Blu ray review: The Spiral Road

In 1962, Robert Mulligan directed the enduring classic To Kill a Mockingbird, based on the novel by Harper Lee.  Because of that film’s impact, we have unfairly forgotten Mulligan’s other film that year, The Spiral Road, newly released to blu ray by Kino Lorber

Running over two hours, this powerful drama offers a strong, layered role to Rock Hudson, an actor who would always rise to the occasion with good material.  Hudson plays an atheist doctor who embraces Christianity after a frightening situation where he is lost in the jungle.  The character is established as a medically brilliant doctor whose interest in learning more about leprosy from another fine doctor (Burl Ives) is for greater financial gain. Gena Rowlands plays Hudson’s wife.  Phillip Abbott stands out as the doctor whose been driven mad, and whom the Hudson character must kill in self-defense when he goes into the wild to rescue him.

The script is based on a novel by Jan de Hartog, and critics at the time of the film’s release felt the screenplay was lacking despite good direction and performances.  However, at that time, the looming presence of the same director’s To Kill a Mockingbird was hovering over every review.  Now, in the 21st century, The Spiral Road stands on its own as a strong sixties-era movie led by a fine director and one of the period’s top stars. Rock Hudson really explores the complexity of the main character, while Gena Rowlands does all she can with her role as his loving support. Burl Ives, as usual, anchors every scene that he is in.

Kino’s blu ray includes an audio commentary by film historian Samm Deighan, who offers a great deal of insight.

The Spiral Road has been overlooked for over sixty years, so this new blu ray from Kino Lorber is an important and welcome inclusion for any library, research center, or comprehensive collection. 

The blu ray can be ordered at this link:  SPIRAL