THE PETRIFIED FOREST

US, 1936, 83 minutes, Black and White.
Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Dick Foran, Humphrey Bogart.
Directed by Archie Mayo.

The Petrified Forest is an interesting film version of Robert Sherwood's celebrated poetic play about American gangsters and the confrontation of the gangster mentality with that of the educated gentleman. Humphrey Bogart repeats his stage role as Duke Mantee embodying the attitudes of the Depression gangsters. Leslie Howard is at home in the central role of the poet with the sense of doom. Bette Davis gives an interesting performance as the girl working out in the desert cafe garage. The filming of Sherwood's play is rather stagey, preserving the unity of the set and the poetic nature of the dialogue. It is an interesting study of an American genre produced at a time when the gangsters and the crimes presented were at their height.

1. How successful and intellectual thriller?

2. The style of the mid thirties, black and white photography, the obvious use of sets, musical score, reliance on strength of dialogue, the stars?

3. How evident that the film was based on a play? Was the film stage bound? To what effect?

4. The significance of the title? As a real place, yet a symbol of life in death and death in life? As applied to the characters?

5. The significance of dreams, hopes, disillusionment, realism? How valuable an exploration of these themes?

6. The focus of attention on Allan Squier: as a type, man, poet, failure, the reason for being in the petrified forest, a traveller and a wanderer, the significance of his journey? What aspects of modern man did he symbolize? His death wish, his capacity for doing good, for loving? His explanations of himself and the film's explanation of him?

7. What kind of man was he? His explanations of his past and the effect of people on him? A creative man who was not fully creative? A man who wanted to relate but could not satisfactorily? The intellectual contrast with the brutality of Mantee? His own strengths, his weaknesses? The encounter with Gabby and his providing for her? His goading Mantee into killing him? The significance of his death? The defeat of the intellectual?

8. The place itself in the forest: modern amenities in the desert, the Depression? The father and his realism? The people who called in? The helping hand? The characters and types who belonged to this particular station and cafe? The whole as a microcosm?

9. Gabby and her being in this place? As a girl, a dreamer, the explanation of her background, France and art contrasting the drab desert? Squier changing her life, emotionally, with hopes? The confrontation with Mantee? The future that she would build on this experience and on Allan Squier's love?

10. The contrast with Duke of Mantee? The explanation of his background, the realism of the 30s and the hoodlums/ the ugly world of cars and guns? Mantee as brute force? His dominance over his group? wanting supplies? His scorning of Squier? The siege? His death?

11. The theme of brute force ugliness in America? within the group, terrorizing innocent people?

12. The impact of Allan Squier's death and the momentum of it at the end of the film?

13. The impact of this film in the 30s, now? The look and assessment of the gangsters in 1935 and the way that these same gangsters were assessed in the 70s? How realistic a look at the American situation did this film offer? The most valuable human and social themes explored?