“Giving
one of the best performances
of his legendary career, Albert Finney
stars in John Huston’s perplexing film Under The Volcano...” IN 1984, JOHN HUSTON brought the multi award-winning masterpiece Under
The Volcano to film as an adaptation of Malcolm Lowry's epic novel
of the same name. Set in Guernavaca, Mexico, during the Mexican fiesta The Day
Of The Dead on 1 November, 1938, it covers twenty-four hours in the life of
Geoffrey Firmin (Albert Finney: Saturday Night And Sunday Morning, Miller's
Crossing).
Utilising The Day Of The Dead as a background, with skeleton puppets and figures
in all manner of costume — including a bride and groom — adds a sinister
air to the film and there is a similar degree of tension (although not quite
so nerve-racking) as the classic Suddenly Last Summer where you just
know something unpleasant will happen.
A pitiful character, Firmin is a former British Consul living in a small town
in Mexico. An alcoholic, he has driven away his actress wife Yvonne (the remarkable
Jacqueline Bisset: The Deep, Scenes From The Class Struggle In Beverly
Hills) with his self-destructive behaviour and, unable to come to terms
with it or understand him, she has reluctantly divorced him.
His friend, Dr Vigil (Ignacio Lopez Tarzo) sees how much Firmin wishes his wife
to come back and takes him to the shrine of Our Lady where they pray that Yvonne
will return — although Firmin observes that it's like asking his fairy
godmother for three wishes.
But miracles do happen. Come back she does, desperately disturbed by her husband's
state of mind and determined to persuade him to leave Mexico and find somewhere
where they can start all over again. But nothing is ever as easy as it sounds.
"He on whose heart the dust of Mexico has lain will find no peace in any other
land," her husband quotes at her.
Their life is further complicated by the fact that Yvonne has had an affair
with her husband's half-brother Hugh (Anthony Andrews), who has been away fighting
in the Spanish Civil War but soon puts in an appearance. As is clear from his
drunken outbursts, Firmin can neither forgive nor forget — even though
the three apparently rub along quite amiably most of the time.
The gentler side of Geoffrey Firmin is demonstrated in Under The Volcano.
He is very tender towards a dog that follows him around and later he makes a
fuss of a horse. He has apparently also looked after Yvonne's cat. There are
lucid moments when he makes interesting observations and times when he is so
completely out of control he is a danger to himself.
Finney's remarkable portrayal of Firmin has been cited by film critic Roger
Ebert as "the best drunk performance I've ever seen in a film". Alone, such
a masterful portrayal would be enough to make this film a must-see; combined
with the beautiful script, stunning cinematography and deft direction, it renders
it unmissable.
Brilliant dialogue is scattered throughout: "Surely you know by this time that
I can't get drunk, however much I drink, and I'm only drunk in the conventional
incoherent sense when I haven't had a drink?" says Firmin. "Surely you appreciate
the fine balance I must strike between the shakes of too little and the abyss
of too much." He also claims that hell is his natural habitat.
Under The Volcano incorporates some interesting shots, such as an elderly
woman playing dominoes with a chicken: "How," Firmin asks, "without a drink
inside you, can you hope to understand the beauty of an old woman playing dominoes
with a chicken?"
Hugh has told his brother that Germany is financing a Nazi movement here in
Mexico, and Firmin sees evidence of it. He is obsessed with his capture of a
German submarine during the war and being given a medal and, again obsessively,
he keeps all Yvonne's letters, unread, in his jacket pocket.
The magnificent, tranquil beauty of the landscape backdrop of Under The Volcano
is at odds with the disturbed, alcoholic, out-of-control Geoffrey Firmin —
a sometimes irritating, sometimes charming character who also reveals a side
to him that is deserving of sympathy.
Like the fascinating volcano shrouded with clouds that serves as a background
in Under The Volcano, there is no warning of a sudden eruption as Albert
Finney portrays Firmin with astonishing ease alongside the brilliant foil of
Jacqueline Bisset's long-suffering Yvonne.
Under The Volcano is also a film of regret — during his lucid moments,
Firmin regrets losing Yvonne. Hugh regrets leaving his friends still fighting
in the Spanish Civil War and feels like a deserter and Yvonne regrets her liaison
with Hugh.
The sinister side to the film, beginning with Geoffrey, Yvonne and Hugh witnessing
the last breath of a dying man with a white horse, is all the more shocking
because of the suddenness with which it happens.
Acclaimed by critics, Under The Volcano is a delicate yet shocking film,
served by a captivating script written by Guy Gallo and interpreted into an
epic fever dream by visionary director John Huston, who turns a novel many believed
to be un-filmable into a masterwork.
Shot entirely on location in the State of Morelos, Mexico, Under The Volcano
also features Katy Jurado as Senora Gregoria; James Villiers as the Brit; Dawson
Bray as Quincey; Carlos Riquelme as Bustamante; Jim McCarthy as Gringo; Araceli
Ladewuen Castelun as Maria; Irene Diaz deDavila as Concepta; and Rene Ruiz (Tun-Tun)
as the Dwarf. Director of Photography is Garbriel Figueroa; Edited by Roberto
Silvi; Music by Alex North; Screenplay by Guy Gallo; Produced by Moritz Borman
and Wieland Schulz-Keil; Executive Producer is Michael Fitzgerald; and the Director
is John Huston.
Under The Volcano garnered a number of awards — 1984 LAFCA Award
for Best Actor: Albert Finney; 1984 Cannes Film Festival Nomination For Golden
Palm: John Huston; 1985 ALFS Award For Best Actor: Albert Finney; 1985 Academy
Award Nomination For Best Actor: Albert Finney; 1985 Academy Award Nomination
For Best Original Score: Alex North; 1985 golden Globe Nomination For Best Actor:
Albert Finney.
• Under The Volcano will be released
on DVD, courtesy of Mr Bongo Films, on 22 September, 2008 with a RRP of £12.99.
"A superb script by Guy Gallo, exquisite photography, and the unparalleled performance
by Finney" — TV Guide
"There will be few unmoved by Finney's towering performance" — Variety
"Like the fascinating volcano shrouded with clouds that serves as a backdrop
in Under The Volcano, there is no warning of a sudden eruption as Albert
Finney portrays Firmin with astonishing ease alongside the brilliant foil of
Jacqueline Bisset's long-suffering Yvonne" — MotorBar
“Giving
one of the best performances