X
- 1984
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 52 m
- 1984
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 52 m
Summary The last 24 hours in the life of Geoffrey Firmin, a lonely, depressed English consul who retreats to alcohol for solace.
Directed By: John Huston
Written By: Malcolm Lowry, Guy Gallo
- 1984
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 52 m
- 1984
- R
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 52 m
Under the Volcano
70
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
tbd
Summary The last 24 hours in the life of Geoffrey Firmin, a lonely, depressed English consul who retreats to alcohol for solace.
Directed By: John Huston
Written By: Malcolm Lowry, Guy Gallo
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
70
64% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
21% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
14% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 14 Critic Reviews
70
64% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
21% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
14% Negative
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
The movie belongs to Finney, but mention must be made of Jacqueline Bisset as his wife and Anthony Andrews as his half-brother. Their treatment of the consul is interesting. They understand him well.
It falls upon Finney to dramatize the inner workings of a man gradually, unmistakably succumbing to oblivion. Finney is up to the task: The pungent poetry of Lowry's prose comes through in his pitch-perfect performance, with its exquisite turns of phrase, boozy bravado, and theatrical panache.
A film that is especially impressive for the courage, intelligence and restraint with which it tackles an impossible task...What it can do, and does to such a surprising degree, is to bring the characters to life and offer fleeting glimpses into the heart of Mr. Lowry's tragedy.
The result is very much worth the wait, bringing to life the mysticism of Mexico with a superb script by Guy Gallo, exquisite photography, and the unparalleled performance by Finney.
The movie has a deep-toned flossy and "artistic" clarity and a peculiarly literary tone - the dialogue doesn't sound like living people talking.
John Huston's movie version of Under the Volcano, which opens today at the West End Circle, seems to run out of pictorial ideas shortly after the credit sequence, a "dance of death" with skeleton dolls that establishes the setting in and around Cuernavaca, Mexico, on Nov. 1-2, 1938, during the Day of the Dead ceremonies. [13 July 1984, p.E4]
Unfortunately the cast members are made into symbols themselves, bereft of blood and emotion, under the direction of the great John Huston. It's like a death pageant, grueling and dismal and distant...It is a dreary process at best. And this film is a tedious and time-consuming study of decay and lost values, lost souls and lost empires. [13 July 1984, p.17]
User Reviews
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company
Ithaca,
Conacite Uno
Release Date Jun 13, 1984
Duration 1 h 52 m
Rating R
Genres
Tagline No se puede vivir sin amar. (One cannot live without love.)
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 2 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 2 Nominations
London Critics Circle Film Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
