The Night of the Iguana (1964) - Nonno's Poem

The Night of the Iguana is a 1964 American drama film directed by John Huston, based on the 1961 play of the same name by Tennessee Williams. --- How calmly does the olive branch Observe the sky beginning to blanch Without a cry, without a prayer, With no betrayal of despair. Sometime while night obscures the tree The Zenith of its life will be Gone past forever, and from thence A second history will commense. A chronicle no longer old, A bargaining with mist and mould, And finally the broken stem Te plummeting to earth; and then An intercourse not well designed For beings of a golden kind Whose native green must arch above The earth's obscene, corrupting love. And still the ripe fruit and the branch Observe the sky begin to blanch Without a cry, without a prayer, With no betrayal of despair. O Courage could you not as well Select a second place to dwell, Not only in that golden tree But in the frightened heart of me? --- The theme of Tennessee Williams' "How calmly does the orange branch," from his play, The Night of the Iguana, is a common one of connecting love lost, aging and dying, and courage. ---- The iguana could represent a number of things. Many critics believe that it represents Shannon, who is also tied up during the course of the play. Like the animal, Shannon is straining against the bonds of society and fighting a losing battle. The iguana could also be seen as a symbol of the human condition. encyclopedia