Review of The Petrified Forest (1936) by Rico Z — 02 Aug 2006

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!