THE PETRIFIED FOREST (1936)

(Week 1 1/2: Humphrey Bogart)

THE PETRIFIED FOREST (1936)

Directed by Archie Mayo

This is one of those films towards which I can't help being biased. I love the theater, and what I love about old movies are the styles of acting and writing that are more theatrical than what you commonly see in films today. This film is based on a play and makes no effort to hide its theatrical origin. In fact, two of its actors had originated their parts on Broadway. Some plays don't translate well on screen--this one does fantastically.

The story is about Alan: British, intellectual, penniless, and a wanderer. Jaded with life, he travels across this "petrified forest" and wanders into a roadside diner where he meets a cute girl who loves poetry and longs to see more of the world. He possesses many qualities that she admires in a man and probably doesn't see much in the men in her life, so that she falls for him almost instantly. But Alan has a secret: he is depressed to the point of suicidal. And while he likes her, he doesn't open his heart to her quite the same way that she does for him. Then, enters Duke Mantee, an outlaw on the run, terrorizing everybody involved.

The writing is superb. Scene after scene we get to know different characters in lively, colorful dialogues. Leslie Howard as Alan is charming and full of quips. Does he seem like somebody ready to jump to his death at any second? Not really. But I personally haven't known anybody who is truly suicidal. Famous figures like Virginia Woolf or Ernest Hemingway both suffered from bipolar disorder. The deepest, darkest part of themselves is probably hidden from most people. Perhaps Alan, too, keeps that part of himself away from the screen.

Bette Davis as Gabrielle is cute as a button. She is enchanting in every shot. Those who only know her as the diva she would later become would find her natural charm in this film very refreshing. She makes memorable what is otherwise a drab and archetypal character. 

Duke Mantee is played by Humphrey Bogart. Then 36-year-old and struggling to stay in business, Bogart became a star with this film. He proves himself an exceptional character actor with enough charisma to outshine both Howard and Davis. His characterization of Duke Mantee is magnificent and sensitive. It is a wonder how one could combine such magnetism with realism. Duke Mantee is both a legend and a person, and Bogart does both justice. 

The petrified forest as the setting evokes the kind of mysticism that the forest in Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream" does, except here it is a nightmare. The characters romanticize it and at once is aware of its haunting quality. Though terrorized by Mantee, they also give away a hint of excitement at this incredible event that shakes up the mellow rhythm of their lives. While it is known as a precursor of film noir, and while it utilizes many qualities of a Western, it seems to be neither. Instead, THE PETRIFIED FOREST treats its themes and characters so seriously it transcends genres and will outlast many eras to come. 

ANNA CHRISTIE (1930)

(Week 1: Greta Garbo)

ANNA CHRISTIE (1930)

Directed by Clarence Brown

How inauspicious to start off this blog with an entry about a film I didn't like? But Garbo is first on the list, and this movie is significant in her short career: it was her first talkie. I can only imagine how exciting it must have been for fans of her silent films to hear their favorite star not only talk but speak the words of Eugene O'Neil.

ANNA CHRISTIE is about a fallen woman reuniting with her estranged father and falling in love while trying to escape her past. Whether or not the film was shot in sequence, the last half an hour of the film seems to be much better than the earlier portions. Garbo is really good in it. She speaks the lines more clearly. Her acting becomes more genuine, even though the scenes demands much of her emotional range. I'm saying this because this is not how I would describe Garbo's performance in the earlier part of the movie, where she is stiff and seems to be struggling with acting in English. 

She does sound good. She has a low, warm and luscious voice. She also possesses an effective lost-girl look. The dramatic make-up accentuates both her beauty and sadness. It's hard to tell if she commands the screen with her  charisma or if the camera does most of the work. In any case, she has a strong presence without appearing out of character. 

The role of Anna's father, the Swedish coal barge captain, is played by George F. Marion, an American actor who is so convincing I thought he was Swedish as well, but not in a good way. It's a challenge to understand his speech. He had originated the role on Broadway as well as played it in the silent film adaptation of the play. I guess there is such a thing as playing the role too well.

Charles Bickford plays Matt, Anna's love interest. He is the least quirky of the cast, which makes him a nice addition. He serves well as a leading man and character actor in a role that doesn't ask much of him. It's not hard to imagine a better film with an entire cast of actors like him. The result might have been a more heartfelt and nuanced storytelling.

