The Spiral Road (1962) User Reviews

A movie that deserves to be on VHS and DVD.

[wjm13 · 7/10 · 7 March 2002]

Any Rock Hudson or Burl Ives fan would have to agree this is a movie that needs to be seen in order to fully appreciate these actors' work because both performances are outstanding. The Jerry Goldsmith music is noteworthy as well. This is not a "great" movie and it always struck me as having too weak an ending, but the scenes and performances (especially Hudson and Ives together) are above average. The minor roles of the Sultan and the witch doctor Burubi are also worth seeing.

With such bad movies on DVD it's sad this film is being overlooked (I'd have to assume it's a legal problem regarding rights.) TV viewing (when it appears that is!) doesn't do it justice since I've seen it edited into sheer confusion and it really should be seen in widescreen and remastered in digital sound! There are truly memorable scenes that you'll always recall - the rats fleeing the village and Hudson being guided through the jungle (anyone who has seen the film will know exactly what I mean!) There are also comic moments as well. I just recently discovered an old battered copy of the novel and reading the party scene where chaos breaks out reminded me how much I'd like to see this movie UNCUT again!

Hopefully - sometime in the near future - this minor gem will be released!

Going in Circles in the Jungle

[EdgarST · 5/10 · 31 December 2011]

After I finished watching "The Spiral Road" -regretting that the failed end product had been directed by Robert Mulligan, the same man who did "To Kill a Mockingbird"- I was surprised to know that both films were released the same year. After both, Mulligan (a long time associate of Alan J. Pakula) started a chain of fine motion pictures, with favorites as "Love with the Proper Stranger", "Up the Down Staircase", "Summer of '42", "The Other" and "The Man in the Moon". But something went wrong in "The Spiral Road", and I believe it has to do mostly with the screenplay by John Lee Mahin and Neil Paterson. Everything seems okay in the first 90 minutes or so: I thought the story was in the lines of the Mexican film "Amok" ( based on a novel by Stefan Zweig) and the Argentinean real-life account "Houses of Fire", in which doctors fight in faraway places against strange diseases; and it also reminded me of "Gorillas in the Mist" or "Never Cry Wolf", which were based on fact. Here Rock Hudson plays Dutch doctor Anton Drager who convinces the head of the colonial health service in Batavia to assign him to a leper colony ruled by bright scientist Brits Jansen (Burl Ives), a man who might have made great advances in the study of leprosy, but who has neither ordered, compiled nor published his findings. Hudson brings conviction to the role of a man whose upbringing by a religious father has turned him into a nihilistic cynic, a rude and opportunistic scientist. Then the character of Els (Gena Rowlands) is introduced, things start to shake. It's a pity because it has nothing to do with the 1930s character or with Rowlands, who is good as usual. It is just the turning point when things begin to go bad. An endless sequence portraying the "decadence" of Dutch colonialists in a party (it's been reported that "Mulligan filmed it in Suriname with old colonial Dutch types, who were very mad when the film was released, because he had fooled them into re-enacting a colonial party") is followed by the introduction of a dwarf as comic relief. Soon Drager and Jansen disagree, argue and separate, the former starts to drink, and the third act turns into an embarrassingly silly and kilometric search for spirituality. Somebody must have told Mulligan or the adapters of Jan de Hartog's novel, that filming the spirit or the spiritual life is no easy task, and that capturing its search on film stock, a privilege reserved to a few: Dreyer, Rossellini, Bergman, Tarkovsky, among the prominent... But works as Fleming's "Joan of Arc", King's "The Song of Bernadette", Rook's "Siddharta", Zeffirelli's "Brother Sun, Sister Moon", Jewison's "Agnes of God", or Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" are failed intents. While Drager goes in circles in the jungle, Jansen disappears from the film, and his place is taken by a evil witch doctor, played by Reggie Nalder, whom I wrongly thought that I had seen doing all, from Hitchcockian assassin to green vampire. Then the film ends abruptly after Drager experiences a "moment of illumination" (as reported, mocked by Monty Python) in the spiral road to spirituality. A real shame, because for Universal-International (which I remember that in those days was perceived as the corny studio) it meant a serious super-production, and it shows. Take also note of Jerry Goldsmith's score: if Bernard Herrmann borrowed in 1946 a few notes from traditional music of the Pacific for his "Anna and the King of Siam" score, then Goldsmith chose the same. If not, Goldsmith seems to have lifted Herrmann's main theme.

Great multi-layered performance from Rock Hudson

[HotToastyRag · 7/10 · 5 April 2020]

If you never thought Rock Hudson was more than a pretty face, you're not alone. A friend of mine chalked him up to "light entertainment," a description I thought was accurate until I saw The Spiral Road. He puts his heart into this movie, and it shows.

