#410: HUSTON, John: Under The Volcano (1984)

HUSTON, John (United States)
Under The Volcano [1984]
Spine #410
DVD


Under the Volcano follows the final day in the life of self-destructive British consul Geoffrey Firmin (Albert Finney, in an Oscar-nominated tour de force), on the eve of World War II. Withering from alcoholism, Firmin stumbles through a small Mexican village amid the Day of the Dead fiesta, attempting to reconnect with his estranged wife (Jacqueline Bisset). John Huston's ambitious tackling of Malcolm Lowry's towering, "unadaptable" novel gave the incomparable Finney one of his grandest roles and was the legendary The Treasure of the Sierra Madre director's triumphant return to filmmaking in Mexico.

112 minutes
Color
Monaural
1:78:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2007
Director/Writers


Based on the novel by Malcolm Lowry.
Screenplay by Guy Gallo.
John Huston was 78 when he directed Under the Volcano.

Other Huston films in the Collection:

#847: The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
#470: Wise Blood (1979)

The Film

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Twenty-page booklet featuring an essay by film scholar and critic Christian Viviani.

Commentary

Featuring executive producer Michael Fitzgerald and producers Wieland Schulz-Keil and Moritz Borman on the film; screenwriter Gallo on selected scenes; and actor and filmmaker Danny Huston, John Huston’s son, on the main title sequence.

Video interview

With actress Bisset.

Notes from “Under the Volcano” (1984)

An hour-long documentary on the film’s production, directed by Gary Conklin.

Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry (1976)

Filmmaker Donald Brittain’s 99-minute documentary, narrated by Richard Burton, about Under the Volcano author Lowry.

Audio interview

With Huston from 1984.

Theatrical trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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