Hud (1963) User Reviews (181)

Hard to take but worth it

[blanche-2 · 9/10 · 1 December 2006]

It's difficult to grasp that Melvyn Douglas spent most of his career sailing through light, romantic roles and emerged in old age as one of the greatest actors in cinema history. Knowing the talent he possessed, how did he keep from killing the heads of the studios? Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Neal, and Brandon de Wilde star in "Hud," an unsparing 1963 morality story about a Texas rancher, Homer Bannon, his bastard son, Hud, his housekeeper, and his grandson. The bastard, of course, is Paul Newman, who doesn't have a decent bone in his body. People on this board have said it's his greatest performance. He's given so many great ones, it's hard to say for me. An astounding actor, and he gets a run for his money from Douglas, who plays the moral center of the story.

The two characters couldn't be more opposite, as one sees in their treatment of a potential run of hoof and mouth disease that could wipe out Homer's entire herd. Hud wants to ship the whole herd out and possibly infect other people's cattle - he couldn't care less. Homer won't hear of it.

If you love animals, this is a difficult film to watch, but it's worth it. Melvyn Douglas is absolutely gut-wrenching as Homer, a proud man who loves the land and his cattle and who has no use for his son, who smashed his car and killed Homer's other son. de Wilde is Hud's nephew who admires him and wants to emulate him but as time goes by, realizes that Hud is made of ice. de Wilde doesn't give an emotional performance - he's almost more of an observer. It works well here amidst the very contained Douglas and the free and easy Newman. You can see he's a good kid trying to grow up and decide what kind of man to be.

Patricia Neal is the housekeeper; she and Douglas both deservingly won Oscars. Her delivery is wry and knowing; she can't help being attracted to the virile Hud but she knows he's trouble and never gives in to her desires willingly.

As much as I love Newman and think he's one of the greatest actors ever to hit the movies, for me, Douglas' searing performance is the one that will stay with me. It's easy to see why in 1963 this was such a dramatic breakthrough for Newman, but 43 years and many roles later, we're more familiar with what he can do. We know he can play a cold bastard now. His greatest performances for me will always be those in the "The Verdict" and "The Hustler," both of which called for many more nuances of character. Hud represents '60s disillusionment - which as the decade went on was only going to get worse; this is one of the reasons it is an iconic role. For me, Newman had more surprises in store.

Brilliant performances, excellent direction, stark photography, Hud is a great American film, not easily forgotten once seen.

The film that crashed Newman into the top echelon..

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 9/10 · 10 September 2002]

The title character, a cattleman in contemporary Texas, is the quintessence of Newman's amoral, opportunistic loners: he's arrogant, seething with ambition, incapable of much warmth or affection… He quarrels, drinks heavily, takes women with crude assurance ("The only question I ever ask any woman is 'What time is your husband coming home?' "), and doesn't give a damn about anyone except himself…

Newman brings his familiar characteristics to perfection: the cynical, cold in manner; the nasty, contemptuous voice; the sly, insinuating smile… He's a model of casual defiance and detachment, as he drinks a pint of bourbon or stands insolently, hands on hips, hat down low over his forehead, or roars through the dusty town in his convertible Cadillac, making business deals or picking up loose women...

Hud resembles Ben Quick, which isn't surprising, since director Martin Ritt and writers Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr. also did "The Long, Hot Summer." Like Quick, he is considerably sexy and charming, which attracts women and drinking buddies… He's the best example of Newman's idea of the glamorous, captivating, virile, but essentially rotten men we mistakenly admire; according to Newman, the film is meant to expose his underlying corruption…

The drama revolves around the discovery of Hud's amorality by Lon (Brandon de Wilde), his seventeen-year-o1d nephew… Lon admires his uncle, but is ultimately torn between Hud's hedonism and the high moral principles of Hud's father, aging Homer Bannon (Melvyn Douglas).

When Homer's cattle become diseased, Hud wants to sell them quickly, but Homer refuses to spread an epidemic, and has them destroyed… Hud really becomes despicable as he tries to have his father certified incompetent, so that he can take over the ranch… Like Chance Wayne ("Sweet Bird of Youth"), he's afraid of ending up in poverty: "You don't look out for yourself, the only helping hand you'll ever get is when they lower the box."