Rock stars as an ambitious doctor who specifically requests to be sent to leprosy-ridden Indonesia to study under the legendary Burl Ives. There's more to it than just admiration, and Rock's character is quite complex. His wife, Gena Rowlands, begs him to open up and when he finally does, he delivers an emotional monologue about the difficult relationship he had growing up with his father. He pulls from previously hidden talents several times throughout the film, and he's also called upon for physicality he doesn't normally perform. Within the Indonesian villages, there are strong superstitious beliefs, like what will happen if you find a dead lizard outside your door. Rock winds up being a target, and as he's chased into an endless swamp, he nearly loses his sanity. It's very impressive, and if 1962 weren't such a contentious year full of male talent, he might have received a Rag nomination for his performance.

My only criticism of the film is quite small, so if it doesn't bother you, take it with a grain of salt. Filmed in the 1960s but set in the 1930s, the fashions and hairstyles don't reflect the proper time period. Gena wears a flare cut coat and a skirt suit with a hemline above the knees, for example. If you don't care, you'll be far more interested in seeing Rock in his clean, well-fitting white tank top that he shows off several times.

A chilling view of Western colonial arrogance, The Spiral Road is a compelling and often beautiful film adaptation of de Hartog's masterpiece.

[alvarez-albert · 13 January 2006]

I saw The Spiral Road as a teen-aged boy in 1963. It was the most impactful movie of that period in my life, creating an emotional impression in me that lingers to this day. Indeed, I cannot hear Beethoven's Fifth Symphony without vividly recalling the scratchy recording playing in that remote colonial outpost as the two linked protagonists each struggled with their personal demons.

The plot of The Spiral Road takes the viewer on a journey not unlike that described in Heart of Darkness; thematic elements contained in the plot become metaphors for larger lessons to be learned regarding colonialism, missionary fervor, the hegemony of Western medicine, and the absolutism of good versus evil as understood by Calvinist colonists.

The superb cast easily sustains the epic scope and grandeur of the film while the intelligent and artful script relates a story that is at once compelling and horrifying.

Hollywood moguls; please get a clue. The Spiral Road belongs in the DVD libraries of discerning film viewers the world over!

Authentic looking warning about unwanted help

[phd_travel · 7/10 · 29 August 2017]

A warning for doctors without borders? A message for colonialists / imperialists - your help isn't wanted? This movie about Dutch doctors in Indonesia in the 30s is not a typical heroic adventure from the 50s and 60s. It's quite ahead of it's time. The hero is flawed, he and others on his mission were not wanted by the local population. The disease and black magic that is shown is quite horrific if you think about it. There is a spiritual message but that seemed not the main thing about the movie.

The filming looks authentic and the actors all look worn by the heat. Rock Hudson is quite good in this serious role. Burl Ives is effective as well.

Worth a watch and oddly relevant today.

An ambitious young doctor , Rock Hudson , joins another philantropic physician , Burl Ives , in this exciting drama

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 11 September 2021]

In 1936, a good-looking and atheist Dutch physician (Rock Hudson) joins forces in Indonesia with a stubborn Doctor (Burl Ives) at a remote location , both of whom heal ill people and help injured natives at the Netherlands colony . Along the way , they have a risked run-in with a local witch-doctor (Reggie Nalder) who uses black magic to destroy his enemies . Shattering Adventure That Boldly Explores the Jungles of the Heart!

Enjoyable as well colorful film about two dedicated doctors who attempt to cure sick people and treat leprosy patients in the lush jungles . This is the exciting story set in the Dutch West Indies circa 1936 about an arrogant doctor : Rock Hudson who followed a dream , being really challenged by love : Gena Rowlands , sickness , leprosy and black magic . Here director Robert Mulligan struck a correct balance of pace and sensitivity in the absorbing tale of a young man who arrives in Indonesia and through the jungles of Java helps care for natives . As he is struggling to reconcile his free spirit as well as ambition and philanthropic wishes with the jungle rigors . Finely starred by a luminous Rock Hudson who chalked up another hit in this long but always attractive flick based on John Lee Mahin and Neil Paterson script from the book and play "Godsgeuzen" by Jan de Hartog , being rightly adapted . This agreeable yarn packs a moving screenplay , intense drama , fine interpretations and intelligent filmmaking . Good acting by Rock Hudson as a good-natured but greedy doctor who undergoes a series of ordeals on a redemption journey to cure people and special mention for Burl Ives as an eccentric older man who gains the trust of the local natives while healing them . And the charming Gena Rowlands as the beloved wife . They are adequately accompanied by an appropriate support cast , such as : Larry Gates , Geoffrey Keen , Neva Patterson , Will Kuluva , Philip Abbott , Karl Swenson , Robert F. Simon and Reggie Nalder.

