Film Review
Robert E. Sherwood's stage play
The
Petrified Forest is effortlessly transposed to the big screen by
director Archie Mayo in this gripping existential melodrama which is
considered a forerunner of classic American film noir. The film's
obvious staginess (virtually all of the action takes place in one set,
the interior of a roadside diner) does not for a second diminish the
power of the performances from its attention-grabbing cast, headed by
Leslie Howard in one of his favourite roles. Here Howard is
re-matched with Bette Davis, one of Warner Brothers' rising stars, just
two years after their previous amorous pairing in John Cromwell's
Of Human Bondage (1934).
This time round, Davis thankfully ditches the cod cockney accent and is
content merely to massacre the French language. Well, if she
can't pronounce 'Bette' what hope is there for François Villon?
Howard and Davis have a good thing going until someone gatecrashes a
promising romance around the film's midpoint, making what is known in
the business as 'an entrance'. Little did anyone think at the
time that the someone in question would soon become one of cinema's
most iconic performers, none other than Humphrey Bogart. Bogart
had appeared in a handful of films before this, B-movies that are
probably best forgotten, but
The
Petrified Forest is where his screen career began proper, in the
role in which he would be typecast for the rest of the decade,
that of the gun-toting hoodlum. It's hard to believe that Bogart was almost denied the
role, in spite of having played it so brilliantly in the 1935 stage
production of Sherwood's play. It was Leslie Howard, who took the
lead in the same production, who persuaded Warners to give Bogart the
part, after they had decided to offer it to Edward G. Robinson.
Bogart would never forget his debt to Howard and even named his
daughter after the actor.
Bogart's dramatic incursion suddenly changes both the tempo and tone of
the film. In an instant,
The
Petrified Forest turns from a placid highbrow melodrama, with
Howard lamenting the passing of the intellectual as Davis shows him her
etchings, to a tense thriller with a particularly grim ending. We
almost forget everything we saw and heard in the first half of the
film, and Davis disappears into the background as Howard and Bogart
monopolise our attention with a slightly surreal series of verbal
exchanges. Not yet burdened by the necessity that afflicts
ever Hollywood A-lister to protect his nice guy image, Bogart is free
to turn in a truly despicable character performance, which he does
with sadistic relish, basing his portrayal on the real-life gangster
John Dillinger. There is an animal-like, almost Satanic quality
to Bogart's performance that is truly terrifying, and the one thing you
will not forget is the psychotic glare in his eyes in those
nightmare-inducing close-ups.
The
Petrified Forest gave Humphrey Bogart his first shot at stardom
and he grabbed it with both hands. The rest is history.
© James Travers 2014
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
Alan Squier, a failed British writer, ends up hitchhiking his way
across North America. Whilst crossing the Arizona desert he comes
across a diner when he strikes up an immediate rapport with Gabrielle,
the daughter of the eatery's owner. Having an estranged French
mother, Gabrielle professes to a desire to visit France and impresses
Alan with her interest in French poetry. Gabrielle is equally
taken by Alan's erudition and imagines that he might one day show her
the glories of France. Not long after he resumes his travels,
hitching a lift from a wealthy couple, Alan is forced back to the diner
at gunpoint by a ruthless gangster, Duke Mantee, who is on the run from
the police. With no desire to continue living, Alan sees an
opportunity to allow Gabrielle to fulfil her dreams, at the cost of his
own life...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.