I haven't read the Pulitzer Prize's wining play on which the film is based, so that I don't know if there might have been some changes made. There were moments when I thought that the actors didn't do the words justice, but there were also moments when I thought the script itself was weak. It's a story about people trying to make up for their past, so for the most part we don't see their problems as much as hearing about them. The ending feels like a copout. Anna could be one of those great female characters in American drama, but is portrayed here more like a dramatic caricature than a tragic-heroine. ANNA CHRISTIE is not entirely painful to watch--and really there are some good moments here--but unless you are a Garbo fan it is barely worth the time.

Welcome

The term "The Golden Age of Hollywood" makes me think of old movies, of Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, but where exactly does this "age" begin and end? Like any curious mind of our time, I consulted Wikipedia for the answer.

Wikipedia offers defines it as a "style" of filmmaking used during this era, and offered some numerical data (1927-1960). What excited me the most, however, was the collage of stars with whose works I admire so much. I saw Ingrid Bergman, Henry Fonda, the Hepburns, etc. 

It was, first and foremost, the stars that sparked my interest in old movies, starting with Audrey Hepburn after seeing her in BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S (1961) in high school. I felt in love (who didn't?) and started watching more of her films. SABRINA (1954) remains a great example of how captivating old movies can be. You have three of the most charismatic people in the world--Hepburn, Bogart, Holden--and a script that is thoroughly witty and charming. One time I turned on the TV for background noise and it was on, and I was glued to the screen until it ended.

Cut to how many years later, I still don't consider myself a film buff, since the more you see the more you realize how much you haven't seen. But I have developed a passion for many of the stars and directors. Like most people, I consider the other Hepburn to be one of the greatest actresses that ever lived. I have a little crush on Anthony Perkins (pre-PSYCHO) and young Jimmy Stewart (pre-James). I can't get enough of Lauren Bacall's distinctive voice. In the meantime I have also come to consider myself a writer. I went to college and got myself a degree in English, and a minor in Writing, and am currently working on a novel and other fictional projects. True to my upbringing in the age of information, I'd rather work on multiple projects at a time than focusing on any one thing, so that while I am already overwhelmed with an endless and impossible list of things to do, I think starting a weekly blog about old movies sounds like a good idea.

So, here's how we're gonna roll. In the order of the stars listed on the Wikipedia page, I'm going to watch and write about one of his or her movies each week, starting with Garbo and ending with Pickford. Now, some of these stars I have been a fan of for years, some I have only heard of but never seen in action (such as Garbo), and some I've never even heard of (such as Pickford). For my idols I probably would watch something of theirs that I have never seen, which should result in some interesting entries about obscure, and possibly awful, films. For the ones unfamiliar to me, I will probably watch what they're best known for. This project will be, if nothing else, an education. 

(First row, left-right) Greta Garbo, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Clark Gable, Katharine Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Marlon Brando, Marx Brothers, Joan Crawford

(Second row, left-right) John Wayne, James Stewart, Buster Keaton, Claudette Colbert, Gene Kelly, Burt Lancaster, Judy Garland, Gregory Peck, Elizabeth Taylor, Kirk Douglas

(Third row, left-right) Bette Davis, Audrey Hepburn, Jean Harlow, Alfred Hitchcock, John Ford, Howard Hawks, Grace Kelly, Laurence Olivier, Marlene Dietrich, James Cagney

(Fourth row, left-right) Ava Gardner, Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Henry Fonda, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Orson Welles, Mae West, William Holden, Sophia Loren

(Fifth row, left-right) Vivien Leigh, Joan Fontaine and Gary Cooper, Spencer Tracy, Barbara Stanwyck, Lillian Gish, Tyrone Power, Shirley Temple, Janet Leigh and Charlton Heston, Rita Hayworth, Mary Pickford

(source: Wikipedia)

For my readers, I hope that you enjoy reading these entires, and that they inspire you to watch some of these films. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure if I will have any insights and knowledge to share. I am really no expert, though I will make an effort to learn more about these films as I continue to explore them, as much as time will allow. I can only promise that these entries will be written primarily to celebrate my love for OUR GOLDEN CINEMA, what it has accomplished and contributed to our civilization.

PS. I'm looking for contributors. Email me.