Rare to see Paul Newman play such an anti-hero and it's clear he relishes it. Counterpointed by strong performances from veteran Melvyn Douglas as his long- suffering father, Patricia Neal as their worldly housemaid and the young newcomer Brandon De Wilde as the impressionable youth whose loyalties are tried, tested and ultimately destroyed by Uncle Hud's selfishness and boorishness.These four actors and their characters' inter-relationships are pretty much the movie in a story that feels at times theatrical but in fact was adapted from a novel. I'd describe the plot as like "Shane" reflected through Tennessee Williams, so that the perhaps mis-directed hero-worship of a young man is this time thwarted by an idol with feet of clay.Throughout the film, Hud does nothing admirable or selfless and sort of tolerates the young acolyte trailing in his wake before a drunken attempted rape of Neal breaks the spell. I didn't however like Neal's acceptance of her ordeal, especially when she says she would have eventually let him have her in the future, betraying an unacceptable streak of chauvinism in the writing. Better to watch are the tensions and conflicts between grandfather-patriarch Douglas, errant, number two son Hud (we're made aware that Hud is responsible for the premature death of the elder son, De Wilde's father) and De Wilde himself, torn between his admiration of the former and misplaced envy of the latter's hedonism.Newman's on record as saying this is one of his favourite of his own movies and it's easy to see why. He's hardly every off the screen and he's excellent in his cast-against-type lead role. A contemporary Western shot in beautifully-lit black and white by James Wong Howe and sensitively directed by Martin Ritt, this was a gripping and involving family saga featuring a great star turn by one of the best actors of the 60's.

Intelligent semi-Western, well directed and wonderfully performed by Newman as a man with the barbed wire soul . Hud Bannon(Paul Newman who dubbed this one pretty good) is a ruthless young man who tarnishes everything and everyone he touches . Hud represents the perfect embodiment of alienated youth . Instead of helping his dad , Hud drunkenly chases the family's housekeeper (Patricia Neal) and establishes relationship with his hero-worshipping nephew (Brandon De Wilde , Shane) , both of whom emotionally involved with him . As the father-son conflict is deeply observed by other members of the household , the maid and the nephew . Then , a government order to slaughter the ranch's entire herd as a precaution leads to tragedy and the ranch owner siding the law . Exciting and thought-provoking clear-eyed story of growing in Texas plenty of interesting drama , emotion and a strong antagonism between the free-drinking son and a sternly moralising patriarchal ranch owner , including elements of Greek tragedy . Various studio-characters furnish the basis for this Western-drama ; filmmaker Martin Ritt has got a big success in delineating their troublesome roles . Terrific Paul Newman in an enjoyable performance, though using the Stanislawski method , it results to be a superb piece of acting . Paul Newman played the part of Hud as a villain . He was later stunned that so many young moviegoers had a poster of Hud and viewed him as their hero. In preparation for his title role , Paul Newman worked on a Texas cattle ranch for several weeks acquiring genuine calluses and a cowboy's lope . Melvyn Douglas gives a superb acting as old rancher who has fallen on hard times and shows to mourn the old-free-ranging ways of the frontier days . Terrific interpretation by Patricia Neal as a mature woman to whom Hud pursues and she wants nothing to do with him . Interesting screenplay dealing with brooding themes such as the disintegration of a heritage , including engaging dialogs haunted by frames of decay and death ; being nicely written by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr. from a novel by Larry McMurtry . Evocative cinematography by James Wong Howe , he's a classic cameraman who won two Oscars (for Hud, and Rose tattoo), working from silent cinema . Elmer Bernstein's score for Hud runs approximately six minutes, making it one of the shortest film scores ever. But what a six minutes it is - in fact, it's perfection and just right for the film . The music is sparse, yes, but it's potent every time it appears. There's also some source music in the film - car radios, jukeboxes, records.This understatement motion picture was well produced and directed by Martin Ritt, who worked with Paul Newman in two Westerns : ¨Hombre¨ and ¨Outrage¨. Ritt was an expert on dramas such as ¨Stanley and Iris¨ , ¨Nut¨ , ¨Norma Rae¨ , ¨The front¨, ¨The Sound and the Fury¨ , ¨Black orchid¨ , though also directed films of all kind of genres such as : ¨The Spy Who Came in from the Cold¨ , ¨The Great White Hope¨ , ¨Mafia¨ and ¨Molly McGuire¨ . This ¨Hud¨ film will appeal to drama enthusiasts and Paul Newman fans . Rating : Above average, well worth watching ; along with ¨Outrage¨ , being one of Ritt's best movie.

Please note my rating is for the film -- NOT "the film as an adaptation of the novel" -- to which I'd give a 5.Reviewers and readers here are likely unaware that "Hud" is based on Larry McMurtry's first novel, "Horseman, Pass By".None of the McMurtry novels I've read shows much interest in "character development" -- how people get better or worse with time. Except for Lon (who gradually comes to recognize that Hud is a bad role model *), no one in the film changes. So it's not surprising that some people dislike the film for this reason alone.Though the film sticks pretty close to the novel's storyline, it significantly alters the /nature/ of the characters, converting them from moderately complex human beings into black-and-white representations of good and bad, and "spokesmen" for the changes going on in Texas society and business.If you're interested in an in-depth discussion, please look at my Amazon review of "Horseman, Pass By", under the summary "Hey, pass them old potatoes before I kill you!". It discusses the differences between the book and film, and has a brief appreciation of MAD's classic send-up, "Hood".* In the novel, he knows it from the start. Indeed, he's afraid of Hud.

For a 1963 neo-western to cast such a critical eye at its subject matter is shocking, and parts of this bleak movie are shocking even by modern standards. "Hud" tells the story of a ranch boy (Brandon DeWilde) who idolizes his uncle Hud (Paul Newman). The movie demonstrates Hud's unsuitability as a role model through increasingly extreme examples of his callous behavior. Hud's personal decline is mirrored by the potential collapse of the family ranch due to a disease among the cattle. Hud is ready to flaunt the health authorities and sell the sick cattle to unwitting buyers, and his disagreement with his father over the issue culminates in a brutal and heart-wrenching sequence. The movie tolerates no cheap sentiment, and derides even the kindly-meant words of a funeral preacher as false comfort in a cruel world. Patricia Neal deservedly took home an Oscar for her role as Alma, a savvy housekeeper who is a foil to Hud and object of fascination to DeWilde's character.