The Night of the Iguana (film) in a black-and-white film), and Gabriel Figueroa (for Best Black-and-white Cinematography). Ava Gardner was nominated for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA as best actress. A statue of John Huston stands in Puerto Vallarta, celebrating the film's role in making the area a popular destination. Notes The Night of the Iguana (film) The Night of the Iguana is a 1964 film based on the 1961 play of the same name written by Tennessee Williams. Directed by John Huston, it featured Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, and Deborah Kerr. The film won the 1964 Academy Award for Best Costume Design, and was
The Night of the Iguana production. In 1940s Mexico an ex-minister, the Reverend T. Lawrence Shannon, has been locked out of his church after characterizing the Western image of God as a "senile delinquent", during one of his sermons. Shannon is not de-frocked, but he is institutionalized for a "nervous breakdown". Some time after his release, the Rev. Shannon obtains employment as a tour guide for a second-rate travel agency. Shortly before the opening of the play, Shannon is accused of having committed statutory rape of a sixteen-year-old girl, Charlotte Goodall, who is accompanying his current group of tourists. As the curtain rises, Shannon and