The Petrified Forest
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Movie Reviews of The Petrified Forest
Movie Review: There's Nothing Petrified about these Performances.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a forgotten and vastly underrated film which I don't recall seeing on TV as a kid (unlike the Maltese Falcon and Casablanca). Humphrey Bogart is absolutely amazing as Duke Mantee--although the commentary by Eric Lax--suggests that the role was a real departure for him as he had not played a gangster or tough guy previously. Here, he's completely believable and reminded me of a young Pacino. I was struck by just how unique a beauty Bette Davis was, but I can see now why Kim Carnes wrote a song about her eyes. Her features are most distinctive; there's nothing generic about her. With Lesley Howard, he was his affable and talented self. As for his request of Bogart, which is the movie's climax, it certainly is not something one would expect from a 1930s production. The complexity and ambiguity of The Petrified Forest was something I'll not soon forget. That the producers feared it would violate the Hayes Act is not surprising as its realism is quite rewarding. Movie Review: An incisive metaphor!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of my most admired films of the Thirties. Even if it may result stagy for the new generation of viewers, the picture deals with the ironical survival in the civilized world. A gangster -a solid performance of the raising promise actor, Humphrey Bogart, holds captive to several personages in a restaurant, until the expected ending.
The dreamy atmosphere will engage you from start to finish. And once you have been watching think it over and examine certain similar items respect John Ford 's stagecoach. It may result a very interesting and stimulating exercise, around the human behavior..
Movie Review: The intellectual vs. the brute
Summary: 4 Stars
Leslie Howard hitchhikes his way to a roadside joint in the desert wastes of Arizona, burnt-out and carrying a heavy baggage of lost hope and despair. He meets Bette Davis there, young and fresh and eager to learn about life and the world. Along comes Humphrey Bogart and his gang, wanted fugitives. Howard gets it in his head that he'd like to help Davis see the world (especially France - she paints on the side), and the best way to do this would be if he'd die and leave her his insurance money. He asks Bogart to help him with his plan, and Bogart does - with a bullet from his heater.
A major problem with the picture is the dialogue: between Howard's pretentious slop about life and death and Bogie's tough guy "dis an' dat" grunts, it's almost laughable. Robert Sherwood wrote the play, and it was carried over from stage to screen almost intact, with the result being that the movie is pretty stagey. But Davis is freash and lively, though, and it was Bogie's first big role, thanks to Howard's insistence (the studio wanted Edward G. Robinson).
The message offered by Sherwood is that the intellectual no longer has anything to offer the world, while brute force personified by Bogart at least is a life-force, something positive. It's an interesting idea, one that was popular after WW I - and one that went against conventions. But the validity of it is questionable, and Sherwood presents it in a melodramatic way. More than a memorable movie, the film helped catapult Davis and Bogart into stardom.
Movie Review: Thoughtful Film
Summary: 5 Stars
The Petrified Forest is the story of several characters all circumstantially brought together in the desert. Gabby Maple helps her father run a gas station in the middle of nowhere. Alan Squier is a hitchhiker who is dropped off at the station and finds himself making connections he did not expect to make. Duke Mantee is a gangster on the loose who finds his way to the station to hide out until he can move on.
Based on a play, The Petrified Forest is a highly intellectual film filled with excellent dialogue and characters, very few settings, and little action.
Bette Davis plays Gabby Maple, an awkward but energetic and fun girl who longs to escape the simplicity of the desert to join her mother in France, a land of rich dreams. Davis is wonderful in the role, but one might not recognize her talents right off. She is very subtle in her genius and is constantly acting even when she is not speaking.
Leslie Howard plays Alan Squier, an intense, poetic character who lives life as it comes and is constantly reflecting on the small things. Howard is very natural in the part with wonderfully expressive eyes when he gives the audience the thrill of seeing them. He is blessed with some of the best lines in the film, like "You know, you'd soon get tired of a man who had nothing else to do but worship you. That's a dull kind of love... It's a kind of love that makes people grow old too soon," and "Die for freedom; that's worth it. Don't die for anything so cheap and unsatisfactory as revenge."
This film is noted as Humphrey Bogart's breakout role. He plays Duke Mantee, a gangster with depth. He gives airs that he hasn't a care in the world, but occasionally shows vulnerability. He has a bleak attitude on life, "I spent most of my time since I grew up in jail and it looks like I'll spend the rest of my life dead."
One of the more minor characters is Gramp Maple played by Charley Grapewin. He is an overeager old man, willing to share his exaggerated stories of run-ins with famous people with anyone he meets. He provides comic relief which helps to balance the seriousness of the film.
The picture quality of this DVD is clear and crisp. The lighting is wonderful and underscores the bleak scenes. It also enhances the beautiful picturesque backgrounds, which almost look fake.
There are several extra features on this DVD. The Warner Night at the Movies set is introduced by film historian Leonard Maltin. There is newsreel footage of the king's abdication and the re-election of FDR. A short called Rhythmitis is a silly story filled with musical numbers. The Merry Melodies short called Coo-Coonut Grove is rather entertaining because it features several cartoon imitations of famous stars of the era including Walter Winchell, W.C. Fields, Tarzan and Jane, John Barrymore, the Marx Brothers, Mae West, Laurel and Hardy, Clark Gable, and Edward G. Robinson. There is also a featurette about the history of The Petrified Forest.
Movie Review: I'm Pleased That This Old Classic Movie Is Finally On DVD!
Summary: 5 Stars
I taped The Petrified Forest a couple of years ago when it was shown on TCM and I thought it was a very good movie! Bette Davis plays a young woman who lives in a desert town with her father and works as a waitress in his desert cafe, she is bored and would love to leave home and go see the world! A disillusioned writer played by Leslie Howard stops at the cafe and she falls for him but when a criminal played by Humphrey Bogart and his gang are on the run from the law they hide out in the cafe and hold everyone hostage. This is a good movie and I like that Bette Davis is playing a nice girl who is sweet and compassionate when it seems that she was generally known for playing ruthless, cold and calcuating women so this is a nice change. I'm pleased that this movie is finally on DVD and I recommend it to any fan of Bette Davis, Leslie Howard and classic movies!