Hud (1963).......could be considered slightly ahead of the curve, arriving months before assassinations, race riots and Vietnam forever upended America and its culture.
The safe, stolid, stalwart values of the 1950's (and its cinematic heroes) had crumbled away.......it was now the era of the heel, the ruthless son-of-a-bitch willing to trample on antiquated morality in pursuit of what he craved - money, power and sex unfettered by emotion or humanity.
To quote 'Harper', another Paul Newman film that came out three years after "Hud"......'only cream and bastards rise...." (Though Newman's Harper may have deployed the same snark and jaundiced view of the world as Hud, he follows his own righteous code of a knight errant private eye....see our post on 5/17/18.)
If you swallow the film's backstory, Newman and director Martin Ritt were astounded that Newman's character Hud Bannon, an unrepentant amoral philanderer and all around jerk became a beloved anti-hero to moviegoers......especially the younger ones
Not surprising to us at all. For two hours, this terrible Texas turd has the best lines and the best time. And Newman, sensing he's got one of the meatiest roles of his career, tears into it like a starving man devouring a freshly grilled steak.
No wonder we got a kick out of watching him.......he made bad look soooo good.
The three people people bobbing along in Hud's wake gave him plenty to play off of. There's his elderly, morally upright father played with resigned sadness and wounded dignity by Melvyn Douglas. (When Douglas slowly drawls, "You're an unprincipled man, Hud", that's probably the nicest thing he can say about his son, with whom he shares the burden of past wrenching family tragedy.)
Then there's Hud's young, green nephew Lonnie (Brandon DeWilde) who half admires his wayward uncle's hellraising ways,,,,, and their world weary housekeeper-cook Alma (Patricia Neal, winning the best actress Oscar for what's essentially a supporting role.) Alma's survived a lifetime of hurt at the hands of pricks like Hud, but that doesn't stop him from lusting after her.
And even after Hud's utter moral bankruptcy leaves him alone, does he even give a rat's ass?
Hell no......and that's why the movie's poster hung in thousands of college dorms around the country.
It made no difference what a raging asshole Hud was. He was as cool as James Dean, as cool as Steve McQueen jumping the fences on his motorcycle.
He brought something new to alienated heroes......seeing the world with a cruel, unforgiving eye......its corruption, greed, cruelty and betrayals of love.
But boy oh boy, did Paul Newman make this guy a hoot to watch. 4 stars (***) An absolute must-see for all movie buffs.
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