Hud

Composite Score: 82.73

Starring: Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Neal, Brandon De Wilde, Whit Bissell, Crahan Denton, John Ashley, and Val Avery

Director: Martin Ritt

Writers: Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr.

Genres: Drama, Western

MPAA Rating: Passed

Box Office: $10 million worldwide

Why should you Watch This Film?

                Hud is the 1963 adaptation of Fred McMurtry’s novel Horseman, Pass By, about a family of ranchers in the 1950s. It stars Paul Newman as the titular Hud Bannon, the troubled son of a rancher whose lackadaisical and selfish nature often bring him into conflict with his more conservative and morally driven father Homer, played by Melvyn Douglas. Douglas and Newman are joined by Patricia Neal as the Bannon’s housekeeper Alma, a mid-30s divorcee who is more than capable of handling most of the craziness that Hud and Homer throw her way, and Brandon De Wilde as Lonnie, the son of Hud’s dead brother who is nearing adulthood and considering his options for the present and future. The film received critical acclaim, winning three Oscars and being nominated for another four, and remains a solid example of a “modern” western. The character study contained within the film and examination of the relationships between fathers and sons help to keep the film worth watching many years later.

Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?

                While Hud is not an entirely irredeemable character, his choices make him a strikingly difficult protagonist to root for. It’s hard to even think of him as an anti-hero because nothing that he does ever seems to benefit anyone but himself. This is not to say that he makes the film unwatchable, just that the film’s supporting cast are incredibly necessary to keep the audience from giving up on the film. Hud’s pessimism and disregard for consequences make his character interesting, but his inability to change or grow from any of his experiences keeps the film from achieving as much as it could were he a bit more open to caring for others.

So wait, why should you Watch This Film?

                Of the three Oscars that Hud won, two were for acting. The four central performers in this film do a great job playing characters that you want to try to root for. Brandon De Wilde’s Lonnie is as young and bright-eyed as any small-town boy reaching adulthood. His optimism and care for his family combine to make him the film’s purest figure and one whose fate the audience will most likely be deeply invested in by the film’s end. Paul Newman’s leading performance carries all the charisma that he so often brings to the screen, making the audience want to like him, despite him giving absolutely zero reasons to do so. His ability to make the most careless and selfish thoughts and actions feel natural and almost reasonable exemplifies him as the ideal casting for this role, worthy of the Oscar nomination he received. By contrast, Melvyn Douglas brings almost no charisma to his role as Homer Bannon but overcomes by playing a firmly-rooted old-timer with authenticity and deep emotion, representing a way of life that was and is continuing to pass away, winning an Academy Award in the process. For me, Patricia Neal’s Alma is the best character in the whole film. Deeply complex with a past unconnected to the Bannon family but connected to them all the same, she brings something that is equal parts flirtatious and motherly to her role and manages to make herself the most interesting and engrossing character on the screen in all of her limited screentime, well-deserving of the Oscar she won.

                In addition to great performances, Hud also contains a deeply poignant story about fathers and sons and dealing with family tragedy and adapting to the world, all revolving around the relationship and interaction between Hud and Homer. As the father, Homer represents the way that things were with both its flaws and benefits – strong but stubborn, morally grounded but self-righteous, and hardy but inadaptable. By contrast, his son Hud represents the way that things were becoming, again with all of its flaws and benefits – flexible but ungrounded, personable but amoral, and innovative but uncaring. At the end of the day, both men have a deep need for each other but refuse to work civilly together, speaking to the world’s need for tradition and innovation but the difficulty for getting those two to work in harmony. It’s a great lesson that neither of them learn by the film’s end, but that the audience is given the opportunity to take in, nonetheless.

                Hud’s poignant message about the evolution of generations and society carried by award-worthy performances from its central characters makes it into a classic among modern westerns, worthy of a spot among the Greatest Films of All Time. The film’s difficult protagonist will undoubtedly turn off some audience members, but those who stick it out will find themselves leaving with more to ponder than when they went in. This film is currently available to stream on Hoopla and the Criterion Collection or to rent on most other streaming services – check it out.