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".
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".