Under the Volcano (1984)

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

Guy Gallo (writer)
Malcolm Lowry (novel)

Release Date:

13 June 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

No se puede vivir sin amar. (One cannot live without love.)

Plot:

Against a background of war breaking out in Europe and the Mexican fiesta Day of Death, we are taken through one day in the life of Geoffrey Firmin...

Plot Keywords:

Alcohol | Self Destruction | Mexico | Alcoholism | 1930s

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Albert Finney	...	Geoffrey Firmin
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Yvonne Firmin
Anthony Andrews	...	Hugh Firmin
Ignacio López Tarso	...	Dr. Vigil (as Ignacio Lopez Tarzo)
Katy Jurado	...	Senora Gregoria
James Villiers	...	Brit
Dawson Bray	...	Quincey
Carlos Riquelme	...	Bustamante
Jim McCarthy	...	Gringo
José René Ruiz	...	Dwarf (as Rene Ruiz 'Tun-Tun')
Eleazar Garcia Jr.	...	Chief of Gardens
Salvador Sánchez	...	Chief of Stockyards (as Salvador Sanchez)
Sergio Calderón	...	Chief of Municipality (as Sergio Calderon)
Araceli Ladewuen Castelun	...	Maria
Emilio Fernández	...	Diosdado (as Emilio Fernandez)
Arturo Sarabia	...	Cervantes
Roberto Sosa	...	Few Fleas (as Roberto Martinez Sosa)
Hugo Stiglitz	...	Sinarquista
Ugo Moctezuma	...	Latin Consul
Isabel Vasquez	...	Chicken Lady
Gustavo Fernandez 'Xochitl'	...	Transvestite
Irene Díaz de Dávila	...	Concepta (as Irene Diaz deDavila)
Alberto Olvera	...	Matador
Eduardo Borbolla	...	Don Juan Tenorio
Alejandra Suarez	...	Doña Ines
Rodolfo De Alexandre	...	Bus Driver (as Rodolfo De Alejandre)
Juan Ángel Martínez Ramos	...	Passenger (as Juan Angel Martinez Ramos)
Martín Palomares Carrión	...	Dead Indian (as Martín Palomares Carrion)
Mário Arévalo	...	Horseman (as Mario Arevalo)
Ramiro Ramírez	...	Second Horseman (as Ramiro Ramirez Ramirez)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Günter Meisner	...	(uncredited)
Alfonso Castro Valle	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
John Huston

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Guy Gallo		writer
Malcolm Lowry		novel "Under the Volcano"

Produced by
Moritz Borman	....	producer
Michael Fitzgerald	....	executive producer
Arnold Gefsky	....	associate producer
Héctor López	....	associate producer (as Hector López Lechuga)
Wieland Schulz-Keil	....	producer

Original Music by
Alex North

Cinematography by
Gabriel Figueroa		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Roberto Silvi

Production Design by
Gunther Gerszo		(as Gunther Gerzso)

Art Direction by
José Rodríguez Granada		(as José Rodriguez Granada)

Set Decoration by
Martín Cardenas
Theresa Wachter

Costume Design by
Angela Dodson

Makeup Department
Fernando García González	....	hair stylist
Fernando García González	....	makeup artist
Keis Maes	....	hair stylist: Miss Jacqueline Bisset
Keis Maes	....	makeup artist: Miss Jacqueline Bisset
Teresa Sánchez	....	hair stylist
Teresa Sánchez	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Pedro Escobedo	....	head of production: Conacine Production
Jorge Jiménez	....	production manager: Conacine Production (as Jorge Jimenez B.)
Mauricio Rojas	....	production supervisor: Conacine Production
Tom Shaw	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Manuel Muñoz	....	first assistant director
Dennis Shaw	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Rafael Delong	....	construction coordinator (as Rafael DeLong)
Stephanie Riggs Stelly	....	plant decorator
Elsa Wachter	....	set designer

Sound Department
Fernando Cámara	....	boom operator (as Fernando Camara)
Chris Carpenter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Colin Charles	....	sound mixer
Daniel J. Johnson	....	assistant sound editor (as Dan Johnson)
Marvin I. Kosberg	....	dialogue editor (as Marvin Kosberg)
Mel Metcalfe	....	sound re-recording mixer
Anthony Palk	....	supervising sound editor
Terry Porter	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Jesús 'Chuco' Durán	....	special effects (as Chucho Duran)