Whereas Quick turned out to be a good guy after all, and Fast Eddie and Chance matured through pain and punishment, Hud is untouched and unregenerate to the very end… Refusing to accept his guilt, he says he's only as corrupt as everyone else; before he goes into the house, he angrily yells, "The world's so full of crap a man's going to get into it sooner or later, whether he's careful or not. "

Many people considered Hud a hero… But this is natural, since the film is actually filled with compromises… For instance, Homer, the representative of goodness, is self-righteous, inflexible, full of solemn, pious platitudes, and generally unappealing, while Hud is vital, life-affirming and humorous… Furthermore, Homer's contempt for Hud, which he justifies by Hud's having never given a damn, seems unfair… Apparently he soured on Hud when the latter was in his teens, and thus the boy was denied love when he most needed it… This again brings up the father-son alienation theme, and it makes us sympathetic toward Hud…

Even in his relations with others, Hud is not entirely despicable… He displays some tenderness toward Lon, especially in the scene in which they get drunk together… There's a touching moment as Hud says, somewhat sadly, "Get all the good you can out of seventeen, because it sure wears out in one hell of a hurry." In his cynical conversations with Alma, he has Quick's insolent sexual confidence, but Alma is experienced, earthy and just as cynical, and she even seems to encourage his sly innuendos, making it a match of equals rather than a one-sided sexual pursuit…

Finally, how does an actor play a man whose overpowering charm attracts people, without attracting the audience as well? Of course this is a problem inherent in all of Newman's sexy villains, but at least with Quick and Eddie the charming traits prepare us for their reformations, while with Hud they work against the concept of his worthlessness… At this stage in his career, Newman was so appealing that it was hard to consider him as completely rotten…

"Hud" was nominated for seven Oscars… Awards went to Neal, Douglas and cinematographer James Wong Howe… Newman, up for his third Oscar, said, "I'd like to see Sidney Poitier get it. I'd be proud to win it for a role I really had to reach for." He got his wish: Poitier ("Lilies of the Field") won… In any case, "Hud" found Newman near the top of his form, and it was a culmination of the "seed of corruption" theme… To be sure, subsequent characters would be corrupt, and would coldly reject the world, but never as a result of such intense ambition

A Hard Western Look

[terencebells · 9/10 · 20 April 2018]

I knew I had seen it, I had a black and white James Wong Howe Cinemascope memory and Paul Newman's body language. How he walks, how he stands. I remember thinking that Jake Gyllenhaal had borrowed that physicality for his character in "Brokeback Mountain" and I just realized that Larry McMurtry is the author of both "Brokeback Mountain" and "Hud". He provides us with a look into the modern cowboy that is not only unique but mesmerizing. Paul Newman's Hud is a cad and yet you feel we sense that behind the bravado hides a desperate man looking for something. Something personal and unspoken. Hud is one of my favorite Newman performances. Soulless and yet needy. Is it a coincidence that the only woman that"got away" from Hud is named Alma? - Alma in Spanish means soul - Alma is played by Patricia Neal with power and humanity and she won the Oscar for it. Melvyn Douglas also won the Oscar for his superb performance and Brandon de Wilde deserved one of his own. He is extraordinary. Hud has become an important film in my life and in future viewings in years to come I may discover why.

Great American prose poem

[zetes · 10/10 · 13 September 2002]

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.

"You're An Unprincipled Man, Hud."

[stryker-5 · 23 January 1999]

Hud Bannon is a hell-raising cowboy with a pink cadillac who lives on a lonely farm with his old father and his teenage nephew. There is a glaring mismatch between Hud's playboy inclinations and the dour, empty life of the farm. A traumatic event brings these family tensions to a head.

The broad flat expanses of the Texas cow country are captured evocatively in Panavision. This is a world of open cattle range, small sleepy towns, screen doors, stetsons and tooled-leather boots. The land is arid and unforgiving, and the life here is hard. Farmers pass their evenings sitting on plain wooden porches, listening to the whipoorwills, and the youngsters rent the same old pulp novels at the general store. Elmer Bernstein's elegantly simple score underlines the starkness of this existence. Country music bleeds from juke boxes and transistor radios, as bland and omnipresent as the dust, creeping into every crevice of the film.

Hud is a fine-looking man with undeniable charm, but he is also a cruel, selfish stud. He is now 34 years old, and his years of drinking, fighting and womanising are beginning to take on the aspect of a wasted life. The opening moments of the film show young Lonnie (Brandon de Wilde) scouring the town streets in the early morning light, searching for his Uncle Hud. We get to know Hud by the trail of destruction he has left in his wake. A bar owner, sweeping up broken glass, tells Lonnie "I had Hud in here is what I had." A woman's high-heel shoe, abandoned on the garden path, tells Lonnie exactly where his uncle spent the night.

