Kirpianuscus
It is his film. not only for admirable performance but for the work of his partners. it is, in same measure, a surprising modern film. because it is a film about life, survive, heroism and desillusions who escapes by Hollywood classic formula. sure, it is adaptation of a play and you feel that scene by scene. all - from characters to the story are familiar. Humphrey Bogart gives the lines defining his great roles and Bette Davis reminds her skills for the vulnerable young woman looking for Charming Prince. but something change the expectations of viewer. maybe, the precise show of an universe who defines near reality in more exact manner. maybe Charley Grapewin job, shadow of past in fight for survive to present. anymore, Leslie Howard has the science and the gift to propose the best axis of a story of too deep solitude. and that did "The Petrified Forest" an obvious must see.
mark.waltz
As far from the big city as you can get, this film version of a practically forgotten Broadway play is the reason for that legend film audiences still talk about named Bogie. Indeed, it was the transition in the career of Humphrey Bogart who had left the lights of Hollywood two years before and scored big on Broadway. The claustrophobic feel of Black Mesa in the middle of nowhere is equally as much a character as Bogart's killer, Leslie Howard's suicidal drifter and Bette Davis's tired waitress.A profound script shows that the lowest of low lives can become art when written with heart. Howard visits Davis's restaurant in the middle of nowhere, an oasis destroyed over the sands of time that has become as dead as Howard seems to long to be. For a film with a ton of chit chat, this is never boring, with a variety of visitors questioning their own mortality while being held hostage by Bogart.Davis is sweet yet alluring, with Howard facing his maker with the determination of Sydney Carton. Also excellent amongst the supporting players is Charley Grapewin as Davis's grandfather who interjects his own diluted vision of a long ago world as he allows his possible senility to escape out of him. This is a film that you could watch over and over again.
bensonmum2
I'm not sure about others, but I cannot watch The Petrified Forest and not compare it with Key Largo. Beyond the obvious (Humphrey Bogart), there are several plot similarities. And while I enjoy Key Largo more overall, there are a couple of areas where I think The Petrified Forest does a better job:1. I much prefer Bogart's Duke Mantee to Edward G. Robinson's Johnny Rocco. Both may be real "baddies", but Mantee is a much darker, more effective character. His entrance is fantastic and he comes across as the cold-blooded killer he is. In contrast, I don't find Rocco quite as threatening. Sure, he's a killer, but he has some comedic touches (whether intentional or not) that take away from the character's menace. The Petrified Forest may not be a Bogart movie, but there's no doubting how effective he is.2. Bette Davis is just so good in The Petrified Forest that Laureen Bacall pales in comparison. Davis' wide-eyed, full-of-dreams innocence is perfect. I like Bacall in Key Largo, but she's not in the same league as Davis' Gabrielle Maple.I'm sure other IMDb users will write about deep, philosophical ideas behind the film's desolate setting and heart-breaking ending, but I'm pretty simple. I watch movies to be entertained. And The Petrified Forest never fails to provide entertainment. An 8/10 from me.
AaronCapenBanner
Archie Mayo directed this fine adaptation of the famous stage play that stars Leslie Howard as Alan Squire, a philosophical hobo(and poet) on his way to the Pacific ocean, who stops in the desert diner of Gabrielle Maple(played by a young Bette Davis) and brightens her life with his philosophy and experience. The other patrons think he is a joke, but Alan is just different, and their lives will take a dramatic turn when wanted gangster Duke Mantee(played by Humphrey Bogart) arrives with his men and holds them all hostage, leading to much discussion before the authorities close in... Intelligent and compelling film with fine acting, especially Bogart in a star-making performance. Good direction hides the stagy nature of the story, and result is most interesting and memorable.
AD
