The Spiral Road is a 1962 adventure movie directed by Robert Mulligan (To Kill A Mockingbird, The Other and Summer of 42) and starring Hollywood legend Rock Hudson (Ice Station Zebra, Pillow Talk and Giant), Burl Ives (Cat on A Hot Tin Roof, The Big Country and Day of the Outlaw), and Gena Rowlands (Night on Earth, The Notebook and A Woman Under The Influence). Originally released in 1962, the same year as Mulligan’s masterpiece, To Kill a Mockingbird, it has always had to live in the shadow of that film and therefore is probably due a re-evaluation on its own terms.

The Spiral Road tells the story of Dr Anton Drager (Hudson), a young, award-winning Doctor who has been posted to treat tropical diseases in Java. Upon arrival he requests the opportunity to work with the brilliant yet unconventional Dutch physician, Dr Brits Jansen (Ives), Jansen is recognised as the world’s leading expert on leprosy and Drager is interested in getting him to record his knowledge and discoveries on paper. However, when he arrives at the small village Jansen is staying at in Batavia (modern-day Jakarta) his first task is to help the Doctor rid the village of rats that are causing an outbreak of the plague. It’s however, not until the pair head to the Leper colony that the movie’s true motives are unveiled. On the way there is an exchange between Jansen and Drager about the existence of God, Drager telling Jansen that he doesn’t believe in the existence of a spiritual presence such as God, Jansen alludes to the fact that he will change his mind soon enough. This brings us to the film’s central principle, that of the unwarranted involvement of a nation in the politics and religion of a state under its control.  Drager’s eventual run-in with a witch doctor who practices black magic leads him to reconsider his own personal beliefs.

The movie is a negative reflection on the rule of the Empire and ignorance of another’s spirituality. Drager, the newly qualified doctor, represents modern society and its uncaring nature. He thinks in terms of numbers not people, whereas Jansen has turned his back on any such pretence and has become one with the people and the jungle. The performances of Hudson and Ives are the glue that holds everything together here, both men are superb in their roles. In fact, the entire cast is excellent, the sultry Gena Rowlands shows real star power whenever she is on screen, however, that is not often enough, though this is the only criticism I have of the movie. The story is tight and well written and whilst the movie is almost two and a half hours long, it is a slow burn that never feels overlong. On a visual note, it looks stunning, the scenery and cinematography is breathtaking, and the new 4k scan looks simply gorgeous. 

Overall, The Spiral Road is a massively underappreciated cinematic gem, that remains as relevant today as it was 61 years ago. It has lurked in the shadow cast by Mulligan’s other film of the time, To Kill A Mockingbird, but now, this fabulous new release from Imprint has given it an opportunity to shine. This tale of the empire, and man’s struggle with spirituality and magic is a cleverly written masterpiece of cinema that deserves to be seen by many more people. The new Blu-ray from Imprint features an audio commentary with film historians, Daniel Kramer and David Del Valle, and a featurette on Rock Hudson from film historian and critic, Kim Newman, as well as that fabulous new HD 4k scan of the movie. The whole thing comes lavishly packaged in a gorgeously produced slipcover and box art.