This film follows the wake of the highly acclaimed ¨Nun's story¨ by Fred Zinneman starred by Audrey Hepburn, Peter Finch that consolidated a sub-genre about Doctors and religious people in far countries , going on ¨Heaven knows , Mr Allison¨ by John Huston with Robert Mitchum, Deborah Kerr and ¨A Nun at the Crossroads¨ with Rosanna Schiaffino and John Richardson , ¨The Sins of Rachel Cade¨ by Gordon Douglas with Angie Dickinson , Peter Finch , and ¨White Whitch Doctor¨ by Henry Hathaway with Susan Hayward , Robert Mitchum , among others .

It packs brilliant and glimmering cinematography, showing spectacular outdoors by cameraman Russell Harlan . Shot on location in Paramaribo, Suriname and Universal Studios , Universal City, California . Along with a thrilling and moving musical score by maestro Jerry Goldsmith in his usual style . This motion picture with interesting plot was well directed by Robert Mulligan , a filmmaker more specialist in human drama and with sure touch in the interior scenes . Mulligan has been out-stripped in reputation by his one time partner/producer Alan J Pacula . Mulligan directed good dramas as ¨A great impostor¨, ¨Love with the proper stranger¨, ¨Inside Daisy Clover¨ and ¨Summer of 42¨ that was extremely successful . And a nice Western titled ¨Stalking Moon¨with Gregory Peck. His last works as ¨Blood Brothers¨ , ¨Same time next year¨ , ¨Kiss me goodbye¨ , ¨Clara's heart¨ failed to bring the required response from the cinema-goers public . Rating : 7/10 . Above average , worthwhile watching . The flick will appeal to Rock Hudson fans.

Can you live without spirituality?

[Angel_Peter · 2/10 · 21 April 2017]

I did like the the start of the movie with a young doctor that arrives to the jungle with the intent to learn about leprosy so he can go home and continue his research later. I thought the the first half of the movie was fine as I thought it was about the young doctor learning about life. But then it became apparent that was not what the movie was about. The movie then started making it clear you could not be a complete person without believing in god. If he finds god or not I will let you find out.

Acting was quite good I thought. Unfortunately I did not feel any development in the doctor played by Ruck Hudson. Not that it was the actors fault. The character just did not evolve. The other actors also do a fine job.

Camera: I think there are many pretty jungle pictures that look good.

Story: If you like a search for spirituality and don't mind getting it hammered into your head that not believing in god is wrong and you cannot live without then you will like the movie. I like more subtle ways to tell things. Added to that I think there should at least have been cut half an hour from the movie to make it more tight.

So all in all if you like finding religion movies then this movie may be for you. If you want a movie about a young doctor struggling to find himself I would suggest Akahige (1965) instead even though longer and B&W. If you wanted an adventure movie in the jungle find something completely different.

Unaccountably overlooked or dismissed gem

[neal-57 · 10/10 · 15 September 2001]

One of those special films I can watch over and over again, noticing new details on each viewing, "The Spiral Road" hasn't even made it to video--my own copy was taped off the air long ago--yet it seems to have enjoyed a long life on television. Even harder to find than the film is the book on which it's based, written by Jan De Hartog, whose other works are easily found in most libraries.

The book is very Dutch is setting and tone, and this was predictably softened in the film: Dr. Anton Zorgdrager becomes Dr. Anton Drager, Dr. Brzhezinska-Jansen becomes Dr. Brits Jansen, et cetera. Much of the soul-searching in the book is lost, though not all. In particular, the very seamy backstory of Salvation Army Captain Willem Wattereus is completely missing from the film, though Geoffrey Keen is skilled enough to convey, through looks and movement, the suggestion of uncharted depths in a character reduced by the script almost to cardboard.

It is fine performances that make this film work. Rock Hudson has always, I believe, been underrated as a dramatic actor--although this is beginning to change, as new audiences discover his brilliant performance in the video release of "Seconds." Too bad they can't find "Spiral" on video as well. He made it just before "Seconds," and he's just as good, striking the perfect balance of competence and arrogance as an opportunistic and atheistic young doctor who comes to the then-Netherlands East Indies in the late '3O's to fulfill his contract: five years of service in return for a government-financed education--during which he will confront cunning natives (the whites' contempt for them is a subtle undertone carefully controlled by director Robert Mulligan), God and himself.

Other standout performances: Burl Ives as Dr. Brits Jansen, modulating perfectly the rolling transitions of his larger-than-life character from cynicism to wonder, gravity to buffoonery; Gena Rowlands as Els, the "girl" from back home, valiantly overcoming the "fainthearted" stereotyping of her part, the afore-mentioned Keen, the always-reliable Robert F. Simon, and Philip Abbott in a role pivotal to the plot.