Running around with married women is Hud's style. It is an affront to this close-knit conservative community, and an emotional and biological dead-end.

"I always say, the law was meant to be interpreted in a lenient manner" pronounces Hud, who bends every rule to suit his own inclination. He avoids the anger of a cuckolded husband by shifting the blame to the innocent Lonnie, and when a serious problem arises with the family herd, Hud wants to sell the cattle quickly, aiming to preserve his own wealth and pass the problem on to others. His father Homer (Mervyn Douglas) is a man of unimpeachable honesty, and we see a glance pass between him and Hud which tells us everything. Father and son know each other's true worth.

It surprises Hud that Homer should seek his opinion on the cattle problem. For a long time now, the old man has been running the farm without Hud taking any responsibility. "He didn't ask me about anything in fifteen years." Gradually, we begin to learn about a family tragedy which has irrevocably alienated the two men.

The pig-chasing game at the rodeo is an ironic comment on skirt-chasing, and of course Hud wins the prize. He has the confident swagger and the jaunty-hipped stance of a man who knows he is pleasing to women. His sexual banter with Alma runs through the film. Alma admires Hud sexually, but his interest in her is limited to mere conquest. In pursuing her he flouts the rules of taste and decency (she is an employee, almost family, and he is brutal towards her). This is prefigured when he arrogantly parks his cadillac on her flower bed.

Alma keeps house for the Bannons. She enjoys the masculine atmosphere and takes the coarse innuendo with good-natured amusement. Patricia Neame plays Alma with a loose-limbed, barefoot sexiness which ultimately brings her trouble. She has flirtatious fun with Lonnie and confesses to being aroused sexually by Hud's torso. When Homer tells Lonnie that women like to be around dangerous men, Alma leans into shot. However, Alma the divorcee has no illusions about Hud - "I done my time with one cold-blooded bastard," she says. "I'm not looking for another."

The film is packed with wonderful images. As Lonnie crosses the dusty street, his upper body is obscured by the rodeo banner, suggesting that his individuality is being compromised by the hard round of rural life, the unending interplay of sun and dirt. The slanting tree with its ominous burden of buzzards frames the pick-up truck, presaging trouble. Homer and the vet, discussing cattle in the foreground, bracket the distant Hud. He is diminished and marginalised by these serious cattlemen. Gates close on the farm, with quarantine signs attached, showing more eloquently than any words how Homer's world is narrowing and darkening. A bulldozer traverses the screen from left to right, effecting a 'wipe', leaving the three Bannons alone against the dirt, in an emblem of the devastation the government has visited upon them. As they gaze into the pit, the bulldozer squats above them in triumph. Hud is 'enclosed' by the angle of his cadillac's door, just as his life is hemmed in by his shallow hedonism. At the depot Alma's body is framed by Hud's hat and chest, hinting at his oppressive sexuality. The two of them are caught fleetingly in the rectangle of the bus door, Alma symbolically shown as 'the one that got away'.

The slick, sardonic script is first class, and the film is bursting with symbolic resonances. Homer carries a picture of his long-dead boy in his wallet, but none of Hud, his living son. The cattle are trapped in a timber chute, symbolising the claustrophobic existence of the humans. The sexual violence is played out in panting silence - these people have nothing to say to each other. Homer's longhorns were once the source of everything good - food, clothing, tools. Now they are harbingers of pestilence. At the heart of the farm is the water butt, and Lonnie and Hud bond here after their night of carousal. Later, when Lonnie rejects Hud, the butt stands between them.

Lonnie knows he will ultimately have to choose between right and wrong. In the windswept silence of the farm, emblem of the family's demise, he makes his choice.

Forget Paul Newman and focus on Melvyn Douglas

[krdement · 10/10 · 18 July 2007]

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.)

Potent study of nihilistic youth and hero worship, Paul Newman's definitive rebel role.

[gbrumburgh · 10/10 · 7 March 2001]

Not only a stark morality tale brimming with grit and substance, "Hud" is a vigorous character study replete with intelligent, Oscar-winning performances.

The vast, desolate "Lone Star" landscape has often inspired potent Hollywood screen-writing (witness "Giant," and "The Last Picture Show"). 1963's "Hud" is no exception. The story focuses around a bored, aimless, arrogant ne'er-do-well whose utter contempt for humanity threatens to denigrate and destroy all those exposed to it. Thrust in a dusty, dried-up, decaying Texas cattle town (awesomely photographed in black-and-white by Oscar-winning cinematographer James Wong Howe), the story bears down assertively on its straightforward themes of nihilistic youth and misguided hero worship.

