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Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
Format: NTSC
Languages: EnglishOriginal LanguageSpanishOriginal Language
Theatrical Release Date: June 13, 1984
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
The Criterion Collection release of Under The Volcano reaffirms director John Huston's affinity for tragedies starring outcasts and wayward souls (see also The Misfits and Night of the Iguana). Adapted from Malcolm Lowry's novel set in Cuernavaca, Mexico, 1938, on the eve of WW II, Under The Volcano recounts the tragic life of British Consul Geoffrey Firmin's (Albert Finney) final struggles with alcoholism during Day of the Dead, as his estranged wife, Yvonne (Jaqueline Bisset) returns from New York to patch up their marriage and to encourage his sobering up. From the opening scene, Firmin is relentlessly drunk, mumbling Shakespearean-like rants with a dark sense of humor about the horrors of war and the perils of love. Finney's stunning performance recalls the best of Richard Burton (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), who was originally offered the role. Fortunately for the viewer, Finney was cast, as his compellingly dour portrayal of Firmin is undeniably masterful. Set in bars, restaurants, and amongst the plaza's Dia de los Muertos festivities featuring devils and skeletons alongside garlands and balloons, Under The Volcano's visual splendor underscores the decadence of Finney's drinking habit. There is not a single shot missing a bottle of liquor, and as Finney's health deteriorates the weather in the film subtly mimics his psychological state. The film is as wondrous as it is devastating. Included as extras on this DVD are the Richard Burton-narrated "Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life of Malcolm Lowry," a captivating documentary about the author's life, and an hour-long documentary about the making of the film. --Trinie Dalton
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
Great Film. Finney's portrayal of the over-the-hill British consul, Geoffrey Firmin, in the last stages of alcoholism, was--as the trailer blurb stated--a tour de force. He so thoroughly inhabits the role of this flawed and courageous expatriate that his every scene seems to breathe with nuanced insights into the plight of a truly tragic character addicted to the demon rum. [Note, for one small, but artful example, the double-triple take he gives his returning ex-wife (standing in the doorway ... Read More
Rating: -
I have been a fan of Albert Finney for a long while now, and so I have been chomping at the bit to finally see this movie for which he receives so many raves. I finally got that chance (although it's been about two months or so now since I did see it) and I have to say that I was utterly blown away, not just by Finney but by this film entirely. Sure, this is `The Albert Finney Show' if we're being realistic here, but his performances is only one part (the biggest part, sure) of a well constructed ... Read More
Rating: -
I just saw the movie "Under the Volcano" on TV today.I've seen this movie before, and have always thought Finney's performance was one of the best I've seen in movies.Probably the high point of his career.His drunken portrayal of an ex-Consul, Geoffrey Firmin, who is mired in a quicksand of despair and imminent destruction, is powerful and unforgettable. His dilemma focuses on alcohol: he drinks to avoid despair, but cannot bring himself in his drunken state to reconcile with his ex-wife, which both ... Read More
Rating:  -
Terrible movie, mostly because of the inadequate screenplay. But it might be impossible to film UNDER THE VOLCANO, just as it is impossible to film ULYSSES, because the story is told through the hero's interior monologue. The external events are mundane, boring. The drama is internal.
Also a terrible waste of Albert Finney, a perfect choice for the Consul. The artificiality of the situations (the movie was made on location in Mexico, but feels every bit as artificial as a movie made on a Hollywood ... Read More
Rating:  -
Good grief. UNDER THE VOLCANO was one of the most powerful, disturbing, brilliant novels of the Twentieth Century. Its brilliance was a derivative of its prose, which in turn was the befuddled, delusional musings of the Consul. The reader is inside the head of Geoffery Firmin; unfortunately, the viewer never sees this frightening point of view in John Huston's utterly silly film adaptation of Malcom Lowry's masterpiece.
From its wacky, bizarre opening credits, to its total compression and ... Read More
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