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From: citrin@ucbvax.UUCP (Wayne Citrin)
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: Under the Volcano
Message-ID: <1345@ucbvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 17-Jul-84 10:35:11 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.1345
Posted: Tue Jul 17 10:35:11 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 18-Jul-84 03:24:11 EDT
Organization: U.C. Berkeley
Lines: 21

Just saw "Under the Volcano" the other night.  It's based on a cult
novel by Malcolm Lowery that many said couldn't be filmed, but
John Huston did and the results are quite successful.  The film
concerns one Geoffrey Firman (Albert Finney) a former British consul
living out his days in a drunken stupor in Cuernavaca.  In one eventful
24 hour period, on the Day of the Dead, 1938, his estranged former wife
Yvonne (Jacqueline Bisset) returns to him to repair their relationship.
Also present is Geoffrey's brother Hugh (Anthony Andrews), a journalist
with leftist leanings who had once had an affair with Yvonne.  Geoffrey
is torn between desire and repulsion for Yvonne.  The ironic ending
is both surprising and inevitable.  The script is intelligent, but the
highlight of the film is Finney's incredible performance.  Geoffrey is 
drunk the entire film and watch in horror at the sight of a man barely
in control of himself.  Bisset's and Andrews' performances are also
excellent.  I have a feeling that I missed a bit having not read the book,
but I still appreciated the film.  I would give it ***1/2 (out of ****).

Wayne Citrin
(ucbvax!citrin)

PS: Please excuse this superficial review as I was kind of rushed.