Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with today’s installment of A Movie A Day.
[For those now joining us, A Movie A Day is my attempt at filling in gaps in my film knowledge. My DVD collection is thousands strong, many of them films I haven’t seen yet, but picked up as I scoured used DVD stores. Each day I’ll pull a previously unseen film from my collection or from my DVR and discuss it here. Each movie will have some sort of connection to the one before it, be it cast or crew member.]
Thankfully I got some sleep on the flight, so I can jump right into today’s AMAD while still somewhere over the Pacific ocean. PETRIFIED FOREST is our flick today, following one Mr. Humphrey Bogart over from yesterday’s unique heartfelt gangster comedy BROTHER ORCHID.
The set-up for PETRIFIED FOREST is like some kind of thriller hour-long on TV from the ‘50s or ‘60s. It’s set in one location, a small gas station in the middle of Buttfuck Nowhere, Arizona and revolves around a hostage situation as a gang on the run from the law hold up there.
What is different from the hour-long format is that Bogart doesn’t show up with his gang until a good half an hour into the story. We spend a lot of time with an aspiring artist waitress, working at the small restaurant within the gas station/gift store/diner. Bette Davis plays this girl and I think I’m not a big Davis fan.
She’s very cute in this movie, but her acting style (at least at this age) really grates on me for some reason. It’s the typical breathy, high-pitched rapid fire technique as every young cute thing of this era. Her famous eyes make a bit of a difference, aiding us in getting a look at what’s going on in her head a bit more than the typical ‘30s actress.
That’s not to say I dislike Davis as an actress, but this is the second film of this era I’ve seen in which I don’t really take to her. I like her as she got older, more of a character actress. ALL ABOUT EVE, A POCKETFUL OF MIRACLES, etc are examples of her performances that I’m a fan of. Subtle, full of personality.
And I won’t say she’s without personality in this movie. She is cute and relatable, it’s just some of the line delivery that irked me.
Leslie Howard is a wandering writer whose journey takes him to this small gas station via a ride he hitches with a rich couple. He takes to Davis immediately, and she with him, much to the chagrin of the gas-pumping Romeo, a local who was a football star in high school and seems like a decent, corn-fed guy, but doesn’t have the drive or aspirations of Davis.
Howard plays the role with a lot of charm, but his Alan Squier is a very protected character. He comes off as an open book at the beginning, but the more we find out about him, the more he feels for Davis and the more she opens up to him, the more guarded he gets. It’s a very interesting romance that develops, not the typical boy meets girl story to say the least.
Grandpa is awesome. Bette Davis’ grandfather is played by Charley Grapewin and this dude injected great life into the picture. He essentially hero worships Bogart and is like a kid at Christmas being held hostage by him. He’s surprisingly blood-thirsty, practically begging Bogart to pop someone. Really fun work by Grapewin.
Bogie and his crew fall into the category of criminals with heart. They’re in a hard-luck spot and don’t have any qualms about killing to protect themselves, but they’re not evil people. The longer they keep this group hostage, the more they’re pulled into these character’s lives, especially Bogart. He takes an interest in the untraditional romance developing, even if I wouldn’t call it a vested interest. He’s a little amused by it and maybe by the end even touched in a slight way. Picture him a little like Dennis Leary in THE REF, but without the F-bombs.
Bogart and Leslie Howard are actually reprising their roles from the original stage version of this story. Bogie wasn’t a name yet and the studio didn’t want him, instead wanted to squeeze Edward G. Robinson in there, but Howard insisted and Robinson was happy to avoid yet another gangster role. Interesting story, yeah? This film was one of the big calling cards for Bogart.
Final Thoughts: It’s a good, tight little movie, but one that I didn’t particulary cream over. It’s a fine, entertaining film and one that I find little fault with, but the overall story isn’t one that sticks with me much after giving it a spin. I wouldn’t have a hard time recommending THE PETRIFIED FOREST. I just wouldn’t talk it up as being an amazing piece of vintage filmmaking. What it is is an entertaining showcase for some big talents in a story that is different enough to not come off as repetitive and dull, but far from world-changing.
Here’s what we have lined up for the next week:
Monday, December 22nd: MOONTIDE (1942)
Tuesday, December 23rd: NOTORIOUS (1946)
Wednesday, December 24th: THE INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS (1958)
Thursday, December 25th: THE HIGH COMMISSIONER (1968)
Friday, December 26th: THE SILENT PARTNER (1979)
Saturday, December 27th: PAYDAY (1972)
Sunday, December 28th: A STRANGER IS WATCHING (1982)
Sorry that one was a quickie, but I’m back home now and after a good… 20 hours of sleep or so, I should be ready and rarin’ to go on noir MOONTIDE, directed by THE PETRIFIED FOREST’s Archie Mayo! See you folks tomorrow for that one!
-Quint
quint@aintitcool.com