Paul Newman was awarded an Oscar - but not for "Hud." He took home the award much later for his performance in 1987's "The Color of Money" but for me it was a restitutive pat on the back for his probing, higher-calibre work here in "Hud," among others. Newman gives an assured, excitingly reckless performance, the creme of the crop of earlier, jaunty perfs. All swagger and bluff, reeking with cocky sexuality, Hud Bannon is the personification of cool, callous cynicism at its most reprehensible...and alluring. The world is this cowboy stud's oyster. He takes what he wants, whenever he wants it - whether its coveting his father's land or coveting another man's wife, whether its peddling sick cattle on others or peddling his ethics on a susceptive boy - it's all at the core of a dangerously irresponsible life's dogma. A loser's warped vision of winning. It was a risky star performance for Newman as Hud has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, but the actor plays out his acting cards brilliantly and winds up with a royal flush.

Newman is bolstered by a choice cast. Dusky-voiced Patricia Neal, whose looks had begun to harden by this time, is fascinating as the forlorn, slovenly housekeeper Alma who has her careworn hands full just keeping the lustful, roving Hud in line. Hud (and the audience) is perked by her stifled but not yet snuffed out sensuality, as she wisely avoids the obvious come-ons tossed her way. Making relative peace with her lonely, desultory existence, Alma has overcome a difficult past and find a sense of being as the makeshift homemaker to an aging rancher/widower (Melvyn Douglas) while tending to his impressionable grandson (Brandon de Wilde), instilling in the boy some good old-fashioned sense and motherly attention when necessary. Neal is top-notch especially in her final scenes and quite deserved her Oscar.

Oscar-winning Douglas is superb as Hud's upstanding, uncompromising father, a cattle man in the twilight of his years. Chocked full of conventional wisdom and righteous indignation, the prideful old-timer may or may not have contributed to his son's acute moral letdown, having given up on him as a "bad seed" long ago. Their confrontational scenes are pocked with harsh accusations and bitter conflict - never to be resolved. De Wilde, in a coming-of-age extension of his memorable "Shane" role, again portrays the embodiment of idolizing youth as the teenage Lon. Drawn to the brawling, good-looking "outer package" of his older Uncle Hud, deWilde is touching as his character gradually wises up to the realization that this superficial "package" is damaged goods, while those nearest and dearest to him fall by the waste side.

A near-classic to be sure. The performances alone make this a not-to-be-missed item.

A brilliantly evocative character study set against an arid Texas backdrop.

[T-Gore · 10/10 · 15 July 2006]

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.

Remarkable and dramatic account about antagonism between an arrogant son and his sternly moralising father

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 5 May 2014]

Intelligent semi-Western, well directed and wonderfully performed by Newman as a man with the barbed wire soul . Hud Bannon(Paul Newman who dubbed this one pretty good) is a ruthless young man who tarnishes everything and everyone he touches . Hud represents the perfect embodiment of alienated youth . Instead of helping his dad , Hud drunkenly chases the family's housekeeper (Patricia Neal) and establishes relationship with his hero-worshipping nephew (Brandon De Wilde , Shane) , both of whom emotionally involved with him . As the father-son conflict is deeply observed by other members of the household , the maid and the nephew . Then , a government order to slaughter the ranch's entire herd as a precaution leads to tragedy and the ranch owner siding the law .

Exciting and thought-provoking clear-eyed story of growing in Texas plenty of interesting drama , emotion and a strong antagonism between the free-drinking son and a sternly moralising patriarchal ranch owner , including elements of Greek tragedy . Various studio-characters furnish the basis for this Western-drama ; filmmaker Martin Ritt has got a big success in delineating their troublesome roles . Terrific Paul Newman in an enjoyable performance, though using the Stanislawski method , it results to be a superb piece of acting . Paul Newman played the part of Hud as a villain . He was later stunned that so many young moviegoers had a poster of Hud and viewed him as their hero. In preparation for his title role , Paul Newman worked on a Texas cattle ranch for several weeks acquiring genuine calluses and a cowboy's lope . Melvyn Douglas gives a superb acting as old rancher who has fallen on hard times and shows to mourn the old-free-ranging ways of the frontier days . Terrific interpretation by Patricia Neal as a mature woman to whom Hud pursues and she wants nothing to do with him . Interesting screenplay dealing with brooding themes such as the disintegration of a heritage , including engaging dialogs haunted by frames of decay and death ; being nicely written by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr. from a novel by Larry McMurtry . Evocative cinematography by James Wong Howe , he's a classic cameraman who won two Oscars (for Hud, and Rose tattoo), working from silent cinema . Elmer Bernstein's score for Hud runs approximately six minutes, making it one of the shortest film scores ever. But what a six minutes it is - in fact, it's perfection and just right for the film . The music is sparse, yes, but it's potent every time it appears. There's also some source music in the film - car radios, jukeboxes, records.