UPDATE (12/O6): After forty-four years, this fine film is now available on DVD. What a wonderful surprise--thank you, Universal.

Colonial hypocrisy, bad screen writing, wooden characters

[totot57 · 2/10 · 26 December 2009]

We stumbled into this DVD late at night to see another "Rock Hudson" movie. Surprised to see so many big stars, above all Burl Ives, we hung on. The first signs of trouble were the disjointed wooden statements delivered by the characters, the colonial officials, the grumpy yet wise comments of the old jungle doctor Jansen, the searching questions of the bright young good looking doctor Drager. Psychological character development was limited to ping pong ball like arguments hit back and forth between protagonists. The movie narrative itself jumped over location and time like the characters were beamed into far out places by chief engineer Scotty on starship Enterprise. Sometimes the uniforms and outfits were sweat soaked, sometimes even after strenuous jungle hikes one could see not a drop of sweat and perfect ironed creases. What became more and more bothersome was the innocently displayed colonial mindset of the script, all smothered in sweet Christian concepts of "loving the savages" even against their will. All the natives, including the dwarf like sidekick Stegomyia, are portrayed like stoic or foolish subhumans. Of course the evil voodoo witch Burudi was played by a European actor in black face, or as in this case "brown face". Even the local beauty who simply walks into the Dr. Drager's tent, he who suddenly has become the newly-wed selfish God doubter, even she is nothing but a tool in the movie, to make a statement, without having any human qualities. She might as well have been gift wrapped with a card around her neck "here, take me, I am your jungle play thing". Dr. Drager 'notices' her, files her away mentally under "available female" and then takes her a week later or so, and tells his wife about it just as nonchalantly. When he's finally alone out in the old railroad car in the jungle, he suddenly has lost all his brain powers and acts in the midst of a hostile jungle and the mysterious appearances of the witch man and his followers as if he's in the safety of his living room back home in Holland. Lured into the jungle and then abandoned by the native voodoo leader, he grows a long full beard either in days while stumbling around in circles, or, if it took him "real time" to grow that beard he must have been out there in the jungle for at least 6 months. We don't know how he feeds himself, how and when he sleeps, because the natives are all around. At some point a sly native steals his rifle when Drager falls into exhausted sleep( 6 months old beard, how come the natives didn't steal the rifle sooner, or did he not sleep for 6 months?). And miraculously, the western self made man, who is brought to the verge of insanity, re-discovers God right about when the white colonial search party (no sweat stains on shirts)finds him, so he can collapse on his knees and exclaim as a testimony in everybody's presence "thank you, oh God". Equally miraculously his wife Els shows up in the rotting moldy rail road car (that is a 10 day journey away from the nearest settlement) to help him through his feverish nightmares on the way to recovery. The movie script is, if nothing else, manipulative, planting false clues (in the early "conversations" on world views) only to jerk you around to the real message of the movie. In a less gentle appraisal, the movie comes across as sleazy, arrogant, stilted, pompous and totally unbelievable. Yes it was fun to hear Burl Ives' burly character statements, but even they wear thin after a while. A thoroughly disappointing movie that leaves one with a bad taste in the mouth.

Superbly evocative of tropical colonialism.

[Gooper · 9/10 · 17 September 2002]

This is a big picture, which deserves more exposure. In the early 60s Universal was more known for fluffball (but high quality) Doris Day product, but here they show their diversity by presenting what was obviously a prestige picture. Bob Mulligan, who scored a hit with 'To Kill a Mockingbird' in the same year, got to try his hand at an epic. The main titles are perfect to set the mood: youthful Jerry Goldsmith's talents as a composer are spectacular and atmospheric. He of course used gamelans in his score, but he uses them with concise effect, and without cliché. The graphics of the titles are very fine: colourful maps guide us in to a strange 'exotic' place. Such a relief from the sterile titles of today.

This film really made a big impression on me as a kid when I saw it on TV in the late 60s. 'Pan and scan' TV viewing had a definite mystique to it, as the process of squeezing anamorphic images into The Box automatically made the picture in question important. 'The Spiral Road' was no exception. But it IS important. I can imagine the grandeur of seeing it in a full-blown picture palace. Everything in the film is competently executed. I even remember the props, such as Rock's intriguing spherical fan on his bedside table.

The performances are excellent, reliable, and everyone really delivers. Burl Ives practically steals the show (as usual), and gets some good 'honeylamb' lines in. The aged Sultan is memorable. The fabulous Larry Gates, one of the greats, never disappoints. This role was a warm up for his deeper part as the missionary in 'The Sand Pebbles', a more profound companion to this picture.

