You won't be disappointed!

The greatest movie ever made..!

How sad is this?

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

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.

One reviewer wrote a lengthy review touching upon the dark side of human nature. Some believe we are all capable of behaving just as Paul Newsman's "Hud" character. That is just not so. Hud appears as a rowdy hard drinking womanizing cowboy living in the Texas panhandle 1961 on his father's ranch. What Hud really is is a classic example of a sociopath. The person who cares only about himself. Period. He has all the traits and no sympathy for the plight of others or the damage he does to them. Everyone is a victim to a sociopath. Most sociopaths are not serial killers but every serial killer is a sociopath. Hud's victim is his father and he plays it just cool enough to be welcomed but not enjoyed in the home. Hud knows that when his father dies the ranch will be his. The only other heir was his brother who was killed when drinking with Hud years earlier. Hud knows but it is not mentioned much that there is oil and gas waiting to be drilled on the ranch. The father will not consent to "punching holes" in his land...Not while he is alive he says anyway. Hud's nephew does not know this neither does his father or the housekeeper but they all know Hud is a tornado in their lives. Had they known he was a sociopath they would have sent him down the road. A sociopath does not know nor care about right or wrong and they will never change or be cured. They learn their victim's weaknesses and play on them. Newman and Melvyn Douglas show that they are two fine actors in this film, none better. Filming Hud in black and white makes the movie timeless. Why John Mellencamp was so enamored by this film that he stole some lines from the film for his own songs and named his son Hud is certainly a question to which I would be interested to know the answer.

Although Paul Newman portrayed any number of drunkards, layabouts, thieves, con men, bastards and seedy, shady, unreliable cads during the course of his justly celebrated, 50+-year career, perhaps no other character was such a complete and utter, irredeemable turd as the one he played in "Hud." As a matter of fact, in an interview done years later, the film's director, Martin Ritt, revealed that most studios passed on the project, deeming the lead character and subject matter too unpleasant, and that even Newman's manager advised the actor not to participate. Newman was at this point emerging as a genuine superstar, by dint of recent portrayals in films such as "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "Exodus," "The Hustler" and "Sweet Bird of Youth," but fortunately never let an unsavory character prevent him from taking on a meaty role. Based on Larry McMurtry's first novel, 1961's "Horseman, Pass By," and filmed largely in and about the tiny Texas town of Claude (in the panhandle), "Hud" was released in May 1963 to great acclaim and remains a most powerful experience, now 50 years later.In the film, the viewer makes the acquaintance of 34-year-old Hud Bannon (Newman, natch), a hard-drinking, inveterate womanizer in modern-day Texas. Hud lives on his father Homer's cattle ranch, along with his 17-year-old nephew Lon, who idolizes him, and housekeeper Alma, spending his days working on the ranch and his nights carousing in town and chasing after married women. Homer, an old-fashioned man of unfailing rectitude, detests Hud's wanton ways and basic immorality, telling him at one point "You're an unprincipled man, Hud." And the relationship between the two becomes strained even further when an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease forces Homer to consider the terrible prospect of exterminating his entire herd, while Hud urges him to just sell the lot to an unsuspecting buyer. And before long, a family tragedy that transpired years before is revealed, while Hud makes plans to wrest his father's empire away from him...."Hud" features any number of attributes that combine to make it a powerful achievement, but foremost are the thesping jobs turned in by its four leads. Patricia Neal, as Alma, won a Best Actress Oscar for her work here, despite the fact that her role is more of a supporting one; still, she is quite excellent, earthy and sexy and memorable. Also copping an Oscar for his work here was Melvyn Douglas, who is truly astonishing as the upright Homer. Douglas was 62 here, but looked much older, and in truth, the man looks nothing like the dapper gent who featured in such '30s comedies as "Theodora Goes Wild" and "Ninotchka"; he certainly did not age as well as Paul Newman (but then again, what human male in all of history ever did?!?!). As Lon, Brandon de Wilde, all grown up here since 1953's "Shane," also gives a wonderful performance, sensitive and likable. A good-looking kid with a healthy interest in girls, Lon is understandably attracted to Hud's loose and easygoing ways, although his attitude toward his uncle gradually changes as the film proceeds. And as for Newman, need it even be mentioned how terrific he is as the dirtbag Hud? A complete louse, Hud at one point tries to blame his nephew for an affair that he, Hud, had been having with a married woman; makes repeated crude advances on Alma; attempts to rape Alma, in one shocking sequence; uses Lon's affection to help him sway the boy against his own grandfather; and, as already mentioned, urges Homer to sell diseased cattle and conspires against his own father. Newman deservedly earned an Oscar nomination here, ultimately "losing" to Sidney Poitier's work in "Lilies of the Field." Charismatic and strangely appealing, this is a character who you will hate to admire, but one that you'll surely find hard to shake."Hud," other than those four towering performances, features some nicely sensitive direction from Ritt, who had previously worked with Newman on "The Long Hot Summer" and who would go on to direct him in "The Outrage" and "Hombre." The film has been beautifully shot in B&W wide-screen Panavision by the great James Wong Howe, features a lovely theme song, by Elmer Bernstein, on acoustic guitar (how different this theme is from Bernstein's bold and brassy score for "The Man With the Golden Arm," or his classic theme for "The Magnificent Seven," or his slinky, jazzish theme for "Walk on the Wild Side"!), and uncharacteristically unglamorous costumes by the legendary Edith Head. And the picture boasts a script--written by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank, Jr.--containing so many wonderful lines that you'll feel compelled to write some of them down. I love it when Hud proclaims "Nobody gets out of life alive," and when he says of Homer's pooh-poohing the suggestion that they drill for oil on their land, "My Daddy thinks that oil is something you stick in your salad dressing." (And who knows more about salad dressing than Paul Newman, right?) The picture also spotlights the late cult actress Yvette Vickers in one of her later roles and flies in the face of the then-still-in-force Production Code with its use of the words "bitch" and "bastard." A literate, adult film with any number of wonderful scenes, "Hud" really is a complete triumph for all concerned. How interesting it would have been to revisit Hud Bannon in a sequel, a la hustler Eddie Felson in "The Color of Money," to see if he might have changed any; grown softer and more decent with the years. But if the film's superrealistic final moments are any indicator, I wouldn't count on it....

