Under the Volcano (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 4 wins & 3 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 | diplomat | alcohol | 

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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:

USA Mexico

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

The film garnered composer Alex North his thirteenth and final Academy Award nomination. North never won an Oscar until he was awarded an Honorary statuette a year after this film received two Oscar nominations, one for its score and one for Best Actor - Albert Finney.

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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: Hell is my natural habitat.

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Connections

Referenced in Baja (1995)

User Reviews

One man's ruin

Albert Finney's performance of alcoholism is shattering and spot on. This movie should be required as adjunctive therapy in the field of alcoholism recovery. The feeling of hopelessness that permeates this movie makes it an experience the viewer should be advised about.

This movie packs a punch and Finney's performance is as exact and nuanced as is possible. His posture, his mental states, emotions, facial expressions, use of language, clothing, physicality are completely consistent with those of an alcoholic in an advanced stage of the disease.

Although it's a one-man movie, the other main players act exactly as real people do when dealing with alcoholics and portray the emotions and feelings that surround alcoholic situations.

This movie is definitely not a walk in the park.