The Petrified Forest (1936)

Director:

Archie Mayo

Writers:

Charles Kenyon (screenplay) and
Delmer Daves (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

8 February 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

AGAIN THEY TRIUMPH!...The stars of 'Human Bondage' in a picture greater than the play!

Plot:

A waitress, a hobo and a bank robber get mixed up at a lonely diner in the desert.

Plot Keywords:

Desert | Hostage | Gangster | Arizona | Machine Gun

Cast

Leslie Howard	...	Alan Squier
Bette Davis	...	Gabrielle Maple
Genevieve Tobin	...	Mrs. Chisholm
Dick Foran	...	Boze Hertzlinger
Humphrey Bogart	...	Duke Mantee
Joe Sawyer	...	Jackie (as Joseph Sawyer)
Porter Hall	...	Jason Maple
Charley Grapewin	...	Gramp Maple
Paul Harvey	...	Mr. Chisholm
Eddie Acuff	...	Lineman
Adrian Morris	...	Ruby
Nina Campana	...	Paula
Slim Thompson	...	Slim
John Alexander	...	Joseph

Also Known As:

Petrified Forest (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

82 min (Turner library print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:PG (video rating) | Germany:16 | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Finland:(Banned) (1936) | USA:Approved (PCA #1751) | Germany:6 | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Red Rock Canyon State Park - Highway 14, Cantil, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Mounted on the wall of the diner in which the story takes place is the headdress of a Native American medicine man, which resembles the horned head of an American buffalo. 'The Petrified Forest' director Archie Mayo staged many of the movie's shots with the head of actor Humphrey Bogart (playing 'world-famous murderer Duke Mantee') framed by the headdress mounted on the wall behind him. The composition of these shots, which appear throughout the second half of the film, result in the appearance of a demon's horns sprouting from Mantee's head.

Goofs:

Continuity: The first time Leslie Howard is in the restaurant at the table with Bette Davis, he is on the point of lighting his pipe; in the next shot, he is not smoking.

Quotes:

Gramp Maple: But let me tell you one thing, Mr. Squier. The woman don't live or ever did live that's worth five thousand dollars!
Alan Squier: Well, let me tell you something. You're a forgetful old fool. Any woman's worth everything that any man has to give: anguish, ecstasy, faith, jealousy, love, hatred, life or death. Don't you see that's the whole excuse for our existence? It's what makes the whole thing possible and tolerable.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (#22.96)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

I'd Rather Listen to Your Eyes

Classic desert diner drama

"The Petrified Forest" is set in a diner in the Arizona desert, and focuses on the characters there prior to and during the take-over of the diner by a notorious killer and his gang. The film is based on a play, and it is not surprising given that all but one scene is set at the diner.

Bette Davis gives a fine performance as an idealist young waitress that is enchanted by a vagabond that happens upon the diner, Alan Squier. My favorite performance of the film was from Leslie Howard as Alan Squier, the directionless, weary and philosophizing intellectual. All of the dialogue in this film was well-written, but Squier's lines are particularly eloquent and his references to books and historical figures are interesting. Humphrey Bogart is also great in his breakthrough role as Duke Mantee, the notorious killer. Mantee is gruff, controlling and at times sarcastic, but he has a slow, piercing voice and a methodical manner. The supporting performances are also of note too, particularly that of the excited grandfather often ready with invented tales.

The film's premise is simple, so this film relies on its characterizations and dialogue to retain viewer interest. Both are equal to the task, the dialogue remains engaging as the characters share their innermost thoughts and the film considers American society of the time, and especially love and self-sacrifice.