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Hud (1963),
Director: Martin Ritt, rated Approved
A man with a
hard-driving fist, and a barbed-wire soul...who never stopped
himself from taking anything!
  Starring: Paul
Newman, Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Neal, Brandon deWilde, Whit
Bissell, Crahan Denton, John Ashley, Val Avery
DML Rating:
★★★★★★★★★☆
- near perfect
"That's the shame of it
because you don't value anything. You don't respect nothing.
You
keep no check on your appetites at all. You live just for
yourself." –
Homer Bannon
Why watch this?
I applaud Paul Newman's role choices. This one fits him to a
tee.
Plot Summary:
This Texas tale follows a clash of generations within a
ranching family, focusing on the principled patriarch Homer, his
self-serving son Hud, and Hud's impressionable teenage nephew
Lonnie. The family's dynamics intensify when a crisis threatens
their cattle herd, forcing a confrontation between Homer's moral
compass and Hud's unscrupulous drive. Amidst this conflict,
Lonnie navigates his own moral awakening, torn between his
grandfather's values and his uncle's charisma.
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Dad's Preview:
Paul Newman's performance in this film is vintage Windham. The
Windham's were on my grandmother's side. The men were handsome and blue-eyed-charming.
Some where my heroes growing up. Others, especially when they were younger,
scared me. They could also be mean, tough-acting and very much like the
title character.
The film is very realistic regarding the plights of folks in West
Texas, right down to the scene where they have to kill their
entire cattle herd because of foot-and-mouth disease. My family
had to perform that grim task, too. Newman's portrayal of Hud is
not likeable, but that's just how some men are. |
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Salem-Dover
Productions; Paramount Pictures |
