Hud. 1963. Directed by Martin Ritt.

(9/29/01)

This film is almost a blueprint for Dallas and the character Paul Newman plays is like a precursor of J. R. Ewing. He's younger, though, and exudes a more direct animal magnetism. Newman is well-matched by Melvyn Douglas as the crusty old rancher who seems like a model for Jock Ewing. Douglas really held his own against Newman and it was startling to me to consider that this is the same actor who exuded such cool sophistication opposite Greta Garbo in Ninotchka. Patricia Neal is also quite memorable.

I think that the pleasure of Hud comes from watching these actors do their stuff. And from James Wong Howe's evocative cinematography which captures a gritty atmosphere. The night scenes are particularly atmospheric, especially the shots of the main street of a Texas town at night.

I didn't find the story that involving and I'm not sure why. Hud is a rake and a scoundrel, but his nephew hero-worships him. The nephew becomes disillusioned and turns his back on Hud by the film's end. Hud's father is a cattle rancher who learns that his entire herd is infected with foot-and-mouth disease and has to be destroyed, wiping out his wealth. What I found interesting was watching the different personalities interact.

Some of Hud may have lost its impact over the years because it's been imitated. The father-son conflicts are straight out of Dallas and while they were interesting to watch they probably didn't have the same kind of impact that they might have had in 1963. But the presence and magnetism of Paul Newman shine through undimmed.