Martin Ritt’s 1963 black and white classic Hud shows off three of the great talents of the 1960s: Paul Newman, Patricia Neal and Melvyn Douglas.
Newman got Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for doing Hud Bannon, and co-stars Patricia Neal and Melvyn Douglas won Oscars.
Ritt, whose career includes Hombre, Norma Rae, Murphy’s Romance and a bunch of other mega-hit movies, does Hud. It feels more like a play than a movie and is an outstanding representative of the dialogue writing of the times. Once you get into the rhythm, it is obvious why this is considered a classic.
Newman — who I greatly admire and miss — is the most natural actor in the history of cinema. Later in his career, he evolved into different types of characters and was more hero or anti-hero material, but early on Newman’s characters were unhappy rebels and self-absorbed narcissists.
He’s brilliant in “Hud” but slightly upstaged by Douglas and Neal — and by Ritt’s exceptional storytelling.
Mr. Movie rating: 5 stars
Not rated. Probably PG-13. It plays Friday, October 9 only at the Battelle Auditorium at 8 p.m.
5 stars to 4 1/2 stars: Must see on the big screen
4 stars to 3 1/2 stars: Good film, see it if it's your type of movie.
3 stars to 2 1/2 stars: Wait until it comes out on video.
2 stars to 1 star: Don't bother.
0 stars: Speaks for itself.