"Puerto
Vallarta to Honor Legendary Director
John Huston in November"
By Ed Hutmacher
Puerto Vallarta has announced festive plans to honor one of cinema’s
most renowned 20th century icons, John Huston. He directed 44 films,
wrote or co-wrote 33 screenplays, and acted in 46 motion pictures over
a 57-year career that began in 1930 and didn’t end until he passed
away in 1987, just after completing his last film.
And while Vallarta is tipping its collective
hat to Huston as a cinema legend, the town will also pay tribute to
him as the man who helped introduce the once remote fishing village
to the world 40 years ago when he choose to film the movie The Night
of the Iguana at nearby Mismoloya, in 1963. That single event ignited
the transformation of Puerto Vallarta from an unknown tropical hideaway
into one of the most popular, major resort destination in the world.
To say that Huston’s influence was far-reaching would be an understatement.
Called “An Homage to John Huston,”
the weeklong celebration will run November 22nd through the 29th, 2003,
and feature screenings of seven different Huston-directed films and
the 1982 American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award ceremony
for Huston. A brief lecture will precede each film to provide background
on Huston’s life, his career, and his personal recollections of
Mexico, Puerto Vallarta, and nearby Las Caletas where he spent the last
13 years of his life.
The homage will provide an opportunity
for attendees to discover John Huston’s approach to filmmaking
and his genuinely unique style of directing. He employed brilliant cinematic
techniques and elicited award-winning performances from actors to transform
dramatic stories onto the big screen. A masterful craftsman, his body
of work continues to captivate audiences and influence modern directors
all over the world.
Huston was also considered a maverick
in Hollywood, preferring to go his own way by choosing his own material
and working in remote locations far away from the glitzy Mecca of Hollywood
studios. He held a particular affection for Mexico and some of his best
work was filmed here, which included the talents of Mexico’s own
cinema legends like cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa and director-actor
Emilio Fernandez.
Joining in the festivities and the events
during the homage will be Huston family members and friends, including
many locals from Puerto Vallarta, who will share stories about the Huston’s
life and times.
Saturday, November 22, will launch the
homage with an opening cocktail and Photo Exhibition at Gallery Omar
Alonso. The distinguished Mexico City photographer Gabriel Figueroa
Jr., son of cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa, will present never before
seen black and white photos taken by his father when he worked with
Huston on Iguana in Puerto Vallarta, back in 1963.
Also a part of the homage is Academy
Award nominee and screenwriter Janet Roach (1985’s Prizzi‘s
Honor), Mexican actor Pedro Armendariz Jr., and Venezuelan actress-singer
Maria Conchita Alonso. Other notable celebrities from Mexico and Hollywood’s
cinema elite are expected to attend, pending confirmation.
Providing educational and cultural perspective
during the homage will be Marlene Dermer, Executive Director of the
Los Angeles Film Festival, and Michael Donnelly, Co-Curator and Translator
with the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
The homage lectures and the Souvenir
Program will be presented in Spanish and English, and the films will
be sub-titled in Spanish. Each evening’s presentation will be held
at the new Cultural Center on the Rio Cuale Island, just steps from
the John Huston statue. All of the screenings and lectures are open
to the public at no charge.
For further, up-to-the-minute information
on the schedule of events and invited guests, interested attendees are
invited to search the “Homage to John Huston” website at www.puertovallartafilm.com.