Pjtaylor-96-138044 Excellent cinematography and performances cement 'Hud (1963)' as a well-made character piece. It has a good script, with rustically realistic dialogue compounding its sense of time and place as well as its sometimes difficult themes and situations, and it is entertaining enough to watch once but isn't really all that compelling. It's not like I was on the edge-of-my-seat but I cared enough about the characters to want to see what would happen and, indeed, to believe everything that did. The central character isn't exactly your typical 'leading man', either, and this departure allows Newman's acting chops to really come through. 6/10

nautiyalati Hud is a true masterpiece , I doubt if it was really made in 1963 because it shows the life of a hot blooded , party lover young man of 21st century . I mean who don't want a life like Hud , working in day , helping father in farm and then in the night driving to Town , grab a drink , talk to girls or taking her on a ride and partying all night .I really wish , i had a life like Hud but i was born in an Army family and following rules , regulation , discipline since childhood i know outside the Military area where i live people party , roam like free birds and have all the fun .well lets come back to the movie , its really awesome to have an older brother or uncle to company you and take care of you if you stuck in a fight or brawl , drinking together really brings family feelingsHaving an Old man in house is a good thing as he tries his best to maintain discipline in family and showing the right path , This movie will never fail to entertain you , you can watch it over and over again and you will never bore because every time you see it , it makes you partying out and having a fun Brawl after getting drunk !!!

LeonLouisRicci Minimalist Movie with Maximum Performances from All Four Major Players. It is a Widescreen Landscape of Wide Open Spaces Perfected by Legendary Lenser James Wong Howe. The Ranch Owned by Melvin Douglas, Papa Bannon, is One Disease Away from Disaster. The No-Account, Ungrateful Paul Newman, Hud Bannon, is the Tornado that the Story Swirls. Hud's, Nephew and Pappa's Grandchild Brandon De Wilde, Lonnie Bannon, is a Straight and Considerate Teenager who Looks Up to His Uncle Hud as Hero. The Hardworking, Easy Going Middle-Aged but Still Pretty Housekeeper to the Bannon Clan is Patricia Neal, Alma.That's the Quartet of Dusty Downwards that Populate this Gritty Story and it is Interesting but Not Altogether Fascinating to Watch these Folks as Fate Deals a Deathly Hand in this Poker Game of Life. The Film is on One Wavelength and Rarely Wavers. It is a Straightforward Telling of Real People Dealing with Real Life. One of the Movie's Strength, besides the Great Acting, is its Ability to Not Look Dated, in All Respects. The Ranch, the People, the Story, the Dialog, the Score, the Look, is Timeless and Makes the Film just as Powerful Today as 50 Years Ago.But ironically, Considering the Setting, there is Little Breadth or Scope and the Film is a Confinement of Principals in a Very Large Space. The Tone is Singular and the Story is Familiar. The Film is a Fine Hollywood Production with Superb Technical Accomplishments. It's got a Soap-Opera Feel and it Wears a Somewhat Trashy Novel Approach on its Sleeve. Powerful at Times and a Bit Flat at Others. The Greased Pigs and the Juke Joint seem Stuck In for No Apparent Reason Except to Give Lonnie a Chance to get Drunk with Hud. The Scene, and a Few Others, are so Unremarkable and Ho Hum They Seem Out of Place and don't Belong in a Movie that is So Good Otherwise. Not a Masterpiece but a Very Good Production with Outstanding Acting, a Good Look, and Overall Overrated.

oldgoldtop 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.