This understatement motion picture was well produced and directed by Martin Ritt, who worked with Paul Newman in two Westerns : ¨Hombre¨ and ¨Outrage¨. Ritt was an expert on dramas such as ¨Stanley and Iris¨ , ¨Nut¨ , ¨Norma Rae¨ , ¨The front¨, ¨The Sound and the Fury¨ , ¨Black orchid¨ , though also directed films of all kind of genres such as : ¨The Spy Who Came in from the Cold¨ , ¨The Great White Hope¨ , ¨Mafia¨ and ¨Molly McGuire¨ . This ¨Hud¨ film will appeal to drama enthusiasts and Paul Newman fans . Rating : Above average, well worth watching ; along with ¨Outrage¨ , being one of Ritt's best movie.

Best cold blooded bastard ever

[terdcicle · 10/10 · 14 May 2006]

Hud is a masterpiece!It takes the age old morality play and presents it in a fresh and believable light.The lead character has no socially redeeming qualities,in direct conflict with the high moral Stoddard's of his father.

Paul Newman is flawless,and once said,"playing Hud came too easy".The cinematography is pristine and the sets bring you west.The solo guitar that plays in the background is subtle yet keeps you rapt with attention.

The ending is logical and thought provoking.It is not one that has been tested on focus groups as Hollywood insists on today.There are no last minute plot twists to make for a happy ending.

Sadly the days of movies of this quality coming from big studios are over.Cherish this one.

Nice looking movie

[funkyfry · 6/10 · 19 January 2009]

Although I could tell it was a quality production, it just didn't make much of a personal impression on me. I felt like the drama was all handled a bit too heavily, especially considering how crisp and objective the legendary James Wong Howe's photography for the film is. Paul Newman's performance is the best feature of the film other than its beauty, and certainly he's also a part of its beauty since his face matches the landscape of the film so well.

Hud (Newman) is the rebellious son of an ornery cattle rancher (Melvyn Douglas). His behavior provides a poor role model for his nephew Lon (Brandon De Wilde) and endangers the only woman on the premises, the housekeeper Alma (Patricia Neal).

The job of this movie, as far as I can see, is for De Wilde to be sort of this neutral energy and for the Douglas and Neal characters to exert enough of a centered and constructive energy that it overwhelms Hud's gravity even in the face of his clearly being the most fascinating character in the film. As far as that goes, the film is reasonably successful. I question the wisdom of adapting the McMurtry novel into modern times -- it makes the Douglas rancher character seem ludicrously old fashioned rather than endearingly so, and it invites unpleasant comparisons to the Rock Hudson character from the George Stevens adaption of Edna Ferber's "Giant." Nice film, I'm glad I finally saw it... but I probably won't watch it again too soon, as it seems to me fairly obvious and wouldn't be hugely rewarding on repeat viewings.

"..., little by little, the look of the country changes because of the men we admire".

[classicsoncall · 9/10 · 20 October 2009]

In a bit of a catch up following Paul Newman's death last year, I've been seeking out some of the earlier films that brought him to prominence. I'm surprised now that "Hud" has remained under my radar for so long. Not the type of portrayal one usually associates with Newman, "Hud" is a masterful film that explores one's man descent into nihilism and self destruction. Maybe descent isn't the right word, Hud Bannon already occupies a position of utter decadence when we first meet him. Drinking, womanizing, public brawls, and those are his finer points. Hud loses all semblance of integrity and respect when he forcibly confronts housekeeper Alma, and tries to convince his father to sell out before neighboring ranchers realize that the Bannon herd is infected with hoof and mouth disease.

The film is fraught with both visual and verbal symbolism, a veritable treasure trove. When Hud asks for company to go into town to watch his performance in the greased pig contest, Alma (Patricia Neale) calmly retorts - "I'll stay home. I don't like pigs". By this point in the story, one already has a pretty good idea she was talking about Hud.

As I watched the film, I couldn't help thinking that there should have been a part in it for Ben Johnson, and then realized that the actor appeared in a similar dusty Texas landscape in 1971's "The Last Picture Show". That film also explored failed relationships and alienation in a setting that offered little hope of escape, with an attendant atmosphere of mediocrity and boredom.

