The Petrified Forest
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Movie Reviews of The Petrified Forest
Movie Review: YUCK!
Summary: 1 Stars
I read that this movie can be compared to the great "The Desperate Hours," but boy, are those people wrong! Don't listen to those people! I also can't believe it got 4 1/2 stars out of five in a movie guide that will remain nameless (because I usually respect their views).The first half is a total bore with Leslie Howard and Bette Davis talking about things that I have no memory of. Sappy romantic stuff, basically. Then a very young Humphrey Bogart siezes control of the local restaurant that Davis and Howard are staying in. Those scenes have no suspense or interest whatsoever, unlike The Desperate Hours. Then there's this whole poetic, Shakespeare-ish ending that seems very dated. Hey, I bet the scene even seemed dated BACK when it was released! It's that bad.
So if you're fans of the stars I named above, don't see this movie. It's not really them. They're aliens PRETENDING to be them! These are not quality actors in The Petrified Forest! They're FAKE!
As for the real Petrified Forest, I've heard it's real nice. Go see it if you're ever in California.
Movie Review: Davis and Bogart but...
Summary: 2 Stars
This film marked one of the first starring roles for film legend Humphrey Bogart. Bogart plays a gangster, Duke Mangee, who with his gang, is on the run from the law. The film starts out when Leslie Howard wanders into a small desert gas station to get some food and runs into Bette Davis. They almost instantly take to each other. They discuss the book of poetry she is reading and he tells her he used to be a writer, but he hasn't written anything in a long time because he is uninspired. Davis, who has spent most of her life in the desert and wants desperatly to move to her birth place in France,finds the stranger very intriguing. They talk and she asks him if he wants to run away with her to France, but he has been there and doesn't want to go back. Then touble strikes when Howard catches a ride with a couple and they run into Bogart and his gang down the road. Bogart takes the couples car and leaves them all in the desert. Apparently he has picked Davis's gas station to rendezbous with his girl. Howard rushes back to tell Davis they are coming. Of coarse, they are already there. Bogart holds them hostage while he waits and drinks. Howard decides he is love with Davis and strikes an interesting deal with Bogart for her life. The film ends with a fatal shootout.This movie was suppose to be serious, but time is catching up to it. Davis and Howard are good, but their affair is almost comic. Bogart totaly overacts as the tough guy, Duke. The rest of the cast is okay at best. The ending of the film is anticlimatic which pretty much sumarizes the whole film. This is a film that would interest young Davis and Bogart fans.
Movie Review: The End of the Road
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had the advantage of seeing The Petrified Forest as a movie and on stage. Taking into account the fact that the stage production I saw wasn't the greatest, I still think that the movie version captured the story better. The story is dated and clearly belongs in the time period it was made, but that works in the film. The performances also work. Leslie Howard, sort of a forgotten Thirties' star these days, manages to make some difficult dialogue play well. Humphrey Bogart, in an early role as the young gangster, makes his character an interesting and sympathetic figure, despite not having many moments to really develop the character with dialogue. Bette Davis brings a lot of conviction to her role as the young, full of ideas waitress that Howard falls in love with. The Petrified Forest is a hostage drama, but it's more than that. It looks at life, growth, love, and disillusionment. It presents a nice contrast of characters, since Howard and Bogart are both at the end of their roads, having gotten there in very different ways. Bearing in mind that the film/play was written for an audience in the Thirties, today's movie fan will still find truths and entertainment in it.Movie Review: A classic that will live forever!
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Petrified Forest," I have found, is either loved or dismissed as boring corn. How untrue the latter statement is! Gaby Maple is naive, adventurous, but has a head on her shoulders and Bette Davis portrays her brilliantly, with little-girl sweetness but with fire lying not too deep inside. The chemistry between she and her co-star Leslie Howard is evident and they work well together. It's hard to believe just two years earlier she was cussing him out as trampy waitress Mildred in "Of Human Bondage." "Forest" just reiterates the well-known fact that Bette Davis' versatility was and is unsurpassed. Humphrey Bogart, in the role that made him a star, adds greatly as the tough gangster. The beautiful and unique setting also adds to the humbleness and sweetness of this classic film. Most films of this era WERE corn, as some critics have referred to this film, but 'boring corn' is a completely untrue statement. One who calls it boring and uninteresting wouldn't known a great film if it bit them on the rear!Movie Review: Wonderful dialogue, acting
Summary: 4 Stars
This is an excellent film, obviously from a play. The dialogue is witty and intelligent. Howard and Davis are particularly good, but Bogart is excellent in a supporting role. I find it refreshingly understated, particularly compared with many overdone, big-budget movies today. The ending is a bit melodramatic, but the overall experience makes it worth it.