For Your Binge Consideration: The Neo-Western Brilliance of 'Hud' (1963)

Left to right: Paul Newman, Brandon deWilde, Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Neal 

It can be easy to see the 'Neo-Western' as a product of its time despite the very nature of the name; whereas 'Westerns' are often seen as timeless as period pieces, the integration of modernity and Western tropes together in a Neo-Western can come across as dated to modern audiences in certain contexts. And while I do agree that there are certain examples of the genre where this happens, Hud is one which surpasses this hurdle. Focusing on a Texan ranch belonging to the Bannon family, and the conflict between the titular Hud (Paul Newman) and the family patriarch Homer (Melvyn Douglas), the film  was directed by Martin Ritt, a versatile talent behind the camera whose focus was always primarily on the performances themselves in his films, though it's not to say he lacked in style, as this and The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, his two best films, creates a visually striking atmosphere for all characters involved.

It's a film which never draws attention to how good it looks but rather almost catches you off guard with how great some of the shots are. Whether it's the Texan landscape shots which capture that earthly aesthetic both at day or at night, or the simpler yet no less effective reaction shots of characters as they play off one another. It is atmospheric without overstating that element of the direction.

Meanwhile, the brilliant screenplay by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr., adapted (though with variations apparently) from a Larry McMurtry novel, has some brilliantly written lines - 'monody gets out of life alive,' intones Hud. at. one point - and a meticulously sketched central conflict that is far from a black and white dispute, since while Hud is an unprincipled, rude and selfish individual and Homer is a straight-laced, moralistic and firm character, neither is a one-note caricature of good or bad. The conflict at hand - how to deal with an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease among their herd of cows - is something that affects them both with equal severity. And the characters, in how they deal with this crisis, reveal so much about themselves. It even manages to fit into the narrative a rather fascinating exploration of masculinity and what it means exactly in terms of the differing perspectives on it presented by both men to their nephew and grandson, respectively, in Brandon deWilde's Lonnie

Newman uses that immense, overwhelming charisma he had onscreen to incredible effect here as Hud, who when you get down to it is a rather insensitive, lustful, reprehensible fellow, yet you see how his magnetism can draw others into siding with him, loving with him, and even his father who considers him an utter disappointment, not completely give up on him. Newman was always at the very least good in any film he was in, frequently great, but here he was at his peak as a truly nasty piece of work. with a lot of humanity within him.

Meanwhile Douglas is also brilliant as not some paragon of virtue, but a man who's lived a long life and seen many things upon which he has built his foundation of rigid principles. Principles he considers to be the unyielding core of what he is, and Douglas is brilliant in the role in showing this calm yet never one-note devotion to morality of this aged rancher. The way the two actors clash against one another in their opposed mentalities is a great showcase again and again throughout the film.

What takes Hud a step further as a film is that, while Newman v Douglas alone could've made for a great film, deWilde and Patricia Neal as the housekeeper Alma, step in to help complete its status as a masterpiece. It's a shame that deWilde was the only main player of the film who didn't get a nomination as his work as young Lonnie, who is caught between two worlds in effect, is crucial to the power of the film. The showdown scenes between father and son are undoubtedly great acting showcases for Newman and Douglas. But deWilde's reactionary work as the boy stuck in between is what makes these scenes soar all the higher: unsure of himself and equally compelled by either mentor figure at any given time,  and the slow maturation of his character over the course of the film is brilliantly done.

Meanwhile, Neal whose character is possibly the least directly invested in the film's central conflict, nevertheless makes a tremendous impact from. the outset as the wisecracking, headstrong Alma. She seems to have a snappy witty line for any occasion to retort against the boys, and delivers them all with aplomb, but as the film proceeds you get glimpses at the cracks in her facade, notably in any scene she shares with Newman. You see hints of a broken past she shields with her world-weariness and capturing an attraction between Alma and Hud that envelops into something quite difficult to watch.

The film strangely snubbed for Best Picture at the Oscars despite the film quite loving the film otherwise, being nominated for seven Oscars and winning three - for the performances of Douglas and Neal, and for James Wong Howe's cinematography. Nevertheless, it has stood the test of time and become a highlight of not only the career of everyone involved, but to become not just one of the American classics, but perhaps THE definitive Neo-Western.