the Trip
Part of the film’s magic is its sense of escape, and your hotel can carry that feeling. The hotel zone runs along the shore north of the center. The Centro and the Zona Romántica put you within walking distance of the Malecón and Isla Cuale. Properties to the south sit closer to Mismaloya, with quieter beaches and jungle views.
For a stay with some of the glamour the film’s era is remembered for, look at 5-star Puerto Vallarta luxury hotels in the part of town that suits your plans. Book early for the high season, when the best rooms go first.
Watch it before you go
Watch the film a week or two before your trip. You will notice the coast, the jungle and the heavy heat that hangs over every scene. Then, standing at Mismaloya, you will recognize the same light on the water.
If you enjoy it, pair it with another Tennessee Williams adaptation, such as The Glass Menagerie, to see how differently directors have handled his work. Burton and Gardner fans will also find plenty to enjoy in their other films from the same decade.
The Town the Film Built
Huston’s film is a moody drama about people at the end of their rope. Its most lasting effect may be the one that happened off screen, when a quiet fishing village became a place the world wanted to see. Watch the film, then go see the coast that made it.
FAQs about The Night of the Iguana
Where was The Night of the Iguana filmed?
It was filmed on location at Mismaloya and other spots near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Principal photography began in September 1963 and lasted 72 days.
Who starred in The Night of the Iguana?
Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr, Sue Lyon and Grayson Hall starred. John Huston directed the film from Tennessee Williams’ 1961 play.
Did The Night of the Iguana win an Oscar?
Yes. It won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design and earned four nominations in total, including Best Supporting Actress for Grayson Hall.
Was Elizabeth Taylor in The Night of the Iguana?
No. Taylor traveled to Puerto Vallarta with Richard Burton during filming, but she did not appear in the film. Their visit drew huge press attention to the town.
Is there a John Huston statue in Puerto Vallarta?
Yes. A statue of John Huston stands on Isla Cuale in the center of town. It was dedicated on the 25th anniversary of the film’s release.
How did the film change Puerto Vallarta?
The press coverage of the shoot introduced the town to readers around the world. Burton, Taylor and Huston kept homes there, and tourism grew in the years after.
When is the right time to visit Puerto Vallarta?
High season runs from late November through March, during the dry winter. The rainy season lasts from mid-June to mid-October, with most rain from July to September.
Is the film based on a play?
Yes. It is based on Tennessee Williams’ 1961 play of the same name. Huston and Anthony Veiller wrote the screenplay for the 1964 film.