'Lord Jim' of 1965 explores the same 'dark side of the jungle', only a century earlier. All three are outstanding examinations of the many dimensions of tropical and Asian colonialism, albeit from a Western viewpoint.

I agree that it's time this picture, and many more like it, was allowed into wider exposure via video/DVD. Vendors, take note!

PS: I just saw the DVD edition, and I was not disappointed. The picture holds up very well, though I would have wished for more Burl Ives in the last sequences. Russell Harlan's camera-work is outstanding, only matched by his work on 'Hawaii' a few years later.

THE SPIRAL ROAD (Robert Mulligan, 1962) **

[Bunuel1976 · 5/10 · 4 January 2009]

Rock Hudson seemed to want to alternate his trademark comedy and action vehicles with more meaningful pieces; this was one of them, but it's possibly the most wrong-headed he ever embarked upon! Sprawling but heavy-going and overlong, it tells of an atheist doctor's experiences in Java; from the start, the script makes it known that his motivation wasn't really compassion for human suffering, but rather to make a name for himself by chronicling the 20-year long research on leprosy by eminent but tough-as-nails medical authority Burl Ives! As expected, the narrative takes an episodic nature – a visit to a leper colony, the unexpected arrival of the hero's fiancée (Gena Rowlands), a fellow doctor driven to madness and Hudson's own brush with the dangerous witch doctor (Reggie Nalder!) responsible, Ives' long-running friendly rivalry with a billiard-playing royal native – complemented by Russell Harlan's gleaming widescreen photography and Jerry Goldsmith's rather over-the-top exotic score and obviously culminating in Hudson's 'salvation'. While there's a lot of melodrama going on (threatening the couple's relationship and the hero's own professional integrity), the film also features some incongruous injections of comedy (particularly Ives' deliberate slapsticky disruption of a gala dinner) – but, frankly, it's at its most unintentionally hilarious when Hudson counters missionary (a completely white-haired Geoffrey Keen!)'s earnest counsel with cynical witticisms and his own unconvincing shaggy appearance when deranged (apparently, this scene even found its way into the opening of the legendary "Monty Python's Flying Circus" [1969-74] TV comedy series!).

The road to Damascus

[dbdumonteil · 19 September 2009]

The main problem with "the spiral road" is that's it's inevitably too long and as the movie moves at a tortoise's pace ,it may repel some well before Gena Rowlands appearance,45 min from the beginning.

One of Rock Hudson's most ambitious movies (along with Sirk's movies and "seconds" )he does not look comfortable in this almost metaphysical tale where God himself plays a prominent part ;many scenes deal with religion and the fact that man can't do without God ,even if he devotes his life to lepers or plague-stricken crowds: there's the drunken doctor who will have a bad end ;Ives' wife ,a martyr who smiles when she learns she will die a horrible death;Ives himself on the boat ,telling his colleague he feels God in the nature,which is not obvious in the city;Hudson's memories (without flashbacks,which is better) when he recalls he told God he did not like Him and he dared Him to kill him right now;Hudson's moments of doubt and fear in the final scenes in which the sorcerer can be looked upon as an equivalent of the Devil.

Some of Mulligan's flair for eerie disturbing atmosphere would emerge again in later works such as " the stalking moon" and its "enemy" as omnipresent as he is almost invisible and "the other" in which he creates terror in the midday sun.

"No man has seen ELOHIM ..." 1 John 4:12 ~

[Matthew28_TheGreatCommission · 3/10 · 4 January 2020]

3 Observations on this laboriously lengthy 1962 pseudo-adventure drama: first, the writing could have easily excised forty minutes of unnecessary dialog and exposition from the central narrative thereby tightening the story arc of how and why Dr. Anton Drager (Rock Hudson) becomes a Christian. Second, on the plus-side, the location shooting was a wise decision highlighting the challenges of overseas medical assignments as the Indonesian landscape becomes a character in-and-of-itself in the drama. In contrast, John Ford's "7 Women", a similar studio-bound drama is disadvantageously claustrophobic. Third, the promising supporting characters like Willem Wattereus (Geoffrey Keen) are woefully under-developed and under-utilized in propelling the narrative forward.

