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Movies / On DVD / The Petrified Forest
The Petrified Forest

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The Petrified Forest (1936)

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Reviews Counted:8

Fresh:8

Rotten:0

Average Rating:7.6/10

Runtime: 90 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: This heartfelt drama about a gangster on the run is the film for which Humphrey Bogart first received wide-scale recognition. Bogie and costar Leslie Howard were both brought on board after... This heartfelt drama about a gangster on the run is the film for which Humphrey Bogart first received wide-scale recognition. Bogie and costar Leslie Howard were both brought on board after appearing in the successful stage play by Pulitzer prize-winner Robert E. Sherwood. Director Archie Mayo follows the original closely to create a fast-paced and gripping suspense drama with existential motifs. Leslie Howard plays a perfect gentleman--a lonely intellectual in search of meaning. When he lands in a deserted café, he finds what he's looking for in the form of young Bette Davis, whose character yearns for the artistic climate of gay Paris. But both Howard and Davis are in for a bumpy ride when dangerous gangster played by Bogart takes over, holding up the joint at gunpoint. The small group of hostages take turns telling their tales, fearing death, while Bogie plots to reunite with his gang and his girl. Few films in history can stand up to THE PETRIFIED FOREST, which combines the words of literary giant Robert E. Sherwood with the sizzling performances of Howard, Davis, and Bogart. [More]

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Dick Foran

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Dick Foran, Joe Sawyer, Porter Hall, Charley Grapewin, Paul Harvey, Eddie Acuff

Director: Archie Mayo

Director: Archie Mayo
Producer: Henry Blanke
Story: Robert E. Sherwood
Composer: Bernhard Kaun

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jan 25, 2005

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • A rundown diner bakes in the Arizona heat. Inside, fugitive killer Duke Mantee sweats out a manhunt, holding disillusioned writer Alan Squier, young Gabby Maple and a handful of others hostage. As trapped as his captives, Mantee admits: "It looks like I'll spend the rest of my life dead."
  • The Petrified Forest, Robert E. Sherwood's 1935 Broadway success about survival of the fittest in the modern world, hit the screen a year later with Leslie Howard (Squier) and Humphrey Bogart (Mantee) magnificently recreating their stage roles and Bette Davis (Gabby) ably reteaming with her Of Human Bondage co-star Howard. Sherwood initially wanted Bogart for a smaller role. "I thought Sherwood was right," Bogart said. "I couldn't picture myself playing a gangster. So what happened? I made a hit as the gangster." So right was he that Howard refused to make the film without him...and helped launch Bogey's brilliant movie career.
  • Source: Warner Home Video
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    Reviews for The Petrified Forest

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    1 - 13 (sorted by date)
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    N/R

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    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    03/26/09
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Derek Adams
    Derek Adams
    Time Out
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    03/25/06
    Frank S. Nugent
    Frank S. Nugent
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    06/28/05
    Emanuel Levy
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com

    Huch of what’s on display here evokes a society on the decline.

    Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
    02/11/05
    Chris Barsanti
    Chris Barsanti
    Slant Magazine

    Bogie's breakout film still impresses.

    comment Comment
    01/03/05
    Steve Crum
    Steve Crum
    Kansas City Kansan

    Gangster Existentialism deluxe.

    comment Comment
    12/08/04
    Michael H. Price
    Michael H. Price
    Fort Worth Business Press

    Award-winning adaptation

    comment Comment
    06/25/04
    Daniel Eagan
    Daniel Eagan
    Film Journal International

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    06/04/04
    Carol Cling
    Carol Cling
    Las Vegas Review-Journal
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Film4 | comment Comment
    05/24/03
    Film4
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    05/23/03
    Philip Martin
    Philip Martin
    Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

    Stagebound and very literary, but still good,

    comment Comment
    04/24/03
    Ken Hanke
    Ken Hanke
    Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
    01/01/00
    Don Druker
    Don Druker
    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
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