Hud (1963) | Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas | You're an unprincipled man, Hud

Hud (1963) | Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas | One of the greatest westerns ever made

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Hud (1963)

	Hud (1963) Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas Paramount Pictures, 1991 average customer review:based on 66 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

You're an unprincipled man, Hud

Welcome to the last Western. HUD is a chronicle of what killed the western ethos - it was done in by a man with a "barbed wire soul" driving a pink cadillac. Before HUD men raised cattle or plowed the earth, after HUD men ceded the land to the oil drillers.
The movie opens with 17-year-old, wide-eyed Lonnie looking for Hud. The trail leads him past a busted up saloon and ends when he finds a married woman's high heel shoe carelessly flung on her front porch. Hud seems to have a taste for married women and a way with the bottle that the curious Lonnie finds attractive.
When they get home Homer drives them out to a freshly dead heifer. There are no bullet wounds or other signs of injury and Homer decides to call the authorities. Hud disagrees. If the heifer died of a disease it could jeopardize everything, and Hud is too close to inheriting the ranch for that. Homer has more at stake, but burying the cow without an investigation would simply be wrong. The drama proceeds from there as deliberately, and inevitably, as a Greek tragedy.
Like other epics, and HUD deals with epic themes, there are great battles. Hud Bannon battles with his father, Homer Bannon (Melvyn Douglas) for the heart and mind of his nephew Lonnie (Brandon de Wilde.) Hud and Lonnie battle over their "half-wild" maid Alma (Patricia Neal.)
Hud, a man of little patience, is brutally direct in his approach to Alma. The inexperienced Lonnie admires her from a gentler distance. Director Martin Ritt includes two scenes that highlight this difference. One night Hud tomcats his way into Alma's room asking for a cigarette. The experienced and wary Alma gives - Hud lights the handout and blows out the match just as Alma asks for a light. With his back to her Hud drops the burnt out match into her hands and waits a beat before dropping the matchbook. It's a short throwaway that highlights Hud's loutish behavior. It gains relevance a little later when Lonnie takes a blow to the head and has to take to his bed. Alma brings him a glass of `fresh squeezed lemonade.' Lonnie takes the drink and a worried look beetles his brow. Alma puts her hand under his mouth and urges him to spit. `C'mon, honey,' she says, `they're just lemon pits.'
Lonnie spits his seeds into her hand, Hud a useless, burnt out stick, and Dr. Freud has just left the building. Maybe Ritt put those scenes in to delight louts like me four decades on. HUD is filled with powerful, multi-layered scenes. Another memorable one occurs when Homer Bannon's herd is driven into an enclosure. It is very long, maybe four minutes, and deliberately edited. I don't know if we'd see its like today, but its length and deliberation gives it awesome power.
Melvyn Douglas won an Oscar in this movie, and he portrays Homer Bannon as a man about as played out as his over grazed land and about as obsolete as the two longhorn he keeps solely for sentimental reasons. Neal also won an Oscar in this one, and her character is almost as worn out as the elder Bannon. Life has used her hard. Paul Newman was nominated as the title character, and in my opinion would not have made an embarrassing winner. One of the most charming and charismatic actors in movie history, Newman manages to play a man of hollow charm. When he flirts, we see the snake lurking behind his smile. HUD won a third Oscar for photography, and James Wong Howe presents a parched and arid black-and-white landscape.
This is an excellent movie, and well worth the investment of anyone's time.

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One of the greatest westerns ever made

Along with "The Ox-Bow Incident" and "Once Upon A Time In the West", this is one of the greatest westerns ever made. It is a western allegory, to be certain, with Paul Newman's antihero acting as foil to his high morality father and betwixt and between nephew, who admires both but doesn't know which way to go.

In the end, the antihero outlasts his old man, gets his ranch, sells it off for the oil that bubbles beneath the surface, and goes on his merry way, with no regard for anyone lese. The good guy is dead, the bad guy wins, and the viewer is left with an emptiness because the morality tale is not reconciled properly. It is this final comment -- evil wins -- that makes this one of the greatest films of its type.