A great example of the term "Memorable Movie"

[norman1066 · 8/10 · 28 February 2006]

"The Spiral Road" has stuck in my memory ever since I saw it on TV decades ago, and I have always wanted to see it uncut and widescreen. The supporting roles are uniformly good: especially Gena Rowlands, in confident and alluring form as the sophisticated Els (and still turning in moving performances as of 2005's "The Notebook"). But this is largely a two-man vehicle for Burl Ives and Rock Hudson--and especially in the concluding scenes, nearly a one-man tour-de-force for Hudson. This is not the shallow handsome-guy Rock often had to play. He makes the most of the chance to display depth and intensity as the arrogant, atheistic city doctor who comes to the jungle with scorn for the locals, and especially for missionaries. Burl Ives shows neither the sentimental cuteness of "Frosty the Snowman" nor the over-the-top bombast of Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"--his Dr. Jansen is kind and realistic, a savvy jungle survivor and a practical mentor. Notably, for a film with a clear eye toward colonialist excesses, missionaries are not stereotyped here, but we see examples of both self-righteous culture-tramplers and people of self-sacrificing faith. Ives delivers my favorite line: "Out here in the jungle, the Lord has a way of sorta putting his thumb on people that don't believe in him."

Long, meandering, confusing and oddly cast.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 30 July 2013]

"The Spiral Road" is moderately interesting but also a bit meandering and very oddly cast. So much of the plot seems random and casting a whole lot of very Americans in the roles to Dutch men and women seemed odd. After all, when I think of Rock Hudson, I don't think of him as being from the Netherlands.

The film is set on Java when it was part of the Dutch East Indies (i.e., before their independence in 1949). Exactly when is uncertain but it appears to be just after WWII--but this is only an educated guess. It could have been much earlier--though the clothing and haircuts would not suggest this. The story is about a rather difficult to like new doctor (played by Hudson). However, instead of being a coherent story in the traditional sense, so much of the story of what occurs to him seemed very random. The first portion involved his volunteering to work in the middle of nowhere with lepers just to get a chance to work with a world famous doctor (Burl Ives). This occupies a large part of the film. However, later he marries, appears to have cheated on his wife with a native (this is VERY vague), runs around spouting that God does not exist (and acts a bit hateful in some ways about this) and then gets caught up in the middle of some odd terrorist movement led by a voodoo practitioner--where he is tormented in the middle of the jungle. If you are looking for any sort of theme or hidden message, I sure couldn't find one and just felt it was very disjoint and strange. The overall effect isn't bad...but it could easily have been so much better. Oddly, no real mention of the war or push for independence nor did you really learn anything about the natives--and surely they were more to it than just a voodoo dude and his tribe of crazies! Somewhat incoherent and I really learned very little about Indonesia and New Guinea in this one. Also, the film seems to endorse colonialism--which is strange and morally suspect.

More Things In Heaven And Earth

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 17 December 2010]

One of Rock Hudson's best dramatic performances is to be found in The Spiral Road. Coming in the midst of all those screen comedies he made with Doris Day and others it's often overlooked. But don't you overlook it.

The Spiral Road casts Rock Hudson back in the day when Indonesia was a colonial possession of the Dutch and called the Dutch East Indies. Rock is a newly minted doctor his education paid for by the Netherlands and he owes them five years of colonial service. But he intends to make it pay for him.

His intention upon arriving in Batavia which is what Jakarta was called way back when is to wangle service with Burl Ives who is a doctor who has a great reputation of treating leprosy. But he also hasn't published in 20 years and his knowledge with a little editing from Rock would land him a top research job.

Ives is a crusty old soul, but a real humanitarian, a kind of Albert Schweitzer wrapped in burlap. They take to each other even after Ives finds out what Hudson's doing and even after Hudson's sweetheart Gena Rowlands comes in from the Netherlands to be with him. They even marry though she stays in Batavia weeks at a time.

Hudson's going through a spiritual crisis and is convinced of the fact that he needs nothing in the way of any kind of faith to help him in life. His father was a bible thumping hypocrite, a modern day Pharisee as he describes him. It's turned him into quite the atheist.

He's going to need something to refuel his psyche when he's caught out in the jungle matching wits with a witch doctor on his own turf. Those last 20 minutes or so when Rock the matinée idol turns into something like Cro-Magnon man are something to see.

The Spiral Road is not a pretty picture of colonialism, in this case the Dutch variety. The scenes of the drunken revelry among the rich planters with Ives even joining in the fun are revealing. One of the best performances in the film is that of Phillip Abbott as another doctor who has totally assumed an air of white supremacy to mask a whole lot of insecurities.

The opposite of him is Geoffrey Keen who is a member of the Salvation Army and who runs the leper colony. One of the most moving scenes in the film is Keen, Ives, and Hudson at the bedside of Keen's wife who has become a leper. She's never shown because of the curtains around her bed, but it's clear she's in the final stages. Keen is concerned for her, but not much more so than he is for all the people in his charge. Another key scene is when Hudson and Ives discuss his recommendations based on Ives's case study notes. It sounds like a plea for privatization which you hear often these days from folks on the right. Get rid of the ones who are able to fend for themselves and a non-religious run colony is the best way to do it. The problem says Ives is that due to the misconceptions about leprosy these people have no place else to go.

