Hud is a contemporary western, set in the expansive American West, set during the current era in which the film was made. That period is 1963.
It tells the story of a small family who run a typical and medium sized cattle ranch in Texas. The ranch is owned and run be the family patriarch, Homer (Melvin Douglas in a well deserved Oscar winning performance), who is proud, judgmental and full of an honorable self-righteous code of ethics.
His beloved eldest son has died years ago in a car accident and he lives on the ranch with his grandson Lonnie (Brandon DeWilde) and his youngest and only surviving son Hud (The terrific Paul Newman). There is also a pretty and headstrong live-in housekeeper (Patricia Neal who also deservedly won an Oscar for her role).
There occurs a major crisis at the ranch, which pits Homer’s morals into a direct clash with Hud. Hud is smart, capable and utterly scrupulous. He drinks hard and prefers married women for company. While seemingly admired by many, he has no friends. Lonnie lost his mother at childbirth and his father when he was too young to remember and sees Homer as the only parent he has. He also admires Hud from afar, wishing he was more like him.
Hud has no real principles and as much as I yearned for him to change, he never does, making this a very real and gritty film. I kept thinking that there was something prophetic that must have happened in the past that drove Homer to hate his son. I do not believe people are born generally bad, but are created that way due to their environments and the filmmakers here gave me that same understanding. Hud is not a good person, but is that the reason his father hates him, or did he become the way he is because of his father’s hate? The movie contains a few powerful scenes that hint at the answer to that question.
Martin Ritt was a competent director who knew how to work with actors and here he had some of the best to work with. Douglas carries himself tall in the portrayal of Homer relaying a strong belief in his character’s self worth and nobility. Newman as Hud is terrific. He flirts with other people’s wives, lies to everyone and almost always only has his own self interest in everything he does. Newman with his good looks and charm makes this despicable character actually likeable which serves the film well with its Father and Son conflict that is the heart of the story.
Holding her own alongside these great performances was Neal as the head strong housekeeper Alma. Acting as a mother and care keeper to all, she made sure that all three of the men are fed and able to work. Never letting any of her employees at the house feel superior her haughty and sultry performance is an important part of the developing characterizations that occur in the movie. Alma stirred passion in both Hud and Lonnie and I also had the feeling that there was also a spark there for Homer years before. The way the three males treat her gave insights into who they were and what they needed. Slave, Mother and Lover, Alma represents them all within the ranch.
Ritt and his cinematographer Howe film the movie in a gorgeous black and white that makes great use of dark shadows to emphasize the darker elements in the story.
Some people may feel unfulfilled with the movies ending but I for one thought it was the correct way of showing the characters’ evolution and maturity, or lack thereof. That is a sign of a terrific character study, of which Hud is one of the best.
1001 Movies before you die 
Fresh from the great book, “Horseman, Pass By” by Larrry McMurtry, I was inspired to check out the poem that the title comes from, “Under Ben Bulben” by W. B. Yeats and this justifiably famous movie. I wish I’d watched the movie first so that I could appreciate it on its own terms instead of constantly being reminded that it diverged from much of McMurtry’s intended message. HUD, was not the main character of the book. It was about a boy’s coming of age in a hard family situation & harsh environment and trying to work out how to deal with the cruelty of life. The book didn’t portray Hud quite so charmingly, and Homer was Hud’s step-father, married to Hud’s selfish, shallow mother, who enabled Hud to become the weak, narcissistic person that he was. Homer had more depth in the book, as did all of the characters. The most shocking difference was the character of the African American cook, Halmea, who, in the movie, was more of a housekeeper & carried a lot more power. Maybe her character brought up too many controversial issues, as McMurtry intended in the book, but the movie ignored. This is a great movie with fantastic actors & actresses, many of whom deservedly won awards. It does also manage to give a pretty darn good portrayal of that part of Texas and its ranches and lifestyle in that time. I just want to say, People, watch the movie first!!! Then, go back and read a truly wonderful book, which has the time to give in-depth character development and the space to allow the reader to really contemplate people, life, and death.
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