Along with "Cool Hand Luke", this role has been the plum of Paul Newman's still ongoing career. Newman scored as a another bad boy against his real-life wife in another flick but never played the bad boy as well as in this movie. Melvyn Douglas, whose screen presence was never less than magnificent, was outstanding as his father and the keeper of all goodwill.

The conflict between titans on opposite sides of the morality spectrum is what sustains the tension throughout this epic and still modern film. Had either of the characters been less real, less of a leonine figure, this movie would easily have wallowed in mediocrity.

As it is, "Hud" is a singular figure in movie history -- the modern cowboy that goes bad, defeats the moralist, and gets his reward in the end. What makes it such a tresurable experience is its grounding in reality, not fantasy. In the fantasy world of Hollywood, the good guy in the white hat usually wins.

This time, the bad guy wore a white hat, drank too much, cheated with married women, tried to rape the cook and forced her to leave, undercut his dad at every turn, aged him beyond his years, portrayed a miserable role model for a younger relative, and got everything. And the repellent portrayal is just as fascinating on screen as it would be in real life.

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Texas style family values

Paul Newman was masterful as the apathetic, self indulged title character "Hud", a hard living womanizing cowboy. Hud is the youngest son of an old time Texas cattle rancher, Homer Bannon, played passionately by the venerable Melvyn Douglas. Douglas is deeply disappointed in his son, thinking him lacking in the social attributes needed to lead a productive life.

The flick focuses on the dysfunctional family dynamic that developed over the years. Living under the same roof as Newman and Douglas is grandson Lonnie played by Brandon de Wilde of "Shane" fame. De Wilde idolizes his uncle Hud but is torn between the ideals expounded by his free living uncle and those of his straight laced grandfather. Patricia Neal, in her Oscar winning performance plays Alma, the family's earthy housekeeper. As the main female presence of the movie, she acts as a beacon to the men in the family. Their personalities shine through in their relationships with her.

Under Martin Ritt's skillful directorial hand "Hud" relates a sobering message as we see the passing of the torch for control of the family cattle business. The old school with a diligent work ethic, championed by Douglas is being replaced by the heartless, get rich quick attitude of Newman.

The acting which garnered Oscars for both Douglas and Neal is brilliant. Newman's effective portrayal of Hud successfully evokes feelings of disgust towards his character. The settings and camera work nicely portray the expanse of land over which this passion play is being fought.

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hud

very good filming, the part when the cows have to be killed is really great. even still, people have missed what the film is really about. This is the classic tale of the son trying to please his father for something that happened a long time ago, and never getting forgiveness. Even though, the death of Hud's older brother doesn't seem to be his fault. Hud says it best, "You know the the whole world is so full of crap , a man's boun' to step in it."

Great acting and a fascinating setting make this a special movie!

This review is for the 2003 widescreen DVD release by Paramount.

I've always been intrigued with movies about life in rural Texas. The movie Hud features Paul Newman as Hud Bannon, a morally-bankrupt, hell-raising cowboy who lives with his father Homer (played by Melvyn Douglas) and Hud's nephew Lonnie on a large ranch in West Texas. In addition, Patricia Neal plays the role of their cook and cleaning lady. The storyline revolves around the wild life of Hud and how his lack of moral principals and irresponsible living soon puts a major strain on the entire household. The plot is solidly melodramatic and the ending is somewhat subdued, but the acting is what makes movie extra special, especially the Oscar-winning performance by Melvyn Douglas. The other thing that makes this movie so enjoyable are some great scenes shot in and around the nearby small rural Texas town. The sing-along inside the movie theater is priceless. All in all, Hud is a very well done movie, and if you like it, I'd also recommend viewing two similar, and in my opinion better movies, "Giant" and "The Last Picture Show".

The DVD is in widescreen black and white. The picture quality is near pristine with an occasional tiny dot of film deterioration showing up here and there during the movie, but nothing at all bothersome. The audio and soundtrack are outstanding. There are no bonus features on the DVD which is disappointing for a movie of this caliber.

Movie: A-

DVD Quality: A-

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