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Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry

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Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry
Film poster
Directed byDonald Brittain
John Kramer
Written byDonald Brittain
John Kramer
Produced byDonald Brittain
Robert A. Duncan
James de B. Domville (exec.)
StarringRichard Burton (readings)
Narrated byDonald Brittain
CinematographyDouglas Kiefer
Jacques Avoine (animation)
Edited byJohn Kramer
Les Halman (sound)
Abbey Jack Neidik (sound)
Music byAlain Clavier
Production
company
Distributed byNational Film Board of Canada
Release date
  • 1976 (1976)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry is a 1976 documentary film directed by Donald Brittain and John Kramer for the National Film Board of Canada.[1]

Malcolm Lowry, author of one of the major novels of the 20th century, Under the Volcano, was an English writer who spent a significant amount of time living and working in Vancouver. Due, in part, to his chronic alcoholism, his life was tortured and nomadic. Shot on location in four countries, the film combines photographs, readings by Richard Burton, and interviews with the people who loved and hated the man.

The documentary tells Lowry's story in two ways: through Lowry’s own tortured words, read by Burton, and through interviews with family members and friends, including Margerie Bonner and Arthur Calder-Marshall, who helplessly watched Lowry’s self-destruction.

Though some have criticized its pedestrian, literal linking of words and images and unrevealing interviews, Volcano is a powerful work that (as one critic wrote) "goes beyond conventional documentary" to reveal "a Picasso-like multi-perspective truth."[2]

Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry is included as a bonus feature on the Criterion Collection DVD release of Under the Volcano.[3]

Plot

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Cast

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Awards

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Best Documentary
Best Direction
Best Film Editing
Best Sound Editing
Best Music Score
Best Non-Dramatic Script

References

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  1. ^ "Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry". nfb.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  2. ^ "Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry". cfe.tiff.net. Canadian Film Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  3. ^ WISE, WYNDHAM. "Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  4. ^ "The 49th Academy Awards (1977) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  5. ^ "NY Times: Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2011. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2008.
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