Iguana

1988 1h 28m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 20

DramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A grotesquely disfigured harpooner called Iguana is severely mistreated by his fellow sailors on a whaling ship in the 19th century. One night he escapes and takes up residence on a remote island. He makes himself ruler of the island and declares war on mankind. Anyone unfortunate enough to wind up on the island with Iguana is subjected to his cruel tyranny.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Everett McGill
Oberlus
Fabio Testi
Gamboa
Michael Madsen
Sebastián
Jack Taylor
Captain 'Old Lady II'
Michael J. Bradford
White-Bearded Sailor
Roger Kendall
Roger
Robert Case
One Eyed Sailor
Maru Valdivielso
Carmen

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Monte Hellman
Writers: Steven Gaydos, Monte Hellman, David M. Zehr
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: Italy, Spain

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Italy, Spain.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Monte Hellman, shot by Josep M. Civit. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Franco Campanino. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Cesare D'Amico shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Everett McGill and Fabio Testi and Michael Madsen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Monte Hellman directs. Josep M. Civit behind the camera. Franco Campanino scores. Cesare D'Amico cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Italy, Spain. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
238 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4International production across 2 countries: Italy, Spain.
5Directed by Monte Hellman, shot by Josep M. Civit. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Franco Campanino. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Cesare D'Amico shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Everett McGill and Fabio Testi and Michael Madsen carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0095354 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 20 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.