The Spiral Road

The Spiral Road
Directed by	Robert Mulligan
Written by	John Lee Mahin Neil Paterson Jan de Hartog (novel)
Starring	Rock Hudson Burl Ives Gena Rowlands Geoffrey Keen Reggie Nalder Neva Patterson
Music by	Jerry Goldsmith
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	3 August 1962
Running time	145 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Spiral Road is a 1962 American drama starring Rock Hudson, Burl Ives, Gena Rowlands, Geoffrey Keen, Reggie Nalder and Neva Patterson. It was directed by Robert Mulligan with a screenplay by John Lee Mahin and Neil Paterson adapted from the novel by Jan de Hartog. It also featured an early score by composer Jerry Goldsmith.

Plot

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 voodoo doctor 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.

Cast

• Rock Hudson as Drager
• Burl Ives as Jansen
• Gena Rowlands as Els
• Geoffrey Keen
• Philip Abbott as Frolick
• Ibrahim Pendek as Stego Myia

External links

• The Spiral Road at the Internet Movie Database