Thursday, July 23, 2009

the remarkably inconsistent john huston

john huston is one of the most prolific directors of the 20th century. if you look at his notable films, it is littered with unforgettable classics - the asphalt jungle, maltese falcon, the dead, prizzi's honor, the african queen, treasure of sierra madre (i can go on but ill stop). on the other hand, he has also directed a lot of shit - annie, beat the devil, moby dick, the unforgiven, moulin rouge (1952), casino royale (1967) (again, ill stop but i can continue).

most of the time, watching a john huston is a total crapshot. are you going to get an under the volcano (meh) or fat city (yay!). NIGHT OF THE IGUANA falls squarely in the middle. starring richard burton (his usual hammy self), deborah kerr (her usual elegant and sophisticated self), and sue lyon (HOT!), this was a decent character study/drama that is typical of 60s contraversial film. there is a lot going on to shock the audiences of the day: homosexuality, accused pedophillia, and priests fallen from grace. so the result is definetely a still relevant tale of immorality and disappointment in humanity. though the shock has dampened a bit the film is still a decent watch. though the more richard burton i watch, the more i feel he is yelling to hide a suitable acting range.

this one has been languishing on my instant queue for about a year so im glad i finally had a chance to watch it. more important this is rare example of a good huston; not great or terrible. just good.