You know, I got a kick out of a particular line in the movie spoken by Newman that unimaginably prophesied the charitable foundation he would found two decades later. When Homer Bannon (Melvyn Douglas) rails against the idea of letting oil companies drill wells on his property, Hud eerily states - "My daddy thinks that oil is something you stick in your salad dressing". I wonder if that's when he first got the idea for "Newman's Own".

If Newman's performance as Hud here isn't brilliant enough, the viewer is further treated to Oscar caliber performances by Melvyn Douglas and Patricia Neale in their award winning support roles, with an additional strong turn by Brandon De Wilde as nephew Lon Bannon. I was surprised to see that this early Sixties film was done in black and white, but one quickly realizes that it's the best format to express the stark, scrub surroundings of the Bannon ranch, and a perfect complement to the themes of disaffected youth and father/son conflict. One needn't look much further for one of the best examples of pure cinema than "Hud".

Acting showcase

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 6 January 2021]

HUD is a modern day western that offers an acting showcase for breakout star Paul Newman, an actor who can always be relied upon to deliver a sensitive performance. Here, he's a bitter and twisted cowboy plagued by guilt which has transformed him into a cold, remorseless character pretty much the film's villain. The emphasis is undoubtedly on character throughout, with little in the way of plot progression other than that which derives from characterisation, but it's quietly watchable in its own way and James Wong Howe's black and white photography is very nicely achieved.

Good flick but what's the point?

[x-lechard · 5/10 · 12 May 2006]

This is a film I considered renting for a long time and then I always put it down and picked up something else. I must say I have never been a huge fan of Paul Newman, especially in his younger days when he always seemed to hesitate between Marlon Barlon and James Dean as his role model. Still, Patricia Neal happens to be one of my favorite classic actresses and I was curious to see the performance that brought her her only Academy Award. So I finally crossed the pond. I don't regret it, but I cannot say that I am enthusiastic either. First, Patricia Neal's performance is fine as always, but hers is definitely a supporting part. I am some dismayed at how the Academy nominated her as Leading Actress while she is billed after Melvyn Douglas, who still got nominated and won as Supporting Actor. The Academy decidedly has mysterious ways alien to our meager reason skills... Paul Newman delivers a good Brando-like performance and is not as irritating as he was in some contemporary films, although he has played that character several times before. The best performances in my view come from the aforementioned Melvyn Douglas and Brandon DeWilde whom I can't figure out why he didn't get a nomination. As to the film itself... Well, I have mixed feelings. Martin Ritt's direction is top-notch, with a masterful use of long-shots enhanced by James Wong Howe's inventive photography. Still, I found myself at the end wondering what I had been watching for the last two hours. This is a good film, even a great film in its own way but it has no point. I couldn't figure out what Ritt was trying to say and why he chose that story to put it. No driving force, no major theme surfaces.

Man running head into wall

[Pamsanalyst · 10/10 · 24 November 2004]

In another review of Hud, someone says that he or she saw all the story needed from the first fifteen minutes, but that is the great art of this film. No one changes; there is no moment when Hud is struck down like Saul, on his way to town, and shown the error of his ways. He and Homer continue to butt their heads against the proverbial wall. Homer doesn't magically revive as he lays by the side of the road, and there is no phony deathbed reconciliation. One shudders to think of the mess that would be made out of this story today. Inspirational music would pour from the speakers; Hud would promise to do well by his father and on returning home from the funeral, he would find Patricia Neal had returned, while deWilde and he agreed to work the ranch together. Sometimes I wonder if director Ritt chose black and white so he would not be tempted to close the story on a more upbeat note.

It is a debatable question whether Hud, or McMurtry's other masterpiece, Last Picture Show, could be made today. Studios don't like 'downers;' they don't fill the multiplexes and bring in the 50M gross weekends.

The casting is inspired; Newman and deWilde do look like the offspring of Douglas. Maybe it's the cowboy hats that do it, but there is a flintiness to their eyes that binds them. Neal is simply beautiful in a way that many will never understand. Watch the performances, and note how each person makes room for the others. There is only four of them, so it is not an ensemble, but Newman is especially good at avoiding the scenery chewing that so many posters here confuse with good acting.

This rates a true 10.

