Humphrey Bogart built his persona off of his own brand of "cool," one that veiled his broken heart under a veneer of beleaguered antagonism. Bogart never took anything lying down, equally adept at throwing hands and spitting venom while barely raising his pulse. That multifaceted lethality served him well when playing noir protagonists who fight against or succumb to a dirty world, tasking us with seeing his warped integrity buried past his notable edges. It's a niche he swiftly claimed with his first major film role, that of escaped criminal Duke Mantee in The Petrified Forest, a role modeled off of a legendary criminal that made Bogart an established screen actor and served as a prototype of the type of character he'd continuously refine over the decades.
What is 'The Petrified Forest' About?
Alan Squier (Gone With the Wind's Leslie Howard) is a failed writer who finds himself at a small family-operated diner in Arizona, where he hits it off with daughter and waitress Gabrielle (Bette Davis). His artistic sensibilities appeal to amateur painter Gabrielle, and the two inevitably fall in love with each other, hooked on a pipe dream. Their dream gets sorely disturbed by the arrival of Duke Mantee (Bogart), hiding out from the cops after forcing his way into a couple's car and making them drive back to the diner to await the arrival of his girlfriend for their big escape. With Mantee quickly taking charge of everyone in the diner, what's initially a stalemate slowly becomes a meeting-of-the-minds between Duke and Alan, the depressed artist finding an admiration in the heartless rogue. The plot is largely in-line with the conventions of the time: fast love, crime being inevitably punished, colorful side characters, a tragic finale. What makes the film work is the trifecta of lead actors, with Howard and Davis having very good chemistry and doing heartfelt work, but it's really Bogart who makes it all come together.
There's something nightmarish about Duke, like he strutted out of the set of Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, all angles and stiffness. With arms crooked at the elbows, a head cocked slightly off-center, and a face seemingly half in shadow thanks to his gruff stubble, Duke's demeanor belies a greater desperation than his bullish attitude would suggest. He may be an alleged killer, but he knows how to play with the people he's near, leaving them uncertain with a hot-and-cold mix of aggressive command-barking and passive stares. Bogart spends a majority of the film barely even moving, relying on his slanted physique and hastily elongated vocal pattern to goad his captives into remaining compliant. His voice here is less of the clipped snark and droll asides of his later seminal roles, like The Maltese Falcon or The Big Sleep, and more the sharp punches of an aggravated and easily-spooked thug. That uncomfortable allegiance of insecure emotional makeup and genuinely imposing gravitas was the concoction that Humphrey Bogart made his signature, and he may want to thank one John Dillinger for helping him make it.
John Dillinger Directly Inspired Bogart's Performance Close
Anybody who's seen the underrated Michael Mann gem Public Enemies knows that John Dillinger was equal parts deadly and charming, a bank robber who made himself arguably the first modern celebrity criminal. The Petrified Forest's playwright, Robert Sherwood, wanted to capitalize on Dillinger's allure by basing Duke specifically off of him. Bogart was cast as Duke partially because of his physical resemblance to Dillinger, and once he got the role, he allegedly watched many footage reels of Dillinger to better capture his movements and voice. It clearly paid off, as Bogart isn't simply menacing as Duke, but he keeps his captive audience hooked via a sense of mystery about the way he conducts himself in front of everyone. His charisma is not of the brash and verbally witty variety that Dillinger specialized in, but one of intrigue that makes Alan and the other captives want to learn more about him. He makes you wonder if this is truly what he was meant to do with his life, or if he privately resents having put himself in this position. That pang of discontent underpinning his every action was just enough of a hint at Duke's humanity, and it's a flavor that Bogart would experiment with throughout his career.
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With the release of The Petrified Forest, Humphrey Bogart got rapturous reviews, and the film's marketing smartly emphasized the sharp change in approach Bogart had to play a vicious killer. While the public would have been more comfortable with the likes of James Cagney or Edward G. Robinson, spunky and energetic, Bogart was detached and unknowable and somehow scarier. It was considered such a persuasive performance that there was genuine outcry in the media that Bogart wasn't nominated for the recently created Best Supporting Actor Academy Award, something that Bogart privately very much wanted to win (and eventually would, in Best Actor for The African Queen). More importantly, the film made Bogart officially sought after in Hollywood, immediately getting him signed to a long-term contract with Warner Brothers, where he toiled in character actor supporting roles for a number of years. He wouldn't become a truly established leading star until films like High Sierra and The Maltese Falcon, but all the roles that cemented his screen identity were somewhat indebted to Duke Mantee's doomed mystique.
The Petrified Forest Approved Release Date February 8, 1936 Director Archie Mayo Cast Leslie Howard , Humphrey Bogart , Bette Davis , Genevieve Tobin , Dick Foran , Joe Sawyer , Porter Hall , Charley Grapewin Runtime 82 Minutes Main Genre Drama
The Petrified Forest can be rented on Prime Video in the U.S.
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