Hud

As a native of West Texas, I think this film is one of the finest in American cinema. You don't watch a movie - you experience a real time and place. I happen to love a bunch of Paul Newman's films (The 3 H's - Hud, Hombre and Harper; Cool Hand Luke; The Sting; The Hustler; The Color of Money...), but I'm not what you'd call a rabid fan. I think he is compelling, but has a fairly limited range. He is perfect in this role, but it isn't much different from The Hustler or Cool Hand Luke. However, watching Melvyn Douglas is like watching somebody that Marty Ritt pulled off of some ranch and filmed in his daily life. His performance is absolutely dead- on. The gravelly drawl, the old boy shuffle, his expression - the way his eyes take in the landscape or gaze intently into a bowl of ice cream while Hud talks - all incredibly REAL! I KNOW those old guys!

Melvyn Douglas is a truly under-appreciated American acting genius whose career spanned over 5 decades. His range is tremendous. This is the same honey-tongued actor who is the perfect comic foil to Garbo's Ninotchka in the '30's (In fact, he is one of her only REPEAT leading men!) And his bluster-filled performance in I Never Sang for My Father (with another modern great, Gene Hackman) is also out of this world! Other commentators have addressed Hud's multi-faceted story and the incredible B&W cinematography. All wonderful - but the next time you watch this true American classic, focus on Douglas' Oscar-winning performance. You will be amazed! (And remind yourself of some of the early roles in romantic comedies - Ninotchka, That Uncertain Feeling, This Thing Called Love or Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House - this same actor performed so well.)

One Hell of a movie, and very nearly perfect. Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, and Brandon De Wilde star as three generations of a ranching family. Douglas is the patriarch, stern and strong, but clearly moving ever closer to the end of his life. Paul Newman, who plays the title character, is his youngest and only surviving son. There is an obvious but unspoken conflict between the two of them. In the middle is Brandon De Wilde, actually the film's main character (although all the choice acting moments belong to Douglas and Newman, and the yet to be mentioned Patricia Neal). His father, Newman's brother, died when he was very young. Growing up in Douglas' shadow, he worships the man and tries to emulate his moral code. However, his wilder side sees the untamed Newman as a sort of folk hero, and the rare times when he gets to hang out with his uncle seem to him to be the best of his life. Patricia Neal plays their maid (brilliantly, I should immediately state), after whom both uncle and nephew lust. A different conflict arises from this. As Hud, Paul Newman has many chances to be a second James Dean, exploding with emotion. Those scenes are excellent, of course, but where Hud succeeds most is at the edges of the screen. It is an enormously subtle film. The filmmakers should especially be commended for their amazing use of musical score. There is a really beautiful score, but it is never used, not once, to steer the audience's emotions. A good 90% of the film has no music in the background. Hud is an American masterpiece. 10/10.

Paul Newman gave easily his greatest performance as Hud Bannen, the hard-fighting, hard-drinking, womanising ne'er-do-well, who casts a malign shadow over the lives of his family and their housekeeper on a Texas ranch. It is a strong all-round cast however, and Melvyn Douglas and Patricia Neal both won Academy Awards for their performances. The sparse and grainy cinematography by James Wong Howe (another Oscar winner) brilliantly captures the harsh, arid Texas landscape. Adapted from Larry McMurtry's novel Horseman Pass By, this is one of the finest examples of American Cinema in the 1960's, not least in its depiction of father-son conflict, and the way one in which one man can profoundly influence, for the worse, the lives of those around him. Newman worked as a ranch-hand in Texas to prepare for the role, which helped him obtain his authentic Texan credentials, most notably his accent, and his cocky strut and manner. A timeless classic, which can be viewed again and again.

Those are the nihilistic words of Hud Bannon, the swaggering antihero in the Martin Ritt directed film "Hud", set amid the vast, expansive high plains of West Texas. It's a somber affair.

Hud lives with his elderly father Homer (a wonderfully understated performance by Melvyn Douglas) and nephew Lonnie. Their small, struggling ranch serves not only as a livelihood, but also the source of Homer's ethical values. Another main character is Alma, the attractive housekeeper and cook. For all four of them it's a hard life, but a worthwhile life, at least as Homer sees it. Hud sees it differently. But then Hud is a product of modern times, with differing values from those of Homer and his generation. When a crisis occurs that puts their ranch in jeopardy, these differing values clash, resulting in tension between Hud and his father.

Hud's ongoing rebellion, rooted in heredity and environment, takes the form of booze, brawls, women, and anger. Hud is a heel, but a sympathetic heel. We understand his frustrations. Larry McMurtry's story presents a naturalistic interpretation of human character. Hud is constrained by forces over which he has no control. For him, like for many of us, freedom of choice is mostly an illusion. The morality of absolutes, as expressed by his father, does not work in Hud's favor.

But there's a fifth character in this morality tale ... the land. The bleak, desolate plains with its buzzards, ubiquitous dust, and lonesome vistas can depress the most optimistic spirit. In this film, the monochrome canvas accentuated by James Wong Howe's use of single source lighting makes the natural environment seem appropriately oppressive. And the film's sounds amplify the gritty realism of this unforgiving land.

I have a couple of minor criticisms. The screenplay puts too much emphasis on Alma, given that she is the housekeeper. Second, there's not enough music or humor. Others will disagree, but I would have preferred a more prominent role for the mournful sounds of Hank Williams type music, a la "The Last Picture Show".

Interestingly, Hud's comment on life is the same in meaning as the words spoken years later by a real-life nihilistic antihero, who said: "No one here gets out alive". While we think we know what happened to the real-life antihero, we don't know what became of Hud. Perhaps someday someone will make a credible sequel. Then they can add more music. Imagine the mood evoked by the sight of Hud riding off into the Texas sunset, to the sounds of "Riders On The Storm".

Hud (1963)

**** (out of 4)

One of the bleakest films ever made, HUD centers on the title character played by Paul Newman who is about as ruthless as one can be. He cares for very little in this world and everything he does love is usually something bad. His father (Melvyn Douglas) has hated him for some time now but after their cattle grows sick they begin to butt heads.

HUD certainly isn't a very cheerful film and it's one of the darkest and in reality sadness movies ever made. While it's not always easy to watch there's no denying its impact plus the fact that it contains three of the greatest performances that you're ever going to see. HUD works on many levels but it's strength is certainly the performances as well as its honest character study of someone most people will find cool but when you get pass all the smoke you see a rather ugly human being.

The screenplay itself is extremely laid back and in fact the film is pretty quiet. There's not too much screaming or long speeches but instead there's just a very realistic tone that comes across quite natural and real. I think most people will be able to look at these main four characters and either be one of them are know someone like them. There's the young cool guy who hurts everything that he comes into contact with. There's the older wise man who stands by his morals. There's a broken house maid who is probably hiding some sadness. Then there's the young nephew who looks up to Hud not knowing or understanding his type of character.

Then, there are the terrific performances, which are among the best you'll ever see. Newman never had an issue playing cool but he always made it look so easy. He brings that quality to Hud but there's also that underlying dirty and dangerous part. There's just a certainly coldness that Newman brings to the character, which we never saw from him in his other roles. Douglas rightfully won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his deep and very sincere performance. Neal is a great big ball of sadness and her deep eyes just say so much without her having to speak a word. Even Brandon De Wilde is very impressive in his role and especially when you consider the major talent he was acting against.

HUD also features a terrific and haunting music score and the Oscar-winning cinematography perfectly captures the dusty dirt roads. The film manages to keep getting better with time as its messages are perhaps more true today than when the film was originally released.