A sad film portraying unintentional emotional destruction through misunderstanding and lack of compassion.In the opening sequence Lonnie's radio, carried in his chest pocket, plays the sad lyrics defining the film:___"I'm just driftwood floating down the tide ___I don't care where this old river carries me ___I'll keep drifting just because my heart is broken inside ___And I'm tired of wishing for what cannot be"Paul Newman gives a compelling performance as Hud Bannon, the tragically misunderstood son of Homer, an aging and principled cattleman who has never provided the parental love and nurturing his son so craved and needed. Hud has grown into a self centered womanizer hiding his inner pain with boozing and carousing, mistakenly believing Homer has never gotten over Huds role in his older brothers death in a car accident when Hud was a teenager. The reality, when revealed is much more painful for Hud and leads him to want to hurt back by planning to get control of the ranch! Newman brings to life a broken and tormented soul hiding behind a mask of self-centered indulgence speeding down life's highway in his pink Cadillac. Hud's concern for his father goes unnoticed while his father reaches out to grandson Lonnie. Hud has become cynical and is never able to obtain any fulfilling relationship with his father, Lonnie or their housekeeper Alma (another hurt and damaged soul afraid to love again). Hud's flings with married women illustrate his fear of being hurt in a real relationship and are more of a show...like the greased pig contest (where he gets some admiration without emotional risk). Homers hard heart is reflected in his hardening arteries and the hard baron Texas landscape. His crippling love of the ranch ultimately leads to the destruction of the family and is symbolically played out when Hud speeds up behind Lonnie in the pickup truck as they drive towards home and Homer is crawling on the dirt road. Lonnie (mistakenly) blames Hud for the old mans unwillingness to live, and blind to Hud's concern for Homer, becomes as hard as his grandfather. Lonnie's ultimate transformation is mirrored in a wide shot as he stands alone in the empty corals with the family's empty house in the background. Hud is hurt and left alone, donning a mask of indifference to repress his anguish, he closes the door and retreats inside the empty home. All are left damaged.I wondered why Hud would drive a pink Cadillac seemingly out of place, and wanted to see how it might provide a clue to Hud's character. Pink "...represents compassion, nurturing and relates to unconditional love and understanding, and the giving and receiving of nurturing". There are occasions when Hud shows compassion which can go unnoticed. Hud grew up without the nurturing love a child needs (and craves) from a parent. The Cadillac symbolizes Huds continued need for unattained desire and the inadequate substitution of an expensive impersonal luxury status symbol ("object" of desire). It might also reflect the loss of his mother who had provided the unconditional love missing from his father. Perhaps it reflects Homers love of the land (empty Texas" dirt") to Hud's love of his car (empty inanimate object). "wishing for what cannot be".Homer describes his love of his land and cattle. He states "It don't take long t' kill…not like it takes to grow". The irony is that he did not take the time with his son Hud and killed their relationship and Hud's outlook when Hud was a boy As Homer was dying, Lonnie says "…you never gave up on anything in your life!" Homer turns towards Hud I expected him to say "I gave up on Hud and I am sorry" and provide reconciliation and a happy ending. But with his dying breath he drives the nail into Hud and turns Lonnie.Homer sees the world in black and white yet what we call black and white on film is in reality shades of gray, a more accurate representation of reality which Homer could not comprehend.Homer explains "slowly the look of the land changes because of the men we admire". Imagine how biases and prejudices can be passed on. In the end Homer does pass on his flawed perception of Hud to Lonnie, killing any chance to redeem their relationship. The 1962 film likely reflects the periods growing movement to bring about positive changes with regards to race, gender and generational differences. The film opens with Lonnie looking to bring Hud home and ends sadly with Hud alone. The message I take away is that we need to look deeper into ourselves to find compassion and understanding to avoid passing on negative perceptions.Symbols?… Hanging lights often in the frame suggest a device to show a harsh light or perhaps unrealized "enlightening". Alma bumps her head on the light before turning it off and leaving. The railroad sign shown in the opening scene as Lonnie rides into town reads "4 TRACKS" which reminds me that the four main characters lives never connect (in the dry Texas land). "REST ROOM INSIDE" signs at bus stop suggest retreating inside oneself. Hud and Lonnie at the well is perhaps the films most heartwarming scene as they bond. Water is the life-giving force needed to exist in the dry Texas landscape. They drink from the well and embrace laughing and singing a camp song about the Titanic "it was sad, so sad…" The scene reinforces the value of relationships vital to our lives.Many see Homer's uncompromising principles as positive and noble, yet if as humans we are unable to live up to those expectations, are we to be thrown away as he did with Hud? Is our perception of perfection even correct? The shades of gray are where we exist and they are forever changing. Life is not always as clear as we (and Homer) might believe.