Some viewers might also object to The Spiral Road's overtly Christian message. One of the other characters is a native Moslem doctor who also falls prey to that witch doctor and Hudson's character remarks that his prayer rug wasn't enough to keep him from any harm. Of course atheist, Christian, and Moslem are all not playing in their own ballpark.

Despite the great acting and the wonderful location color cinematography which will remind you a lot of The Mission. It should because The Spiral Road was also shot in Surinam when it was still Dutch Guiana. The Spiral Road's message is not all that clear. It wants to be Christian, but can't quite come to grips with the concept.

I think that Hamlet said it best when he remarked to Horatio that "there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in your philosophy." That's the message the film gives out.

The Spiral Road is a True Experience

[Lmktgor · 10/10 · 7 December 2006]

When allowed to ACT, Rock Hudson was capable of great things. The Spiral Road is one of those times when he gives a tour-De-force performance. He was always under-rated and yet always managed to deliver - and then some!

My memory of this movie is vivid. I saw it in its original theatrical release, but never saw it on TV. And yet, the film remains in my memory ... I believe the DVD is missing a pertinent scene - between Anton and Els. It marks an important turning point in the audience's understanding of Anton. Those who saw the original will know which scene I am referring to.

Thank you, Universal for finally putting out a Rock Hudson - Screen Legends package. You included The Spiral Road and I am grateful, as every one of his fans is.

Love, leprosy and spirituality in pre- WW II Dutch East Indies

[jkgopits · 9/10 · 12 March 2010]

Those who believe that Rock Hudson was a much better actor than he was given credit for being will be glad he had the opportunity to make this movie. The essence of de Hartog's novel is beautifully re-created; Burl Ives nearly steals the film, and the supporting cast is superb. It will be a long time before one can forget the Sultan, and the witch doctor could appear in one's nightmares. Yes, toward the end of the film, there are a couple of minor problems with chronology (how long does it take a man to grow a full-length beard?), but it is not difficult to disregard this and be carried along with the action.

Each viewing gives new insights and new appreciation of Hudson's talents. Despite his reported real-life sexual preferences, his on screen masculinity is never in question -- he could've picked up where John Wayne left off.

INSPIRING

[grahamvr · 9/10 · 7 November 2021]

An exceptional story set in the jungle of Java. Almost a Doctors without borders scenario. Rock Hudson maintains a high standard throughout. Magnificently presented and a great music score.

Some reviewers say it is overlong and drawn out. These are probably viewers who were not around in 1960 when this film was made. Movies back then had much more dialogue and less fast editing and action than those today. At 2 hours 19 minutes it is certainly shorter than many movies of 2021 and thereabouts.

Well worth a view and stay with it as the suspense builds and builds to an ultimate conclusion.

A tale of medicine, witchcraft and faith

[SimonJack · 8/10 · 12 October 2021]

"The Spiral Road" is a very good adventure drama and love story that also gives a picture of some historical value. The latter includes a look at the colonial period, government service, humanitarian services, and missionaries. This is set in 1936 Indonesia, which then was called the Dutch East Indies. The film is based on a novel by Jan de Hartog, Dutch and American author.

The film opens with a new crop of young doctors arriving in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (roughly, modern Jakarta, Indonesia). They are there to give the first five years of their medical careers in service to the government. It's payback for The Netherlands having paid their way through medical school. The nation has an extensive medical service to serve its sprawling colonial territory of the Indies that has thousands of islands and many wild jungle regions. Among the career medical doctors in the Indies is Dr. Brits Jansen. He's the world's leading expert in leprosy, having devoted decades to its research and treatment. While some new doctors aren't enthused about having to start their practice in the jungles and backward areas of their colonial empire, one doctor is eager for his first assignment. Dr. Anton Drager aspires to work with Jansen, learn from him and take part in his research and get it published. He had a cruel upbringing under a father who was a Christian pastor, Drager wants nothing to do with religion and says he doesn't believe in God.

All of this sets the stage for an interesting story with scenic jungle shots, excellent production work, and a very good screenplay. Finally, an outstanding cast make this a very enjoyable film. All turn in very good performances. Rock Hudson is perfect in the role of Drager, the totuk (the term for "new man") who has come to begin his service in the hopes of working with Dr. Jansen. Burl Ives is excellent as Dr. Jansen. Gena Rowlands gives a tremendous performance as Els, who comes to visit and stays on after marrying Drager. Geoffrey Keen is superb as Willem Wattereus, who runs the Salvation Army leper colony and hospital. Larry Gates plays a very good Dr. Kramer, who heads up the entire colonial medical service. Philip Abbott is tremendous as Frolick, the bitter doctor who is staying on and needs his gin - lots of it. Karl Swenson plays Inspector Bevers very well, and Edgar Shtehli is very good as The Sultan.

