The Light in the Jungle

Dr. Albert Schweitzer--respected philosopher, accomplished organist and Bach interpreter, Biblical scholar, liberal Protestant, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and world-famous doctor--makes a poor fit into this formulaic Hollywood biography which leans more toward action than ideas. Malcolm McDowell plays the great doctor, relying on crustiness and an overly pronounced German accent. Susan Strasberg stars as his wife Helene. Schweitzer's ambivalence about technology and his uneasiness with the concept of progress are here reduced to a running joke about "no electricity" at the makeshift jungle hospital at Lamberene in Africa. Set at mid-century, The Light in the Jungle offers two storylines: one concerning Schweitzer's reluctance over the building of a new hospital (the administrative narrative thread, if you will); and the other centering on the native tribal suspicions over twins. When the doctor's right-hand man Joseph and his wife have twins, the local witch doctor tries various methods to get rid of one of the children. Ergo, the movie comes down to a battle between Schweitzer and superstition. Biography has never been a real forte of Hollywood, but when it succeeds it doesn't do so with a 90-minute semi-action film. As Gandhi and Out of Africa attest, you can't do justice to a full life without stretching the standard 120 minute time limit in contemporary film. Not recommended. (R. Pitman)