Volcano: An Inquiry Into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry (1976) User Reviews

Penetrating, but negativity a bit overdone

[fergs-1 · 7/10 · 19 August 2009]

The strength of this documentary is the appearance of many who knew Malcolm Lowry personally, including his widow, Margery Lowry (Bonner). It traces the emotional and physical geography of Malcolm Lowry's turbulent life, including his most productive time, the 14 years he and Margery spent living in a beach shack in Dollarton (now part of Vancouver) BC, Canada.

Margery Bonner is the unnamed spouse in Malcolm Lowry's The Forest Path to the Spring, which is a fictionalized account of their years at Dollarton ("Eridanus"). This novella, thought to be Lowry's "most optimistic work" (by George Bowering), describes that period in idyllic terms, with many positive references to his spouse, by the unnamed narrator. It was published posthumously along with a parallel work, The Bravest Boat, from The October Ferry to Gabriola.

Volcano, though, is an unremitting tragedy that begins at the bottom of a life, and goes downhill from there. Richard Burton's lugubrious reading from Lowry's prose is powerful, but dreary. One is tempted to ask, Is that all there is? No, it isn't. The Forest Path to the Spring stands in counterpoint to Volcano. The novella certainly portrays the author's inner demons, but offers as well a lightness, a powerful hymn to the spirit of a place, and a description of a life at least partly redeemed.

Inside the Volcano

[sol- · 7/10 · 30 July 2017]

Was Malcolm Lowry's death due to alcohol poisoning a deliberate act of suicide or merely "death by misadventure"? This is the question posed at the start of this Canadian documentary about the author of 'Under the Volcano' - an acclaimed novel that of course was turned into a film by John Huston in 1984, starring Albert Finney in the single finest performance of his distinguished career. While 'Volcano: An Inquiry' ultimately never answers the question it initially poses, the documentary provides a great insight into the way Lowry ticked through a combination of interviews with those he knew him and his lyrical prose read aloud, including excerpts from 'Under the Volcano' itself. This proves to be a very effective technique as Richard Burton reads Lowry's very descriptive writing in an appropriately moody manner, with the passages often juxtaposed to striking images, such as Day of the Dead celebrations and a hospital where Lowry spent some time. The way the camera creeps and glides around in these moments is an especially good touch. It is debatable how much interest the film will hold for those unfamiliar with 'Under the Volcano', but this works as a pretty good companion piece - and remarkably so given that it was filmed almost a decade before Huston's iconic movie.

An excellent story of a stuggling writer

[yamahawellington · 10/10 · 18 April 2003]

-Contains slight spoilers-

This documentary tells the story of the life of Malcolm Lowry. He was a gifted writer that fell heavily into drinking. His life became a downward spiral as he attempted to write his book, "Under the Volcano". The documentary does a superb job at describing this author's life in vivid detail and shows people that most artists and others who are geniuses at their work usually have the most difficult lives. Lowry had such an interesting life story that stunned me that he never gave up writing no matter how awful his life was becoming. He went from going to a nice university in Britain, to living in a shack in British Columbia (which gets burned down, with his work in it). Recommened viewing for anyone interested in the lives of artists.