As some other reviewers have noted, Rock Hudson is especially good as Dr. Anton Drager. Hudson had a few good dramatic roles in his career, along with all his comedy and mystery, and action thrillers. I would rate this his finest job of acting. His scenes in the jungle are superb. I can't think of another actor who has played a role as good as or better than that of the super-confident Drager going mad.

President Dwight Eisenhower, in a 1954 radio broadcast honoring the American Legion, repeated the common aphorism, "There are no atheists in foxholes." That phrase comes to mind watching this film as Drager bends and nearly goes mad all alone in his long period of jungle torment by the witch doctor, Burubi. While the plots of jungle stories vary, seeing this film for the first time that I can remember, reminds me of some other very good films set in a jungle or similar terrain inhabited by primitive peoples. Many scenes and plague situations are evocative of those in "The Painted Veil" of 1934 and 2006. Others are like those in "The Mission" of 1986, "The Sand Pebbles" of 1966, "Death in the Garden" of 1956, and "The Emerald Forrest" of 1985.

Besides movie buffs, those who like or study history, geography, anthropology, or travel and adventure should enjoy this film. Movies such as this that are set in specific times and places of history don't become outdated as many common films of all genres are wont to do. Here are some favorite lines from this film.

Dr. Brits Jansen, "You know, totuk, as you get older, it's the relationship that counts, not the nature of it."

Dr. Jansen, "I'll bunk in here with you. I snore like an elephant, but that's your problem."

Dr. Jansen, "Back in so-called civilization, you can ignore God and get away with it. But out here in the jungle, God takes people who say he doesn't exist, pushes them with his finger, and makes them squirm a little. There are times out here when you can almost hear the Old Boy humming."

Dr. Jansen: "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. And I had no right to play God."

Dr. Jansen, "You don't give a damn about what we're trying to do out here." Dr. Anton Drager, "I don't intend to bury myself forever, sweating my life away in these islands. For what?" Dr. Jansen, "I thought you knew, but you don't. And there's no way that I can explain it to you." Dr. Drager, "Explain what? Killing yourself for people who can't even say your name?" Dr. Jansen, "I know my name. But I'm beginning to forget yours fast, because I don't know what you care about or who you care about."

Dr. Jansen, "Willem said you had a cross to bear, and you do. And sooner or later, it's going to break you, boy. But not here. I can't afford it. I'll get a replacement as quickly as I can."

Rock's journey into the heart of darkness...........................

[ianlouisiana · 8/10 · 2 October 2009]

Here is a very impressive movie from the time of Rock Hudson's supremacy. Set in the 1930s in the Dutch East Indies during the twilight of colonialism,it tells of a young,arrogant,ambitious doctor(Mr Hudson) going up country to write - up the work of a Schweitzer - like figure who has dedicated his life to the welfare of the natives (if I may such a term).He is played by the redoubtable Mr Burl Ives. This Conradian plot may be the basis of the film,but "The Spiral Road",like "Heart of darkness",is about a man's journey to find himself. Mr Hudson,too often regarded as a pretty boy lightweight steps up to the plate and boldly delivers a considerable performance that should have made his detractors eat their words but,sadly,they were not able to see a career for him beyond his light romantic lead work with Miss Doris Day. This is not an easy movie for 21st century sensibilities to whom it might seem at worst racist or at best terribly patronising,but the appalling attitudes were correct for the time when the writ of the white Europeans extended over nations far,far away.It is perhaps hard to see now,but up to and beyond the second world war before Europe self - destructed,its natives considered that they were in fact improving the lot of the peoples they colonised and had some sort of paternal responsibility for them.The Dutch and in particular the Belgians were robust to say the least in their attempts to maintain the status quo. So much so that any good work done by their humanitarians has been balanced against the bad and found to be very much wanting. By 1962 the times were changing and Robert Mulligan's movie is hardly adulatory towards the settlers,who are regarded with a jaundiced eye,rather as a species whose time is numbered.Macmillan's "Winds of Change" were coming even to the Dutch East Indies.

Spiral Road available on DVD ?

[jcb4991 · 10/10 · 18 September 2008]

I have searched for a copy of "The Spiral Road" for a few years now. It is an excellent movie and never plays on television. I was doing some research today and finally came across this comment detailing the fact that it is not available on DVD.

Though I have not seen this movie in years, I remember that it is one of the best I have seen. Hopefully someone can update me when and if this becomes available on DVD or VHS for that matter.

The mixture of Rock Hudson and Burl Ives was a good choice. One would not think it would work, but there was chemistry between the actors.

Would love to see the movie again. Hopefully someone can let me know if this becomes available on DVD.