Unter dem Vulkan (1984)

Against a background of war breaking out in Europe and the Mexican fiesta Day of Death, we are taken through one day in the life of Geoffrey Firmin, a British consul living in alcoholic ... See full summary »

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

Malcolm Lowry (novel), Guy Gallo (screenplay)

Stars:

Albert Finney, Jacqueline Bisset, Anthony Andrews

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Albert Finney	...	Geoffrey Firmin
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Yvonne Firmin
Anthony Andrews	...	Hugh Firmin
Ignacio López Tarso	...	Dr. Vigil (as Ignacio Lopez Tarzo)
Katy Jurado	...	Senora Gregoria
James Villiers	...	Brit
Dawson Bray	...	Quincey
Carlos Riquelme	...	Bustamante
Jim McCarthy	...	Gringo
José René Ruiz	...	Dwarf (as Rene Ruiz 'Tun-Tun')
Eleazar Garcia Jr.	...	Chief of Gardens
Salvador Sánchez	...	Chief of Stockyards (as Salvador Sanchez)
Sergio Calderón	...	Chief of Municipality (as Sergio Calderon)
Araceli Ladewuen Castelun	...	Maria
Emilio Fernández	...	Diosdado (as Emilio Fernandez)

Storyline

Against a background of war breaking out in Europe and the Mexican fiesta Day of Death, we are taken through one day in the life of Geoffrey Firmin, a British consul living in alcoholic disrepair and obscurity in a small southern Mexican town in 1939. The Consul's self-destructive behaviour, perhaps a metaphor for a menaced civilization, is a source of perplexity and sadness to his nomadic, idealistic half-brother, Hugh, and his ex-wife, Yvonne, who has returned with hopes of healing Geoffrey and their broken marriage.

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Plot Keywords:

mexico | half brother | one day | male full frontal nudity | self destruction | 

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Taglines:

No se puede vivir sin amar. (One cannot live without love.)

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Mr Bongo Films

Country:

Mexico USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

13 June 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bajo el volcán

Filming Locations:

Acapantzingo, Morelos, Mexico

Company Credits

Production Co:

Conacite Uno, Ithaca

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Second movie in a year set in a Latin American country with a central character who was an alcoholic British consul. In this film it was Albert Finney as the dipsomaniac diplomat Geoffrey Firmin, in the other movie, it was Michael Caine as the drunken diplomat Charley Fortnum, in Beyond the Limit (1983).

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Goofs

The story takes place in 1939, but the car driven by James Villiers that almost hits Albert Finney as he is lying in the road is an MG-TF, which was manufactured between 1953 and 1956.

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Quotes

Geoffrey Firmin: I mustn't judge others - as I judge myself.

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Connections

Referenced in Notes from Under the Volcano (1984)

User Reviews

It does something

An ex-colleague of mine once recommended this movie to me. When it was released in the cinemas he watched it several times, and he said that if i really was a movie freak, this was something i had to see. So, when a few weeks ago this movie was shown on TV in The Netherlands, i did. When i watched it i didn't know where the story was going, but when it ended and a week after it, it didn't get out of my head. After that week when i was doubting about it was a good or an average movie i ended up with the idea that it really is something special. Albert Finney is really great in this picture as an alcoholic (better than Nicolas Cage in "Leaving Las Vegas") and i totally agree with my ex-colleague that he is one of his favourite actors. It is not a movie for the masses, but when you are a movie-fanatic it is a must.