Hud

In HUD, the first novel by Larry McMurtry to be adapted for the screen, we are introduced to the life of a man who simply was born to break the rules. Paul Newman turns in what many consider to be his finest performance as the hard drinking, cussing and fighting womanizing Hud Bannon. At odds with his father, the world and the ways of old, here is a character you will just love to hate. A complex story of love, loss and regret, I will leave it up to you to exprerience for yourself. I will point out the lovely Patricia Neal and Melvyn Douglas received Academy Awards for their respective performances with a third going to cinematographer James Wong Howe. Sadly, Newman lost out for the best actor and it would be many years til he actually received one. The dynamic relationship and how it evolves between Hud and his nephew, played by Brandon De Wilde, is one of the finest ever put to film making HUD one of the true American masterpieces. Though director Martin Ritt would continue on with his illustrious career, he would never quite capture the same brilliance demonstrated here. Not only is HUD a must see...it is a must own!