A day in the life of a self-destructive British consul in Mexico on the eve of World War II.
Director:
Writers:
Awards:
- Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Albert Finney | ... |
Geoffrey Firmin
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| Jacqueline Bisset | ... |
Yvonne Firmin
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| Anthony Andrews | ... |
Hugh Firmin
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| Ignacio López Tarso | ... |
Dr. Vigil
(as Ignacio Lopez Tarzo)
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| Katy Jurado | ... |
Senora Gregoria
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| James Villiers | ... |
Brit
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Dawson Bray | ... |
Quincey
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| Carlos Riquelme | ... |
Bustamante
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Jim McCarthy | ... |
Gringo
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José René Ruiz | ... |
Dwarf
(as Rene Ruiz 'Tun-Tun')
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| Eleazar Garcia Jr. | ... |
Chief of Gardens
(as Eliazar García Jr.)
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| Salvador Sánchez | ... |
Chief of Stockyards
(as Salvador Sanchez)
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| Sergio Calderón | ... |
Chief of Municipality
(as Sergio Calderon)
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Araceli Ladewuen Castelun | ... |
Maria
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| Emilio Fernández | ... |
Diosdado
(as Emilio Fernandez)
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Arturo Sarabia | ... |
Cervantes
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| Roberto Sosa | ... |
Few Fleas
(as Roberto Martinez Sosa)
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| Hugo Stiglitz | ... |
Sinarquista
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Ugo Moctezuma | ... |
Latin Consul
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Isabel Vázquez 'La Chichimeca' | ... |
Chicken Lady
(as Isabel Vasquez)
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Gustavo Fernandez 'Xochitl' | ... |
Transvestite
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Irene Díaz de Dávila | ... |
Concepta
(as Irene Diaz deDavila)
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Alberto Olvera | ... |
Matador
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Eduardo Borbolla | ... |
Don Juan Tenorio
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Alejandra Suarez | ... |
Doña Ines
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Rodolfo De Alejandre | ... |
Bus Driver
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Juan Ángel Martínez | ... |
Passenger
(as Juan Angel Martinez Ramos)
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Martín Palomares Carrión | ... |
Dead Indian
(as Martín Palomares Carrion)
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Mario Arévalo | ... |
Horseman
(as Mario Arevalo)
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Ramiro Ramírez | ... |
Second Horseman
(as Ramiro Ramirez Ramirez)
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Günter Meisner | ... |
Herr Krausberg - the German Attaché (uncredited)
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Alfonso Castro Valle | ... |
(uncredited)
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Directed by
| John Huston | ||
Written by
| Malcolm Lowry | ... | (novel) |
| Guy Gallo | ... | (screenplay) |
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 |
Music by
| Alex North | ||
Cinematography by
| Gabriel Figueroa | ||
Editing by
| Roberto Silvi | ||
Editorial Department
| Elvio Sordoni | ... | assistant editor |
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 Gonzalez | ... | hair stylist / makeup artist |
| Keis Maes | ... | hair stylist: Miss Jacqueline Bisset / makeup artist: Miss Jacqueline Bisset |
| Teresa Sánchez | ... | hair stylist / 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
| Chris Carpenter | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Colin Charles | ... | sound mixer |
| Fernando Cámara | ... | boom operator (as Fernando Camara) |
| Daniel J. Johnson | ... | assistant sound editor (as Dan Johnson) |
| Marvin I. Kosberg | ... | dialogue editor (as Marvin Kosberg) |
| Mel Metcalfe | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Anthony Palk | ... | supervising sound editor |
| Terry Porter | ... | re-recording mixer |
Special Effects by
| Jesus G. Duran | ... | 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 |
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) |
| Malcolm McNab | ... | musician: trumpet (uncredited) |
| Alex North | ... | conductor (uncredited) |
| Curt Sobel | ... | music editor (uncredited) |
| Louise Di Tullio | ... | musician: flute (uncredited) |
| Dan Wallin | ... | score mixer (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
| John Franco | ... | script supervisor |
Additional 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 |
| 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
Distributors
- Universal Pictures (1984) (United States) (theatrical)
- Oy Europa Vision AB (1984) (Finland) (theatrical)
- Showtime Networks (1984) (Finland) (VHS)
- Yleisradio (YLE) (1990) (Finland) (tv)
- Fox Columbia TriStar Films (1985) (Australia) (theatrical)
- MCA Home Video (1985) (United States) (VHS) (pan and scan)
- Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (2001) (Finland) (tv)
- The Criterion Collection (2007) (United States) (DVD)
- Mr Bongo Films (2008) (United Kingdom) (DVD)
- Future Film (2009) (Finland) (DVD)
- Pixel World (2009) (Germany) (DVD)
- Bibliotheque (2016) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Bibliotheque (2022) (Greece) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Elliniki Kinimatografiki Enosi (ELKE) (1984) (Greece) (theatrical)
- Filmes Castello Lopes (1984) (Portugal) (theatrical)
- Twentieth Century Fox (1984) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- Twentieth Century Fox (1985) (Japan) (theatrical)
- 20th Century Fox India (1997) (India) (video) (as Twentieth Century Fox India, Inc.) (Mumbai)
- Abril Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
- Belgische Radio en Televisie (BRT) (1990) (Belgium) (tv) (BRT1)
- CBS Electronics (1984) (Greece) (VHS)
- CBS/Fox Home Video (1985) (Australia) (video)
- CBS/Fox (1985) (West Germany) (VHS)
- HBO Max (2020) (United States) (video) (VOD)
- Hachette-Fox Distribution (France)
- Pidax Film (2021) (Germany) (DVD)
- Rai Movie (2016) (Italy) (tv)
- The Criterion Channel (2019) (United States) (tv) (digital)
- Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) (1989) (West Germany) (tv)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Churubusco Azteca (negative developed by)
- Glen Glenn Sound Company (sound)
- The Hotel Hacienda Cocoyoc (special debt of gratitude)
- The Mexican Film Institute (special debt of gratitude)
- Universal Title and Optical (titles and opticals)
- Western Costume Company (costume rentals)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
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, a British consul living in alcoholic disrepair and obscurity in a small southern Mexican town in 1939. The Consul's self-destructive behaviour, perhaps a metaphor for a menaced civilization, is a source of perplexity and sadness to his nomadic, idealistic half-brother, Hugh, and his ex-wife, Yvonne, who has returned with hopes of healing Geoffrey and their broken marriage.
Written by Eric Wees |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | No se puede vivir sin amar. (One cannot live without love.) See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Additional Details
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Box Office
| Opening Weekend United States | $31,000, 17 Jun 1984 |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | On lead actor Albert Finney in this "Under the Volcano" film, director John Huston said: "I think it's the finest performance I have ever witnessed, let alone directed". See more » |
| Goofs | The story takes place in 1938, but the car driven by James Villiers that almost hits Albert Finney as he is lying in the road is an MG-TF, which was manufactured between 1953 and 1956. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Conan the Destroyer/Top Secret!/Under the Volcano (1984). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Allerseelen (All Soul's Day) See more » |
| Quotes |
Geoffrey Firmin:
How, unless you drink as I do, can you hope to understand the beauty of an old indian woman playing dominoes with a chicken? See more » |