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Under the Volcano - Criterion Collection
 
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Under the Volcano - Criterion Collection (1984)

Starring: Albert Finney, Jacqueline Bisset Director: John Huston Rating: R (Restricted) Format: DVD
4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)

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Customers buy this DVD with Under the Volcano: A Novel (P.S.) by Malcolm Lowry

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Under the Volcano - Criterion Collection
86% buy the item featured on this page:
Under the Volcano - Criterion Collection 4.1 out of 5 stars (21)
$35.99
Under the Volcano: A Novel (P.S.)
5% buy
Under the Volcano: A Novel (P.S.) 4.0 out of 5 stars (84)
$10.19
Wise Blood
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The Night of the Iguana
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Product Details

  • Actors: Albert Finney, Jacqueline Bisset, Anthony Andrews, Ignacio López Tarso, Katy Jurado
  • Directors: John Huston
  • Format: Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
  • Language: English
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
  • Number of discs: 2
  • Rating: R (Restricted)
  • Studio: Criterion Collection
  • DVD Release Date: October 23, 2007
  • Run Time: 112 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000TXNDVQ
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #12,011 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #48 in  Movies & TV > Drama > Love & Romance > Crumbling Marriages

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The Criterion Collection release of Under The Volcano reaffirms director John Huston's affinity for tragedies starring outcasts and wayward souls (see also The Misfits and Night of the Iguana). Adapted from Malcolm Lowry's novel set in Cuernavaca, Mexico, 1938, on the eve of WW II, Under The Volcano recounts the tragic life of British Consul Geoffrey Firmin's (Albert Finney) final struggles with alcoholism during Day of the Dead, as his estranged wife, Yvonne (Jaqueline Bisset) returns from New York to patch up their marriage and to encourage his sobering up. From the opening scene, Firmin is relentlessly drunk, mumbling Shakespearean-like rants with a dark sense of humor about the horrors of war and the perils of love. Finney's stunning performance recalls the best of Richard Burton (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), who was originally offered the role. Fortunately for the viewer, Finney was cast, as his compellingly dour portrayal of Firmin is undeniably masterful. Set in bars, restaurants, and amongst the plaza's Dia de los Muertos festivities featuring devils and skeletons alongside garlands and balloons, Under The Volcano's visual splendor underscores the decadence of Finney's drinking habit. There is not a single shot missing a bottle of liquor, and as Finney's health deteriorates the weather in the film subtly mimics his psychological state. The film is as wondrous as it is devastating. Included as extras on this DVD are the Richard Burton-narrated "Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life of Malcolm Lowry," a captivating documentary about the author's life, and an hour-long documentary about the making of the film. --Trinie Dalton

Product Description
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 amidst the Day of the Dead fiesta, attempting to reconnect with his estranged wife (Jacqueline Bisset) but only further alienating himself. 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.

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Customer Reviews

21 Reviews
5 star:
 (12)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (2)
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Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Finney is Tops, April 17, 2005
By Raegan Butcher (RainCity, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Under the Volcano (DVD)
Albert Finney's performance in this film is masterful! I have never seen anyone, not even Nicolas Cage in LEAVING LAS VEGAS, capture the wild emotional swings and physical tics of a drunk better than Finney does in this film. John Huston uses the atmosphere of Cuernavaca(where I am currently living) very well too.Anyone interested in great film acting should see this movie. Bravo to all involved, especially Mr Finney. He gives a a truly fantastic, award-worthy performance!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Under the Table, October 29, 2005
This review is from: Under the Volcano [VHS] (VHS Tape)
John Huston was 78 when he made Malcolm Lowrey's novel of one man's descent into booze, death and bitterness (south of the border style)into a film.
It is well documented-- Author, Lowrey, tortured himself and then wrote a 400 page-- sad-sack account of a British diplomat drinking himself and his soul into oblivion (just before WWll).

Albert Finney gives one of the most devastating portrayals of an intellectual mind pickled in alcohol-- ever captured on-screen. And, the legendary director, John Huston, shoves our faces in it.
To be sure, it's beauty with a black-heart.
Don't miss it before you die.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Powerful and emotional rollercoaster, September 16, 1999
This review is from: Under the Volcano [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This film strikes at the heart with the impact of a Hemingway Novel. The characters get under your skin easily and you find yourself pleading for their release from the demons that haunt them, the demons they have created. Albert Finney gives a superb and command performance. My only question is where is the DVD ??? This is one that belongs in everyones collection.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Under the spell of Albert Finney...
I have been a fan of Albert Finney for a long while now, and so I have been chomping at the bit to finally see this movie for which he receives so many raves. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Andrew Ellington

5.0 out of 5 stars Finney at his Best
I haven't seen the DVD set yet, but I just saw the movie "Under the Volcano" on TV today.I've seen this movie before, and have always thought Finney's performance was one of the... Read more
Published 4 months ago by R.L.

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
Terrible movie, mostly because of the inadequate screenplay. But it might be impossible to film UNDER THE VOLCANO, just as it is impossible to film ULYSSES, because the story is... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Doreen Appleton

2.0 out of 5 stars I Need A Drink. . .
Good grief. UNDER THE VOLCANO was one of the most powerful, disturbing, brilliant novels of the Twentieth Century. Read more
Published 15 months ago by D. Mikels

5.0 out of 5 stars An Existential Epic!!!
Firstly, I have never read the cult novel which is the basis of the film. I am reviewing the film as just that - a film - and what a film this is! Read more
Published 17 months ago by Richard Masloski

3.0 out of 5 stars a nice film
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

Under the Volcano is a film about an alcoholic British diplomat, Geoffrey Firmin, living in... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Ted M.

5.0 out of 5 stars A day for the living and the dead.
Based on one of my favorite novels, Malcolm Lowry's semi-autobiographical Under the Volcano (1947), John Huston's 1984 film chronicles the final hours in the life of Geoffrey... Read more
Published 19 months ago by G. Merritt

4.0 out of 5 stars Well done.
A good job in preserving a diamond in the rough.I first came across this 'gem' of a movie. in the late '80's. I copied , EP VHS , for my collection. Read more
Published 20 months ago by 'Space Captain'

5.0 out of 5 stars Harrowing Experience
It was a tough call for me to rate this film either 4 stars or 5. This is a film that is difficult to love but easy to admire for the superb performance by Albert Finney and the... Read more
Published 20 months ago by David Baldwin

3.0 out of 5 stars Read the book first, then watch the documentary, then see the feature...
I saw this film a while back, and while I liked it, but it never really sent me, despite all the critical acclaim. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Grigory's Girl

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