Powerful Modern Western Morality Play

[dmwhite50 · 10/10 · 30 April 2007]

HUD is one of the best movies I have ever seen! Based on Larry McMurtry's early novel HORSEMAN, PASS BY, it works wonderfully as a modern morality play showing the seductiveness of hedonism (as represented by the attractive and persuasive Hud (Paul Newman) vs. the human decency and duty represented by Homer Bannion (Melvyn Douglas) as they battle for the soul of the grandson, Lon (Brandon De Wilde). There is an important lesson about the destruction of society by the cheapening of our standards of admiration. I absolutely love Patricia Neal in this film! Her earthy housekeeper, Alma, steals every scene she's in! I am so happy that she won the Academy Award for this role. I can't think of anyone, male or female, who gave a better performance that year. I love her line resisting Hud's advances, "No, thanks! I've done my time with one cold-blooded bastard. I'm not looking for another."

Vintage McMurtry.

[TOMASBBloodhound · 10/10 · 13 February 2006]

Long before he helped write the screenplay for the "gay cowboy movie", Larry McMurtry wrote this exceptional story that Martin Ritt turned into a powerful film. Hud is the story of a womanizing cowboy with seemingly zero morality (Newman) and his struggles with is old-fashioned father (Douglas), and also his effect on a younger nephew (De Wilde). He also spends a great deal of the film pursuing the family housekeeper (Neal) to no avail. The film is like a lot of Larry McMurtry stories. It's lonely, depressing, and brutally honest about its characters.

At the film's core is the conflict between young and old. The changing values of American society at the time are a perfect backdrop, though no counter culture references are present yet. 1963 was of course the year we lost John F. Kennedy, and it may be no coincidence that values throughout the world also began to waver about then. Hud represents the lusty side of humanity. Never concerned about doing what's right, he only looks to scheme and charm his way to where he wants to go. Torn between Hud and his father is the much younger nephew who is faced with a choice of which set of values to follow.

A main source of conflict stems from the discovery of Foot and Mouth Disease in the Bannon's cattle. In a particularly disturbing scene, the entire herd is corralled into a recently dug pit, and every one of them shot dead. Hud had tried to convince his father to sell them off before the diagnosis was confirmed, but naturally that did not go over too well. Once the cattle are dead, Hud then wants his father to set up some oil rigs on the now barren land. His father wants no part of what could be a very destructive undertaking on his property. Hud then plans to have his father somehow declared unfit to run the farm so he can run it the way he pleases. This question is abruptly cleared up when a roadside accident takes his father's life. Hud now has the farm to himself, but will his nephew choose to run it with him??? The acting, scenery, and photography are brilliant. The bleak, but beautifully expansive west Texas landscape seems to have a life of its own, even in b/w. The four major characters are played perfectly. Neal is sassy, sexy, and has an amazing dignity about her. Douglas is stoic and self-righteous as the aging patriarch. Brandon De Wild showed some definite promise, especially in the film's final ten minutes where we see his character have to grow up very quickly.

This is Newman's show, however. One day when he has finally left this earth, most people will probably remember him as Cool Hand Luke. Understandable, but Hud was every bit a powerful a character for my money. Newman has been so amazing for so long, it almost seems like he's taken for granted. Even his salad dressings and spaghetti sauces are exceptional!!! Hud certainly scores a 10 of 10!!! The Hound.

Morality Play

[jasonbourneagain · 8/10 · 24 June 2005]

I watched Hud for the first time tonight without any preface and right away saw it as a morality play. It's a simple explanation for the movie, but not quite accurate. There are complex characters within and what's right and wrong is supposed to seem clear cut, but isn't. The viewer is left to judge along with Lonnie Bannon (Brandon de Wilde) to decide.

Right off the bat, we are introduced to Hud Bannon who is the top local drinker, fighter and womanizer. I didn't like his character right off, but Paul Newman plays Hud in a way that makes him appealing and interesting despite the major character flaws. Lonnie Bannon is taken aback by his Uncle Hud's brazen behavior getting him in hot water with the husband of the woman Hud is having an affair with. He's angry, but not hateful and Hud's smart and smooth talking ways quickly take the edge off.

Soon after, we meet Homer Bannon and it's a different story with him. He definitely has a chip against Hud and as the movie unfolds, we find out what that is despite Hud being his son. Their relationship is basically broken, but we do not find the truth out until later.

We find out Lonnie loves his Grand Dad Homer, but is placed in the middle between his traditional, principled Grand Dad and his Uncle Hud's free wheeling unprincipled ways. Lonnie admires his uncle, but eventually is forced to decide what is right and wrong as Homer told him.

Homer makes his living running a small Texas ranch. He has to work hard, and is able to keep it running with the help of Hud, Lonnie, their cook and housekeeper Alma and some ranch hands. The ranch serves as the background for Homer's traditional and ethical values. He treats others as he would like to be treated. He possesses some admirable qualities, but it is not enough to keep him out of financial trouble when one of his cattle comes down with a fatal and contagious disease.

