Hud (1963)

Honest and hard-working Texas rancher Homer Bannon has a conflict with his unscrupulous, selfish, arrogant and egotistical son Hud, who sank into alcoholism after accidentally killing his brother in a car crash.

Director:

Martin Ritt

Writers:

Irving Ravetch (screenplay), Harriet Frank Jr. (screenplay)

Stars:

Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Neal

Won 3 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Newman	...	Hud Bannon
Melvyn Douglas	...	Homer Bannon
Patricia Neal	...	Alma Brown
Brandon De Wilde	...	Lonnie Bannon (as Brandon de Wilde)
Whit Bissell	...	Mr. Burris
Crahan Denton	...	Jesse
John Ashley	...	Hermy
Val Avery	...	Jose
George Petrie	...	Joe Scanlon
Curt Conway	...	Truman Peters
Sheldon Allman	...	Mr. Thompson
Pitt Herbert	...	Mr. Larker
Carl Low	...	Mr. Kirby
Robert Hinkle	...	Rodeo Announcer Frank
Don Kennedy	...	Charlie Tucker

Storyline

Hud Bannon is a ruthless young man who tarnishes everything and everyone he touches. Hud represents the perfect embodiment of alienated youth, out for kicks with no regard for the consequences. There is bitter conflict between the callous Hud and his stern and highly principled father, Homer. Hud's nephew Lon admires Hud's cheating ways, though he soon becomes aware of Hud's reckless amorality to bear him anymore. In the world of the takers and the taken, Hud is a winner. He's a cheat, but, he explains "I always say the law was meant to be interpreted in a lenient manner."

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Plot Keywords:

rodeo cowboy | neo western | looking at oneself in a mirror | orange | horseback riding | 

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Taglines:

The man with the barbed wire soul!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 May 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

El indomable

Filming Locations:

Vernon, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$10,000,000, 29 May 1963

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Salem-Dover Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is an adaption of Larry McMurtry's 1961 novel Horseman Pass By... The title of that novel comes from a line of a W.B Yeats poem:: "Cast a cold eye, On life, on death. Horseman, pass by!"

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Goofs

The audio sound of the motor of the pickup in the opening scenes is clearly that of an inline engine. However, the GMC pickup had "V8" emblems clearly seen on the front fender sides, and the sound of a v-type engine is quite dissimilar to that of an inline.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lonnie Bannon: OK, thanks for the lift.

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Connections

Referenced in American Dreams: The One (2003)

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Soundtracks

The Great Titanic (It Was Sad When That Great Ship Went Down)
(uncredited) (ca 1915)
American folk song
Sung a cappella by Paul Newman and Brandon De Wilde

User Reviews

A brilliantly evocative character study set against an arid Texas backdrop.

Paul Newman gave easily his greatest performance as Hud Bannen, the hard-fighting, hard-drinking, womanising ne'er-do-well, who casts a malign shadow over the lives of his family and their housekeeper on a Texas ranch. It is a strong all-round cast however, and Melvyn Douglas and Patricia Neal both won Academy Awards for their performances. The sparse and grainy cinematography by James Wong Howe (another Oscar winner) brilliantly captures the harsh, arid Texas landscape. Adapted from Larry McMurtry's novel Horseman Pass By, this is one of the finest examples of American Cinema in the 1960's, not least in its depiction of father-son conflict, and the way one in which one man can profoundly influence, for the worse, the lives of those around him. Newman worked as a ranch-hand in Texas to prepare for the role, which helped him obtain his authentic Texan credentials, most notably his accent, and his cocky strut and manner. A timeless classic, which can be viewed again and again.