base on the stunningly emotion play of the same title petrified forest be the tale that act great leslie howard will always be remember for . he be at the heart of this film a a disillusioned intellectual whose personality never survive the war . bette davis be also strong a the waitress who howard share his secret with . humphrey bogart make an impressive screen debut repeat the role of duke mantee at howard insistence . howard and bogart play the role on stage and it be a treasure to see these two actor performance preserve for posterity . those on this page who have question howard portrayal of his role be obviously miss the entire emotional through line of his role . howard be far ahead of his time and an extremely naturalistic actor in a hollywood obsess by type casting . watch this film and be move by the story . you would not regret it .