Hud has other ideas and gives a cynical view of government and how they treat people when it comes to the law. Hud is quite self serving and just looking out for his own interests, but he makes a compelling case for not letting government bureaucrats tell them how to run his business and how his Dad and him could get out of the potential mess they could soon face. In regards to the law, Hud says, "Well, I've always thought the law was meant to be interpreted in a lenient manner. Sometimes I lean one way and sometimes I lean the other."

Throughout the movie, one can sympathize with Hud even though he may a callous, selfish individual. Paul Newman is great in pulling this off. He continually alienates the ones that are close to him, but they cannot be totally be put off by Hud. It's not like they do not see Hud's point of view and completely disagree with him even though it may not match the moral and principled views of his father.

By the end of the movie, I would think the viewer has taken a thoroughly negative view of Hud and like Lonnie ends up going against and leaving him. Hud just shrugs it off and we are left with a pathetic and sad view of Hud.

Bleak Film with Three Great Performances

[Michael_Elliott · 22 September 2015]

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.

He's a cynical cowboy who's anti-everything!

[moonspinner55 · 7/10 · 9 September 2005]

Gritty, downbeat drama about a feckless, cynical cowboy who affects different lives in the dusty modern West. Prototype for the rebellious youth movies which flooded the market in the late 1960s, with Paul Newman brooding angrily, sexily in the lead; he's so convincing, it may be hard for those who haven't seen a lot of Paul Newman pictures to separate him from this role later on. Supporting Oscar winner Patricia Neal is terrific as the family cook with the warm, husky growl in her voice, and Melvyn Douglas also won an award as Hud's conflicted father. Never quite moving enough to be an enveloping experience, but perhaps it wasn't intended to be an emotional document (there's certainly little sentiment). What feelings we get are from the actors themselves, particularly Neal, and the images recorded by James Wong Howe (another Oscar winner for his incredible cinematography). Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank based their mature script on Larry McMurtry's novel, and improved upon it. *** from ****

a fine American movie

[acrosley-1 · 10/10 · 14 January 2006]

Hud is the finest American movie ever made. One hundred years from now people will want to know who we were, how we lived and what kind of problems we faced. Hud is a great movie not only because it is a great story with great actors, great direction and a great score but also because it helps future generations understand us. It is a great human interest story, a classic story of right and wrong. The movie gains power because it is shot in black and white with a spare score; and it is not afraid to experiment as when Hud Bannon (Paul Newman) refers to Lon (Brandon de Wilde) as Fantan. The scenes of everyday Texas in the 1950s are pure Americana. This movie is as refreshing today as when I first saw it as a boy in the 1960s; and the performances have not aged.

Solid Parts, Moderate Whole

[daoldiges · 7/10 · 28 November 2020]

I'd always been curious about HUD and finally decided to give it a go. I really liked many parts of this film: Patricia Neal creates a memorable and interesting character, the B&W photography is super nice, and the score is great, understated for Bernstein, but oh so effective. Newman gives a solid performance but at the same time I feel like I've seen him give other very similar performances. In the end I was expecting a bit more of a punch. Despite some shortcomings I do think it's definitely worth checking out.

A Classic

[SwollenThumb · 10/10 · 4 April 2018]

Everything there is to say has been said about this film. Look out for a memorable scene between Lon and his grandfather when they go to the cinema. They sing along to My Darling Clementine. It's a scene of pure joy, simple yet touching. You could find something to praise in every scene of the movie. To be watched again and again!

Great acting, character but the ending seems flat

[rhinoslot · 7/10 · 1 March 2024]

Made in 1963 but I'm not sure if that was supposed to be the period them film is set in.

This is a great example of Newman's talent, it has an artsy feel that speaks to the way of life, the struggles and trials of working men in the old west. Certainly there are lessons that ring true today so it folds up well.

Great acting by all, interesting story line but without adding a spoiler, I'll just the ending leaves one wanting more.

This movie is like life which doesn't usually have a nice clean ending and that's ok as long as you can accept that going in. (Think something similar to the Sopranos ending)

Overall i found it with watching but walked away wanting a resolution.

What's good about this ?

[eyesour · 2/10 · 23 March 2013]

Just can't join in with the rave reviewers of this unappealing story. Everything about it may be as wonderful and special 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 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 interesting to me about Hud's personality: he's nothing but a good-looking 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. Don't bother.