The Centro Universitario de la Costa (CUC) this month celebrates 50 years since the filming of “The Night of the Iguana,” the movie that put the Pacific coast resort on the tourist map.
A screening of the movie, directed by John Huston and starring Richard Burton, will be held at the CUC campus on November 25, with a welcome cocktail and music by the school’s orchestra.
Several screenings of movies featuring Burton and Elizabeth Taylor are scheduled from November 26 through 29 at the Centro Cultural Cuale and the Arcos del Malecon.
The university’s program will also include a photographic exhibition, a round-table discussion involving contemporaries from the period the film was shot and the official bestowing of the John Huston International Chair in Film and Literature.Also featuring Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr and Sue Lyon, “The Night of the Iguana” – based on the 1961 play of the same name written by Tennessee Williams – created plenty of media buzz since Taylor was having an affair with Burton at the time and accompanied him on the set.
The couple fell in love with Puerto Vallarta and subsequently bought properties there. Huston also purchased a home and became a regular visitor.
From that moment on, Puerto Vallarta could no longer be considered a remote little Mexican fishing village.