The Petrified Forest (1936)

100% of critics liked it
(8 reviews)
76% of users liked it
(4,504 ratings)

Burned-out British intellectual Alan Squier (Leslie Howard) wanders into the desert service station/restaurant owned by Jason Maple (Porter Hall). Alan finds himself an object of fascination for Jason's starry-eyed daughter, Gabrielle Bette Davis, who dreams of moving to France and establishing… More Burned-out British intellectual Alan Squier (Leslie Howard) wanders into the desert service station/restaurant owned by Jason Maple (Porter Hall). Alan finds himself an object of fascination for Jason's starry-eyed daughter, Gabrielle Bette Davis, who dreams of moving to France and establishing herself. Boze Hertzlinger (Dick Foran), Gabrielle's gas-jockey boyfriend, grows jealous of Alan, but the penniless, dissipated Briton has no intention of settling down; in fact, as soon as he mooches a ride from wealthy tourists Mr. and Mrs. Chisholm (Paul Harvey and Genevieve Tobin), he's on his way out of Gabrielle's life...or so everyone thinks. Later that same day, Alan, Gabrielle, Jason, Boze, and Mr. and Mrs. Chisholm are huddled together in the selfsame restaurant, held at gunpoint by Dillinger-like desperado Duke Mantee (Humphrey Bogart) and his gang. Alan seems indifferent to the danger, toasting Duke as "the last great apostle of rugged individualism." Sensing an opportunity to give his life meaning, Alan takes Duke aside, begging the outlaw to kill him so that Gabrielle can travel to Paris on the money provided by Alan's insurance policy. When the police converge on the restaurant, Duke announces that he intends to use Mr. and Mrs. Chisholm as a shield in order to make his escape. Alan tries to stop him, receiving a bullet in the belly for his troubles. "So long, pal," growls Duke fatalistically, moments before his own death, "I'll be seein' ya soon." Alan dies in Gabrielle's arms, secure in the knowledge that, alone among the film's principals, she will be able to escape the trap of her existence. When originally presented on Broadway, Robert E. Sherwood's The Petrified Forest starred Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart. Warner Bros. intended to cast Edward G. Robinson in Duke's role, only to be thwarted by Howard, who told the studio that he himself would drop out of the project if Bogart wasn't retained. The film proved to be just the break that Bogart needed; years later, he expressed his undying gratitude to Howard by naming his daughter Leslie Bogart. One year after The Petrified Forest, Humphrey Bogart and Leslie Howard co-starred in The Stand-In. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 23 min.
Directed By: Archie Mayo
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Feb 8, 1936 Wide
On DVD: Jan 25, 2005

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
The screen version is still a play, but it's aturning point in the movie career of Humphrey Bogart, who had played the gangster's role on stage and then in a TV version with his wife (in Bette davis role)
Chris Barsanti, Slant Magazine
A ripping thriller shadowed with overtones of societal decay and Darwinian selection.
Chris Barsanti, Slant Magazine
Huch of what's on display here evokes a society on the decline.
Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
Bogie's breakout film still impresses.
Michael H. Price, Fort Worth Business Press
Gangster Existentialism deluxe.
Daniel Eagan, Film Journal International
Award-winning adaptation
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Stagebound and very literary, but still good,

Read all 7 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bob S

a "classic" that really doesn't hold up. pretty bad, actually.
AJ V

An interesting love story wrapped up in a crime thriller story. A bit long and talky, though, but pretty good.
danny d

a very diologue driven gangster picture that delivers. the acting was very good and the story well told despite the fact that it was incredibly simple. the entire film essentially takes place on a single set and no "event" really takes place throughout the film, but the… More
a very diologue driven gangster picture that delivers. the acting was very good and the story well told despite the fact that it was incredibly simple. the entire film essentially takes place on a single set and no "event" really takes place throughout the film, but the diologue was poetic. i just had a really good time watching people talk for 80 minutes, and the fate of these well planned characters really mattered to me. great movie.
Ken S

Leslie Howard and Betty Davis have zero chemistry in this film. However the unexpected story and Bogart make this film a real pleasure.
Michael G

Bette Davis is still cute and Bogart is frightening in one of his first movies.
Rico Z

It's so true when people say that they don't make movies like these anymore. First of all, the script to this moral story is exemplary and almost poetic. The film has been adapted from a stage play an feels very much like one onscreen. I personally like this. The… More
It's so true when people say that they don't make movies like these anymore. First of all, the script to this moral story is exemplary and almost poetic. The film has been adapted from a stage play an feels very much like one onscreen. I personally like this. The cinematography is superb and the performances by younger Bogart and an even younger Better Davis are top-notch. But the crux of the film lies in Leslie Howard's performance as the drifter. The story is that of a drifter who comes into a dusty old cafe in the middle of the Southwest desert. The land is desolate and devoid of any human life except for this small pit stop. There, this drifter meets Gabrielle and she proceeds to fall in love with him. What follows is a conflict of interest when they are held against their wills in this cafe by a group of bandits lead by Bogart's character. The ending will leave some of you stunned but the message is that of finding beauty in the most unlikely places; finding beauty in tragedy, in isolation and in a place as desolate as the petrified forest. Love can exist anywhere, as long as there are two hearts to carry it. It doesn't have to exist in "romantic" places like Paris or Normandie, it can flourish in a dusty old cafe in the middle of nowhere!
Mike T

Taken individually, the performances in this movie are little more than colorful. Taken into account as a group, the actors establish a consistent and engaging energy that makes this movie work as well as it can. Original, smartly directed and backed up by a good script.
MJS M

This film is mainly remembered for having Humphrey Bogart?s breakthrough role, and that?s really all that?s worth remembering it for. Bogart plays a memorable villain here that doesn?t show up until the third act. Until then it?s a bit of a waste, clearly based on a play and poorly… More
This film is mainly remembered for having Humphrey Bogart?s breakthrough role, and that?s really all that?s worth remembering it for. Bogart plays a memorable villain here that doesn?t show up until the third act. Until then it?s a bit of a waste, clearly based on a play and poorly expanded for the cinema. Leslie Howard is the lead, and he?s really weak, his acting is exaggerated and the character comes off like a complete wimp. I don?t expect complete naturalism from actors of this era, but he?s particularly bad. It does pick up in the last act and the beginning isn?t completely hard to take. An interesting bit of film archeology, but not overly compelling.