NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Imprint Blu-ray (August 2025): Imprint have also transferred Martin Ritt's Hud to Blu-ray. Unfortunately, while advancing marginally over the German 1080P (it has almost double the bitrate) - notably more in-motion - it retains a slightly soft and waxy appearance in some scenes possibly due to the condition of the elements. Shot in black-and-white Panavision, the film's visual style emphasizes stark realism and expansive desolation. Filmed primarily on location in the Texas Panhandle - specifically around Claude, Texas, which was renamed "Vernal" for the production - the movie captures the barren, unforgiving landscape as a symbolic extension of the characters' inner turmoil. Approximately 50-60% of the film, including all exteriors and select interiors like a theater, church, and variety store, was shot on-site at places such as the vacant two-story Bannon Ranch house on the Henderson Ranch, 12 miles east of Claude. This location shooting lent an authentic, lived-in quality, with the house repainted and modernized to fit the era's aesthetic. The Imprint HD presentation is an uptick in the film's contrast but the softness - hopefully not inherent - remains.

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The Imprint Blu-ray offers a choice between an English DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track and an LPCM 2.0 dual-mono option. Hud has a minimalist auditory design. The 5.1 mix subtly expands Elmer Bernstein's (The Liberation of L.B. Jones, The Tin Star, The Shootist The Great Escape, See No Evil, Sudden Fear, From the Terrace, The Hallelujah Trail, The Grifters, Robot Monster, Devil in a Blue Dress, Saturn 3, Birdman of Alcatraz, Love With the Proper Stranger, The Bride at Remagen, The Comancheros, The World of Henry Orient, Kings of the Sun, Hud, To Kill a Mockingbird, Summer and Smoke) sparse guitar-driven score and the film's ambient natural sounds like wind and cattle across the channels for a more immersive experience, while maintaining dialogue intelligibility in the center channel without distortion or hiss. The mono track, preferred by purists, provides a faithful reproduction of the theatrical presentation with solid dynamics and no noticeable dropouts. It ensures that the track's subtle nuances - such as the tense silences and diegetic music (Lon's pocket transistor radio) - are preserved effectively. Imprint offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The extras on this limited edition Imprint Blu-ray are highlighted by two brand-new 2025 features that add significant value for cinephiles: an audio commentary by screenwriter/film historian C. Courtney Joyner (The Westerners: Interviews with Actors, Directors, Writers and Producers) and film historian/author Julie Kirgo (writer of Becoming John Ford,) which delves into the adaptation from Larry McMurtry's novel, production anecdotes, and thematic analysis with insightful, engaging discussion; and a 1/2 hour+ interview with actress/filmmaker Illeana Douglas (Cape Fear, To Die For,) granddaughter of Melvyn Douglas, offering personal reflections on her grandfather's Oscar-winning performance, family stories, and the film's legacy. Packaged in a limited edition slipcase with only 1500 copies produced, these supplements provide fresh context absent from past releases.

