The Night of the Iguana Review

Tenessee Williams play stars Richard Burton as the defrocked priest who has run away to Mexico and a new life as a tour guide. He takes with him a crucifix and a bottle but relies rather more on the latter and biting sarcasm as he wrestles with temptation (an underage Sue Lyon reprising her Lolita role), torment (the Oscar-nominated Grayson Hall as Lyon’s witchy guardian) and an old adversary (Ava Gardner) even as she offers him sanctuary. He finds that sanctuary, however, in the unlikely shape of spinster Deborah Kerr who tames one of his rages and shows him a path to personal salvation. Burton is always stunning and the women around him seem inspired to compete, providing enough humour and sexual hints to paper over the cracks in the weirdo narrative.