The Spiral Road (1962)

The Spiral Road (1962) (DVD) (*)

~~$25.99~~ $19.97

Language Selections:
English ( Mono )
Italian ( Mono )
Italian ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
Italy ( PAL/Region 0 )

Running Time:
134 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.85:1)

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Photo Gallery

Movie filmed in 1962 and produced in:
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Robert Mulligan

Written By:
Jan de Hartog
John Lee Mahin

Actors:
Rock Hudson ..... Dr. Anton Drager
Burl Ives ..... Dr. Brits Jansen
Gena Rowlands ..... Els
Geoffrey Keen ..... Willem Wattereus
Neva Patterson ..... Louise Kramer
Will Kuluva ..... Dr. Sordjano
Philip Abbott ..... Frolick
Larry Gates ..... Dr. Kramer
Karl Swenson ..... Insp. Bevers
Edgar Stehli ..... The Sultan
Judy Dan ..... Laja
Robert F. Simon ..... Dr. Martens
Ibrahim Bin Hassan ..... Stegomyia
Reggie Nalder ..... Burubi
Leon Lontoc ..... Dr. Hatta

Synopsis:

Since it was released in the same year as his masterpiece, To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), it is ironic that this drama was probably the least liked of director Robert Mulligan's films. A stiff adaptation of a novel by Dutch author Jan DeHartog, the film stars Rock Hudson as Dr. Anton Drager, an opportunistic atheist who travels with his wife Els (Gena Rowlands) to the jungles of Java in 1936. Drager is to become the new right-hand man of famed Dr. Brits Jansen (Burl Ives), a legendary humanist who works with lepers and is rumored to have done groundbreaking work that Drager believes could make him famous and wealthy. Trouble with a native witch doctor practicing black magic leads to a crisis of conscience for Drager, however, forcing him to reevaluate his self-centered philosophy. A former divinity student at New York's Fordham University, Mulligan may have been intrigued by the material's spiritual bent, but his direction is uninspired, and The Spiral Road (1962) was not considered a success.

Dr. Anton Drager (Rock Hudson) travels to Java to study the effects of leprosy under an expert on the subject, Dr. Brits Jansen (Burl Ives). The two physicians have many of the same views scientifically, but are philosophically a mismatch, because Drager does not share the older Jansen's belief in a god. After being married with his sweetheart, Els (Gena Rowlands), Drager must trek into the jungle to track down Frolick (Philip Abbott), a drunken river master who is lost. Frolick has been driven mad by a shaman called Burubi (Reggie Nalder). Drager eventually comes across Frolick, but ends up killing him in self-defense. After rescuing another doctor, in the same region, Anton becomes lost in the wild. He nearly dies and has lapsed into a coma by the time he is rescued. His ordeal comes to change his perceptions and agree more with Jansen on one's need to believe in the goodness of others and to maintain faith.

A selfish and prideful young Dutch doctor, through a series of circumstances, comes to learn that he does indeed 'need' a higher spiritual being and other people.

This product was added to our catalog on Sunday 07 June, 2020.