Review of Under the Volcano (1984) by Jean-Paul S — 22 Jan 2011

Director John Huston's fascinating character study of a self-destructive alcoholic former British diplomat named Geoffery Firmin, played by Albert Finney in a devastating tour-de-force performance that deservedly earn him an Oscar nomination.

The story unfolds in a small Mexican village during the Day of the Dead festivities in the late 1930s, it concerns the last 24-hours of the tortured Firmin's life, who is drinking himself to death.

He is so guilt ridden over the past and his lost relationship with his lovely estranged wife, wonderfully played by the beautiful Jacqueline Bisset, who he still yearns for. She has returned in the hopes of healing their broken marriage, but he cannot forgive her for her affair with his half-brother nicely played by Anthony Andrew.

This is a Intelligent, but downbeat film that rely's entirely on Finney's amazing portrayal of the late stages of alcoholism, which by itself is staggering, he captures the physical mannerisms and emotionalism of a hopeless drunk, his depiction of this is truly unforgettable.

Impressively directed by the late great John Huston, with superlative photography by Gariel Figueroa, based on the famous novel by Malcolm Lowry. Highly Recommended.