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Under the Volcano

Play trailer Poster for Under the Volcano R 1984 1h 49m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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74% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Geoffrey Firmin (Albert Finney) is a heavy-drinking British diplomat living in a Mexican town. As the local Day of the Dead celebration gets underway, Geoffrey drowns himself in the bottle, having cut himself off from his family, friends and job. When Geoffrey goes missing, his wife Yvonne (Jacqueline Bisset) convinces his half-brother Hugh (Anthony Andrews) to conduct a last-ditch search for the drunk, hoping that Hugh might be able to rescue her self-destructing husband.
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Under the Volcano

Critics Reviews

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Variety Staff Variety 10/23/2007
Although this voyage into self-destruction won't be to the taste of many, there will be few unmoved by Finney's towering performance as the tragic Britisher. Go to Full Review
Time Out 06/24/2006
Not for the purists, maybe, but the last half-hour, as Firmin plunges ever deeper into his self-created hell, leaves one shell-shocked. Go to Full Review
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 10/23/2004
4/4
The movie belongs to Finney, but mention must be made of Jacqueline Bisset as his wife and Anthony Andrews as his half-brother. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 07/15/2023
3.5/4
Malcolm Lowry’s cult novel had long been deemed “unfilmable,” yet that didn’t stop director John Huston from filming it anyway. Go to Full Review
Joe Baltake Philadelphia Daily News 05/03/2022
Finney, on screen at all times, plays what amounts to a prolonged drunk scene. It Is a very studied, tightly drawn performance, full of self-revulsion. Go to Full Review
David Elliott Copley News Service 01/30/2019
There are nips of beauty and terror, but the movie starts small and then shrinks. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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mark g @Mark_Alan_G. Sep 24 Two things, the finest photography ever done, visually beautiful beyond belief. Second, Albert Finney! See more Daniel B @observor Mar 18 Doesn't really do justice to the book, just a bare smattering of what the book encompasses, they eliminate a major character that is in the book for the movie. Could be done much better, though Mexican scenery was pretty good. Now this is a movie that should be remade. See more 09/29/2024 I try to catch every movie that Huston did. I couldn't get past the 15 minute mark on this one, and that time span includes the opening credits. Finney may or may not be doing a great job of portraying a total lush, and maybe Mr. Huston is directing him perfectly, but I just can't watch this train wreck. See more Alec B 02/21/2024 Somewhat undercooked but Finney gives one of the all time great drunk performances. See more Ken R 06/05/2023 Under The Volcano – A Dramatic Excursion What might we have experienced if the demon drink hadn't taken hold of brilliant English wordsmith Malcolm Lowry? What might his planned epic: ‘The Voyage That Never Ends' have yielded to modern literature, had he lived beyond his short 47yrs? Veteran director John Huston's 1984 treatment gives us a chance to examine some of the literary genius (via a good adaption) that the world's been sadly left wanting for more. Under the Volcano is not exactly an easily accessed work in either availability or ease of entering its character's sometimes debauched world - after all, the story follows the final days in the life of an alcoholic. Lowry's writing style could be described as reminiscent of Eugene O'Neil, with touches of Shakespeare, and performances here do it full justice. Set and produced on location in Mexico around their celebration of the Day of the Dead this tends to set us up for the interesting, but tawdry journey in our central character's last few days. The year is 1938, and members of the Synarchrist Union (NRS) are murdering and robbing locals - within the approaching tide of Nazism. This sets off a series of dramatic events leading to conflict involving our protagonist and his wife. This would be Huston's third last film. Photographed by highly respected cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa (Night of the Iguana '64) with a music score by Alex North (Spartacus'60) There's a creatively designed main title sequence (By Huston's son Danny) that introduces us to the eerie setting - leading the viewer into a challenging watch that might well please serious lovers of art-house cinema. A nicely transferred DVD is available. See more TheFilmReviewer 1 @TheRealAckervold 03/02/2023 Albert Finney is brilliant in John Huston's return to Southern America (after The Treasure of the Sierra Madre). Jacqueline Bisset and Anthony Andrews provide exceptional supporting performances, but the film is nearly controlled by Finney's tour de force. See more Read all reviews
Under the Volcano

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Movie Info

Synopsis Geoffrey Firmin (Albert Finney) is a heavy-drinking British diplomat living in a Mexican town. As the local Day of the Dead celebration gets underway, Geoffrey drowns himself in the bottle, having cut himself off from his family, friends and job. When Geoffrey goes missing, his wife Yvonne (Jacqueline Bisset) convinces his half-brother Hugh (Anthony Andrews) to conduct a last-ditch search for the drunk, hoping that Hugh might be able to rescue her self-destructing husband.
Director
John Huston
Producer
Moritz Borman, Weiland Schulz-Keil
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 13, 1984, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 15, 2020
Runtime
1h 49m
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