Martin Ritt's Hud stands as a landmark revisionist Western that subverts traditional genre tropes by focusing on character-driven drama rather than heroic gunfights or frontier conquests. Starring Paul Newman in the titular role, the film is an adaptation of Larry McMurtry's 1961 novel Horseman, Pass By, with a screenplay by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr. that significantly expands the role of Hud Bannon from a peripheral figure in the book to the central antihero. Set against the stark backdrop of a Texas cattle ranch, Hud explores the disintegration of family bonds and moral values in a changing America, blending elements of Greek tragedy with a gritty realism that anticipates the New Hollywood era of the late 1960s and 1970s. Produced under Ritt and Newman's Salem Productions for Paramount Pictures, the film was shot on a modest $2.35 million budget over four weeks in the Texas Panhandle, emphasizing authenticity through location filming in Claude, Texas, and high-contrast black-and-white cinematography by James Wong Howe (The Thin Man, Seconds, The Old Man and the Sea.) The narrative unfolds on the Bannon family ranch, where aging patriarch Homer Bannon (Melvyn Douglas - The Old Dark House, The Tenant, Counsellor at Law,) clings to old-school principles of integrity and hard work amid an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease threatening their cattle herd. His son, Hud (Paul Newman), embodies the antithesis: a charismatic, self-serving womanizer and alcoholic whose reckless behavior stems from guilt over his brother's death in a car accident years earlier. Caught in the middle is Hud's teenage nephew, Lonnie (Brandon de Wilde - the small boy in Shane,) who idolizes his uncle's rebellious swagger but grapples with the moral chasm between Hud and Homer. The family's housekeeper, Alma (Patricia Neal - Three Secrets, The Fountainhead, The Day the Earth Stood Still), provides a grounded, empathetic presence, becoming an object of Hud's aggressive advances while offering Lonnie maternal guidance. Generational conflict is central, pitting Homer's principled Old West ethos against Hud's nihilistic rebellion, while Lonnie embodies the uncertainty of youth in a changing world - a prescient commentary on the 1960s counterculture. Inducted into the National Film Registry in 2018 for its cultural significance, Hud is preserved as an "American masterpiece," influencing revisionist Westerns and character studies in cinema. Hud remains a timeless dissection of human flaws, where the absence of easy resolutions forces viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about morality and legacy. Through stellar performances, evocative visuals, and unflinching themes, it transcends its Western roots to offer a critique of American individualism that resonates today. Imprint's 2025 Blu-ray edition of Hud stands as a commendable release for this revisionist Western masterpiece, although less ideal in the high-definition presentation. We can hope an improved transfer, with film-level restoration, comes around sooner rather than later. This Blu-ray does offer the versatile audio options and the package is bolstered by meaningful new extras that provide modern insights into its enduring relevance. While it may not feature a full 4K upgrade, it may be a worthwhile acquisition for collectors and newcomers alike, especially in its limited slipcase packaging - affirming Hud's status as a timeless exploration of morality amid the fading American frontier. I love the film and will be keeping despite reservation on the image quality. 

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ADDITION: Paramount Blu-ray (June 2019): Paramount in Germany have transferred 1963's Hud to Blu-ray as part of a nine-film 3 BD boxset that includes True Grit (1969), Hondo, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, El Dorado, Posse, The Sons of Katie Elder, Three Violent People, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and Hud. They start with a Universal logo. Hud looks, like the SD, a bit soft and waxy but the higher resolution shows superior contrast and better detail. It is not a dynamic appearance but I have the feeling it may be a function of the original source and theatrical 'look'. It has a few speckles and a barely noticeable scanner noise around 1:06:00. It, surprisingly though, looks quite strong on my system blowing away the old single-layered SD. The bitrate is modest as it shares the disc with two other western genre films. Overall - far from ideal but a pleasing leap above the 2003 DVD with over 3 X the bitrate. It deserves better but the film captivated me... again and I appreciated seeing it look superior (1080P) if far from stellar.

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On their Blu-ray, Paramount use a lossy Dolby 5.1 bump with no option for the mono in English - but there is a German DUB for those that prefer it. There are only typical aggressive effects (gunshots for the cattle, ranch sounds etc.) but few demonstrative separations. The score from Elmer Bernstein (Midas Run, Report to the Commissioner, Kings of the Sun, Hud, To Kill a Mockingbird, Summer and Smoke) sounds gentle and pleasing with lonesome guitar plucks. Paramount offer optional German subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Paramount Blu-ray Boxset has no supplements - just the nine films listed above.

Hud is an absolute favorite western and I remain perplexed why it took so long to cme to HD - and that this package is still far less than the film deserves. It' would seem a stop-gap approach but I am glad to finally have in on Blu-ray despite hoping to reaches a better transfer, lossy mono audio, and maybe  commentary - before I have to wait another 15 years. 

Gary W. Tooze