Stunts
Karen Price	....	stunt woman

Camera and Electrical Department
Fernando Acerdo	....	chief electrician
Fernando Calvillo	....	gaffer
François Duhamel	....	still photographer (as Francois Duhamel)
Gerardo Flores	....	assistant camera
Manuel González	....	camera operator (as Manuel Gonzalez)
Randy Nolen	....	panaglide operator
Pablo Ríos	....	assistant camera

Casting Department
Joaquín Garrido	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Antonia Córtez	....	wardrobe (as Antonia Cortéz)
Antonieta Esquivel	....	wardrobe assistant
Abel Melo	....	wardrobe assistant
Víctor Ramírez	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Elvio Sordoni	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Else Blangsted	....	music editor (as Elsa Blangsted)
Lennie Niehaus	....	orchestrator
Albert Woodbury	....	orchestrator (as Al Woodbury)
John Beal	....	composer: additional source music (uncredited)
Curt Sobel	....	music editor (uncredited)
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Javier Aguilar	....	production assistant: Conacine Production
Joan Blake	....	secretary: John Huston
Luciana Cabarga	....	production coordinator: Mexico
Júlio Cervántes	....	delegate: actors union (as Julio Cervantes)
Ximena Cuevas	....	production assistant
Kathy Fitzgerald	....	presenter
Michael Fitzgerald	....	presenter
John Franco	....	script supervisor
Rogelio Gonzalez C.	....	production assistant: Conacine Production
Tom Gray	....	unit publicist
Danny Huston	....	director: main title sequence
Alejandro Leal	....	production assistant: Conacine Production
Felipe Marino	....	production assistant: Conacine Production
Martín Montes	....	production assistant: Conacine Production
Anne Shaw	....	production coordinator
Michael Toshiyuki Uno	....	intern: AFI (as Michael Uno)
Jim McCarthy	....	production accountant (uncredited)

Thanks
Lauro Ortega	....	special debt of gratitude (as Prof. Lauro Ortega)
Moisés Ortíz	....	special debt of gratitude (as Prof. Moisés Ortíz)

Production Companies

• Conacite Uno
• Ithaca

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1984) (USA) (theatrical)
• Abril Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Centfox (1984) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Hachette-Fox Distribution (France)

Other Companies

• Churubusco Azteca  negative developed by
• Glen Glenn Sound  sound
• The Hotel Hacienda Cocoyoc  special debt of gratitude
• The Mexican Film Institute  special debt of gratitude
• Universal Optical  titles and opticals
• Western Costume Company  costume rentals

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA | Mexico

Language:

English | Spanish

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:12 | South Korea:18 | West Germany:12 (f) | Argentina:16 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Acapantzingo, Morelos, Mexico

Company:

Conacite Uno

Trivia:

John Huston initially wanted to cast Richard Burton as the British consul. Huston and Burton had had a great success with a previous movie about an alcoholic set in Mexico, The Night of the Iguana (1964). Much to his regret, Burton had to decline the offer, as he was appearing in a touring production of Noel Coward's "Private Lives" with Elizabeth Taylor.

Quotes:

Geoffrey Firmin: Hell is my natural habitat.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Baja (1995)

One of Huston's best

A very fine film indeed, and fascinating from a number of viewpoints: for one of the truly great characterization performances ever filmed, by Albert Finney, for its grim, unromanticized, portrayal of extreme alcoholism, for a career-defining performance by Jacquilene Bisset (she often looked this beautiful but she never looked so good,) for the stunningly effective portrayal of its Mexican setting, for memorably excellent supporting roles by a collection of grotesques that could have taught Fellini a thing or two, for the way Huston transforms the material into another episode in his obsessive theme of men from cold countries going too far in hot ones, and, in its last twenty minutes, for what has to be absolutely the sleaziest bar/brothel ever put on the screen. Highly recommended so long as you understand that what "happens" in this film is that you're given an embarrassingly intimate vision of people destroying themselves and each other. Definitely not for children, or for anyone who wants to come away from it with renewed optimism about the possibility for human happiness.