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Under the Volcano (1984): Film vs Book
Film · 1984 · Directed by John Huston · Starring Albert Finney, Jacqueline Bisset
About the film
A British consul in Mexico drinks his way through a single day of the festival of the dead, while his past catches up with him.
How close is it to the book?
Close to the bookThe film is a faithful but simplified version of a notoriously difficult novel, and it keeps the story's haze and heat while trimming the dense inner passages.
Read or watch first?
The book is poetic, layered and demanding, a classic for patient readers.
What the book gives you
Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry
A vivid, atmospheric day in a tropical town, written with great intensity.
Who will like it: Readers who like intense, poetic novels set in Mexico.