The Petrified Forest
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Movie Reviews of The Petrified Forest
Movie Review: The Petrified Forest: Still Relevant
Summary: 5 Stars
There are probably many reasons why THE PETRIFIED FOREST is as watchable today as it was in the 1930's. It would be easy to point to the collection of stars in it: Bogie, Bette Davis, Leslie Howard, but for me its appeal becomes obvious only after multiple viewings. The inner charm of the film lies in the quickened relationship between Ms. Davis and Mr. Howard. At the start of the film, Gaby, played by Davis, is clearly unhappy with her life, her job, her dumb jock boyfriend. She seems to be waiting for something to happen to her in a dramatic way. Enter Leslie Howard, who supplies instant magnetism and charm as the itinerant intellectual in pursuit of his own dream in California that takes a detour in a scruffy diner in the American desert. Much of the charm of the first half of the film lies in the reversal of roles of who pursues whom. Typically, the male chases the female, but in a manner later duplicated numerous times by David Janssen as the Fugitive, Howard strolls into a sleepy small town environment wherein the local lovely simply takes a gander at the Handsome Smart Stranger and falls for him to such an extant that she is willing to run off with him. Howard clearly cares for her too, but he has the smarts to know that the odds are stacked against them, so off he goes. Now if the movie had ended right there, it still would have been a fascinating period piece. As soon as Howard takes off, a crew of bank robbers headed by Humphrey Bogart force him and a wealthy married couple to return to the diner as hostages. It is at this point that director Archie Mayo complicates and intensifies the relation between Davis and Howard by having the wealthy married matron interact with Davis such that the movie takes on a tender tone of 'what might have been' for that matron. This matron tells Bette Davis her own life story which parallels what Davis' life might have been had she married for reasons other than love. The matron describes her marriage decades earlier to a wealthy banker prompted by her greedy parents. Not a day goes by, she warns, that she does not regret giving up her true love. The matron exhorts Davis to 'go for it.' From this point, the film revolves around a complicated triangle of the robbers, Davis and Howard, and the pursuit of the law. By the film's end, Howard sacrifices his life so that Bette Davis can have hers.THE PETRIFIED FOREST is justly known for the steely performance of Bogie as killer Duke Mantee, but for me, what made the movie click was the blossoming yet doomed relation between the thwarted lovers. Director Mayo seems to suggest that the petrification of the trees outside the diner need not include a similar hardening of the hearts of the actors. Take a chance, the matron urged. Maybe we all should.
Movie Review: The Archetypical American Film
Summary: 5 Stars
If I was to choose one film to show a foreigner what America was REALLY all about, this would be it. It is all encompased by this one story, a national microcosm in a desert truck stop. Not only isn't it dated, but in some ways it seems that we are just catching back up to it. Leslie Howard gives his best lifetime performance as Alan Squire, a drifting, disillusioned combination of artist and intellectual. Betty Davis is perfect as the pure, unspoiled spark worthy of dieing for. And Humphrey Bogart as Duke, is the model anti-hero, a supposed mad-dog murderer with more soul than the creatures, and the system, certain to bring him down....Movie Review: I highly recommend this film!
Summary: 5 Stars
Leslie Howard and Bette Davis really do a wonderful job of acting in this film. It's one of their best. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who likes agood drama. I'd give it ten stars if I could.Movie Review: BLACK MESA BARBEQUE
Summary: 5 Stars
THE PETRIFIED FOREST is a melodramatic character drama in which the substantiating elements of romantic interest, adventure, comedy, hope and fear, triumph and tragedy and inspirational mental conflict, all held together by rigid suspense and moving to the pitch of sparkling dialogue and nerve-tensing action, are intelligently blended. Leslie Howard plays Alan Squire, a world-weary, desiccated intellectual who arrives on foot at a gas station and Bar-B-Q in the Arizona desert; Bette Davis is the ardent, fresh American girl, eager for experience, who lives there with her grandfather (Charley Grapewin). Howard was well-suited for his role but some of his lines are rather ridiculous; he's a weary traveler who states poetically "All this evening I've had the feeling of destiny closing in", etc. Sherwood's play contained such lines and there was no way anyone could make them sound unaffected. As Gaby, Davis surprisingly plays her part very simply and doesn't get into her usual histrionics, Bette successfully demonstrated to the critics of the day, that she didn't have to be hysterical in order to be credited with a good performance. In a jumper with a white blouse, wearing bobby sox and a ribbon in her hair, she's quite appealing and says her lines in a freshly open way. Grapewin is amusing as Gramps; he gets as excited as a ten year-old boy when Duke comes to visit! Geneveive Tobin is quite memorable when speaking to Gaby "Go to France, my dear, and find yourself"; her husband is as stiff as they come and a bore to boot. In its day, the movie was famous for Bogie's dangerous performance as Duke Mantee, and while he looks the part, one can't help to notice that his performance was worked out for the stage; director Archie Mayo even gives me the feeling that he retained some original stage blocking. Catch the tense scene between the black mobster and the black chauffeur!Movie Review: A fantastic film!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an excellent film starring Leslie Howard, Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart. This is a must see if you are fans of these three incredibly talented actors. But even if you're not, there's still something here for everyone. Some might say that the setting is stark and resembles a stage, but that works to the films' advantage, where in the case of this classic, less is more. The performances may seem a bit over the top, but that also works to the films advantage. If you have never seen this great film, it's recommended that you do, as this is a good example of classic 1930's filmmaking. If you enjoy Leslie Howard and Bette Davis together, check out "Of Human Bondage". For those Bogie fans out there, be sure to see "To Have and Have Not" and "Key Largo".