Review of Under the Volcano (1984) by Jeffrey P — 26 May 2012
Huston's adaptation of Malcolm Lowry's novel is a painfully slow, occasionally bizarre descent into the destruction of former British consul Geoffrey Firmin (Albert Finney), in spite of the return of his estranged wife Yvonne (Jacqueline Bisset).
Your appreciation will probably turn on how compelling you find self-destructive characters, and Finney's performance. Interestingly, the film looks as if it were shot ten years earlier, and shares a bit of material with the director's "Night of the Iguana" - a fallen man struggling through a landscape of pain and desire (also in Mexico).
Unfortunately, as the opening titles make clear, Geoffrey won't reach the other side.
This review of Under the Volcano (1984) was written by Jeffrey P on 26 May 2012.
Under the Volcano has generally received positive reviews.
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