Albert Schweitzer Called To Africa
(2006/First Run DVD)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Main Program: C+
He was a brilliant doctor, a man of science who was also
the head of his church, was also one of the premiere players of the music of
Bach and had a very successful, comfortable life, yet Dr. Albert Schweitzer
decided to leave that all behind in his home of Germany in the early 20th
Century and take on what he rightly saw as a medical crisis in Africa becoming
a legend in the process. Martin
Doblmeier’s Albert Schweitzer Called To
Africa (2006) runs only 52 minutes, but makes the case that this was just
more than an old man who left his humanitarian mark on the world in a way few
have.
The program vies between new interviews and dramatic
pieces with actors playing the roles of the doctor (Jeff McCarthy) and others
to show how the story unfolded and what the repercussions were. It does not shy away from his faith but is
not obsessed with it over the facts and works well enough with the time it
runs. Unfortunately, this is not enough
for a character study that someone will hopefully soon do. It is done well enough to give it a look and
now more than veer, it is time for people to discuss what Schweitzer did.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is a little
soft throughout, but this is not a bad-looking short production overall. You get a little motion blur, but colors are
consistent. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
is not bad, but not wide-ranging, yet is just fine for the production and is
well-recorded enough. Extras include
Director Doblmeier’s Thoughts on the man in an on-camera interview, text bio on
Doblmeier, short on The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship and texts on three other
Doblmeier films including Thomas
Jefferson, The Power Of Forgiveness and
Bonhoffer, reviewed elsewhere on
this site.
- Nicholas Sheffo
