 |  | Must-have for Paul Newman lovers |  |
Hud is a little-known gem. We've always known about it because it was filmed in the little town where my granddad grew up. As a Paul Newman fan, I also recommend the film itself. As usual, Newman doesn't disappoint in this movie.
January 13, 2008 The "beef' lies between Douglas' principles and his son's apparent lack thereof. But, the real stampede begins when the "old man" purchases some infected head, with disastrous results. DeWilde is effective,(10 years after yelling ("goodbye,Shane") as Douglas' grandson, torn between Hud's ideas and those of Douglas. But, Neal really stands out as housemaid, referee, nurse, and flirt. Only too late does she discover that her repressed sexuality is no match for Hud at his drunken worst.In the end, Hud slams the door on the world, seemingly not realizing that it's he who's driven the world away from him. A terrific movie that may draw you back on multiple occasions.
October 19, 2007Just can't go along with all the rave reviewers of this story, most of whom spell out its unpleasant details at great length. Everything about it may be as good and marvellous as they say, but in the end it's an intensely depressing, misery-making, simply feel-bad kind of film. Acting, writing, shooting are all excellent: but the characters and the theme are either deeply unhappy or repellent. There was an aura of corrosive cynicism and disillusion about many movies of this era, starting perhaps with Look Back in Anger, and the British school of kitchen sink, moving West with a variety of American productions, including this one, of course. The obverse of this trend was the birth of Rock and Roll, which took place at about the same time. Perhaps both trends had the rejection of parental values in common, but, frankly, I prefer the Elvis sneer to Hud Bannon's when it comes to offending the wrinkly and righteous. There is positively nothing appealing to me about Hud's personality: he's nothing but a good-looking, sulky, selfish, ill-mannered jerk. Every episode presented, the opening scene, the pointless brawls, the greased pig contest, the ugly rape attempt, the cattle slaughter, the old man's death-rattle, just leave a nasty taste in the mouth.
October 3, 2007This is the movie that should have won Paul Newman the Oscar, but it was not to be. This is perhaps his most powerful performance, and the story is one of Larry McMurtry's best. The movie follows the book (called "Horseman Pass By") to the letter, and that is always good to see. I saw the movie when it first came out, and I had to have it for my collection to review over and over again.
September 7, 2007The most telling line in "Hud" is when Hud Bannon (Paul Newman) tells his father, Homer Bannon(Melvyn Douglas), that he had to be bad because his father was so good. Therein lies the paradox of "Hud". Do we empathize with the morally flawed Hud or with the overly pious Homer? Or do we just stand back and pity this unfortunate father-son relationship? Credit these two superb actors for creating complex characters that offer the audience no easy answers. Also excellent is Brandon De Wilde as Hud's nephew Lonnie who is drawn into a tug-of-war for his soul by these two polar opposites. Patricia Neal as the frank talking housekeeper, Alma, steals virtually scene she is in. The conflict she has is that she is simultaneously repulsed and aroused by the lecherous Hud. The scenes she shares with Newman have a certain erotic charge to them. Neal won the Oscar for best actress in 1963 for her role here. There's no debating how good she is but her role is most certainly a supporting one. Gorgeous black-and-white cinematography by James Wong Howe. It's best utilized in the film's chilling cattle slaughter scene. The final shot of the film with Hud at the porch door perfectly encapsulates the film. It's ambiguous but it's in synch with the rest of the movie.
July 4, 2007More reviews at Amazon.com ...
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