The Petrified Forest

• Directed by Archie Mayo
• February 8, 1936 (US)
• Based on Robert E. Sherwood’s 1934 play The Petrified Forest

A waitress, a wanderer, and a fugitive meet at a lonely desert diner.

The Petrified Forest is much more of a character study than it is a gangster film or even a crime film. It brings together a diverse group of characters in a barely visited gas station/rest stop in the middle of nowhere and we watch as the facades they present to the world come off or the lies they tell to others as well as themselves get exposed. A very modern concept (and even execution) despite this movie’s age.

We in modern times often view older films as very tame. Some may even feel they are bland. While they did not have the same level of freedom (or even sensibilities) as modern creators they were not safe or bland. Director Archie Mayo and friends push the envelope as far as they can with the characters. Young waitress Gabrielle (Bette Davis) has clear scars from being abandoned by her mother and there is even the hint of personal neglect from her father (Porter Hall) and even emotional abuse from her grandfather (Charlie Grapewin). It is not outright said but certainly implied. And that is just THREE of the characters!

The core relationship of the film is between Gabrielle and Alan Squier (Leslie Howard)-a wannabe author who is a bit of a British expat looking for purpose or just a reason to live as he travels the western US. He makes a connection with Gabrielle, but it starts as one to be used to his advantage and not one of real connection though he reciprocates to a mostly equivalent level by the end.

I think this might be my first viewing of a Leslie Howard film. And seeing his performance I genuinely regret that. Howard is simply amazing in this. Captivating in a way you don’t often see now or did then. He’s charming and likable but with baggage. Howard was clearly an amazing actor who brought a role he created on stage to life on the silver screen. An absolutely mesmerizing performance of a man searching.

The lives of those at the rest stop intersect with dangerous fugitive Duke Mantee (Humphrey Bogart). Mantee is a desperate escape criminal with the law closing in. He knows the end is coming fast no matter what he does. Those three along with several others are all trapped in a small gas station far from civilization. 

This is the movie that made Humphrey Bogart a star. As the story goes, he has the film’s star Leslie Howard to thank for it. Howard refused to do the film without Bogart. While Bogart is deservedly a film legend Howard more than held his own against the actor. Their characters are clearly opposites yet strangely similar.

There are no saints in this. Nobody is perfect. In contrast to many that came out of the era. There is something wrong or damaged about everyone. Also unusual is that Gabrielle is no demure piece of furniture here. She’s a dreamer and perhaps even a bit desperate and delusional.

This is one of those movies where the true selves of those involved come to the surface. There’s no reason to pretend anymore and the hate, anger, bitterness, resentment, disappointment, and so many other things come to the surface. But they weren’t unbelievably damaged people. Things just haven’t turned out the way they wanted. They had plans for their lives or dreams that just never happened. Nobody really knows anybody here. They only know the act that is put on. The husband and wife. The father, daughter, and granddaughter. Even to themselves.

The character of Gabrielle is not a piece of furniture by rather a person with dreams and pain. Mrs. Chisholm (Genevieve Tobin) who is part of the group is bitter over taking the role of traditional housewife when she married her husband (Paul Harvey) rather than her own life. The women are not there to just prop up the male characters.

Being that it was shot entirely on a soundstage it is able to feel very much like watching a play. I don’t mean that as a negative. They are focusing on the character and not interested in camera angles or intriguing framing. You are watching the performances. There are maybe one or two elements I could see not being possibly from the play and added in.

The Petrified Forest is a fantastic drama where who the characters truly are comes out. With a star making performance by Humphrey Bogart, an amazing performance by the underappreciated Leslie Howard, and a strong turn by Bette Davis this is a near perfect old Hollywood film.