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The Petrified Forest

1936 · 82 min

A slow-burning, talky hostage drama that blends wistful romance with existential melancholy and sudden violence.

Directed by
Archie Mayo
Genres
Crime, Drama, Romance
Tagline
AGAIN THEY TRIUMPH!...The stars of 'Human Bondage' in a picture greater than the play!
Overview
Gabby, the waitress in an isolated Arizona diner, dreams of a bigger and better life. One day penniless intellectual Alan drifts into the joint and the two strike up a rapport. Soon enough, notorious killer Duke Mantee takes the diner's inhabitants hostage. Surrounded by miles of desert, the patrons and staff are forced to sit tight with Mantee and his gang overnight.

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Directed by
Archie Mayo
Genres
Crime, Drama, Romance
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 3 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • romanticstrength 2 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • isolation
  • fate
  • love
  • ambition
  • death
Places
  • countryside
  • single country house
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • single location
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror1
Humour3
Realism7
Romance5
Tension6
Darkness6
Complexity5
Emotional weight7

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Cast

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Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
crime, drama, romance, thriller
Directed by
Archie Mayo
Written by
Charles Kenyon, Delmer Daves
Starring
Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Genevieve Tobin, Dick Foran, Porter Hall, Charley Grapewin, Paul Harvey
Music
Bernhard Kaun
Cinematography
Sol Polito
Runtime
82 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

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