Hud (1963)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Hud (1963) – M. Ritt

The opening bars of Elmer Bernstein’s melancholy guitar theme and James Wong Howe’s exquisite black-and-white cinematography immediately put me in the mood for something special.  However, Martin Ritt’s version of Larry McMurtry’s novel wasn’t as compelling as I first hoped.  Sure, Paul Newman (already a star) offers up some brash method acting as the rancher’s wild son, Hud, unable or unwilling to care about anyone except himself, spending most of his time loaded and getting into trouble with other men’s wives. And Melvyn Douglas (a Hollywood stalwart since the 1930s) is solid as the widower rancher who can’t open his heart to his wayward son but has plenty of time for his grandson (Brandon De Wilde), who has naturally fallen under the sway of Hud.  Patricia Neal won an Oscar as the worldly family maid who attracts (possibly) unwanted attention from Hud, who can’t manage his impulses in an adult way.  In the background, an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease threatens the ranch and the family’s way of life. So, this is character-driven drama rich with conflict -- but the arc of the story (straight down) and the fact that Hud is so damned unlikeable (not even pitiful once you know his backstory) makes it hard to enjoy.  The return of Bernstein’s guitars at the very end, when we know Hud is lost forever, didn’t quite reclaim the film for me.  I could imagine a better one with a less constricted protagonist but I ain’t from Texas.