NIGHT OF THE IGUANA 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

On November 25-29, Puerto Vallarta will be celebrating 50 years of the filming of the historic “Night of the Iguana” movie at various sites around the city. The celebration will include documentaries, conferences, a photomontage, and round table discussion at the CUC University, Malecon Arches, Cuale Cultural Center, and Los Mangos Library in homage of an event that thrust Puerto Vallarta into the international limelight. Admission is free and open to the public.

John Huston, the movie’s director, was a pioneer and visionary in the filming industry by choosing to film outside of Hollywood, in Mismaloya, a tiny jungle village with a population of around 300. He was able to convince Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, and Deborah Kerr, some of the greatest names of the ‘60’s, to descend on the then-unknown sleepy fishing town of Puerto Vallarta for the making of this film based on a Tennessee Williams play. Liz Taylor’s budding romance with Burton exploded onto the international scene during the filming of the movie, and when filming ended, they chose to make Vallarta their second home.

For more information about the 50^th anniversary and activities, go to “La Noche de la Iguana” at the CUCosta’s website http://www.cuc.udg.mx/iguana-pagina.