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18 out of 18 people found the following review useful: very underrated, 10 May 2000 Author: Dennis Schreiner (batjac@bc.sympatico.ca) from British Columbia, Canada
I think this is Vincente Minnelli's great unsung film and may in fact stand as his best. It features one of Robert Mitchum's most perfect performances. The movie is provocative in terms of its ideas of manhood(some of its themes, particularly those concerning hunting, are very Hemingway-ish)This movie also presents a way of living that is today becoming increasingly anachronistic and unpopular. It is for this reason also that it is so fascinating - it presents a window to an ever diminishing way of life. Of course it is first and foremost a melodrama, but this aspect I found to be often overshadowed by the secondary themes and the little details, like Robert Mitchum's den (was there ever a room that defined machismo the way this one does?).
15 out of 15 people found the following review useful: This is the best of its genre!, 6 October 2005 Author: sggar00 from United States
If you want lampooning small towns with big rich families with tons of troubles; then you need to be watching "The Long Hot Summer" or "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". If you want a good enthralling movie with strong character acting and a believable story line then this is the one for you. Having grown up in the South, especially in a small rural town I completely understand and can relate to this movie. It centers around what most of my generation had in our small towns, that one rich family who owned everything. Naturally this movie ratchets up the drama, so if you are not from this region you may think it unrealistic. Robert Mitchum is in one of his bests roles as the Cap'n. The troubles and trials of their marriage spill over into their son's life. Theron's youthful care free teenage life finally gives way to his budding adult manhood but somehow is related to the problems of his parents with a little of his own to throw in. I would recommend this movie to anyone, its a past gone era of life that I remember so well and well acted.
15 out of 15 people found the following review useful: Fine performances in well written family drama, 28 August 2003 Author: Arne Andersen (aandersen@landmarkcollege.org) from Putney, VT
This is a well written adaptation of the famous novel about a Southern family torn apart by the socially unacceptable behavior of its patriarch and the resulting tragedies incurred by his offspring because of it. All performances are exceptionally fine and neither George Hamilton nor George Peppard have ever topped these first outings for them both. Hamilton reminds one of Tony Perkins here - he would also have been perfect casting. He is also reminiscent of Hal Sparks.Mitchum does very well in one of his best roles and although Eleanor Parker is not on screen very much, she gives a very fine restrained performance.The joy of this film is in the writing- all of the characters are somehow flawed but they are all basically human and likeable because of it - there are no caricatures, no stock villains or heroes. The 2-1/2 hour running time goes swiftly by.Bronislau Kaper's score is one of his finest. The unforgettable main theme - a combination of five notes, followed by four - with emphasis laid on the first note of both sets, is extremely moving - filled with both passion and sadness. It is available on CD from Film Score Monthly's series of remastered soundtrack music.The only fly in the ointment is the VHS release - yes, this newest one- as with MGM/UA's release of SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH, they use a pan and scan of the CinemaScope image and the print is very fuzzy and washed out color-wise. The film is so good though, one is only minorly annoyed with this.Do see it - it's very very well done.
8 out of 8 people found the following review useful: An interesting look at the 1950's, 18 November 2006 Author: Tim McLaurin (a1416811) from Oxford, Mississippi
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
First, my regards and condolences to those actors, actresses, and the people involved with the making of this movie, who are still living and those that are no longer living.Though it portrayed a family in East Texas experiencing many family issues and situations that were real occurrences of the South, in the 1950's. It was actually made in Oxford, Mississippi. The home of William Faulkner and was where, John Grishom, graduated from Law School.I am not a big critic of movies, yet considering the times (the middle to late 1950's), the audience, and man and woman's role during those years, certainly, the movie portrayed many aspects that society was confronted with, especially in the South. It may have been true of the North as well, yet I have limited knowledge of that area of the country, during the 1950's.As previously mentioned, I have watched this movie many times, and more than most, and the reason is, because I was the infant (the baby in the wedding near the end of the movie). I was only 2-4 months old at the time of the wedding ceremony. I'm glad they got married!!! I have just turned 48 years of age and find people are still watching the movie. There must be something about the movie that keeps people in their seats.I consider it an 8 out of 10 on the movie scale. It is a movie to watch, take note of the past, and the interesting changes that have occurred with man, woman, and family, over the past 50+ years. In addition to what has not changed, over the past 50+ years.Actually, I think it is a 10 out of 10 on the movie scale, because I was in the movie, and because they got married, I had parents!
7 out of 7 people found the following review useful: Those Wild Oats, 30 June 2007 Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York
Home From The Hill though it is located in Texas has the look and feel of those southern stories made so popular back in the day by William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams. This is not the Texas of say Giant, this is East Texas which bares quite a lot of resemblance to the delta country of Louisiana and Mississippi. And Robert Mitchum's Wade Hunnicutt is not quite the same kind of local patriarch as Rock Hudson's Bick Benedict.Whatever else Bick Benedict was he was certainly loyal to Elizabeth Taylor. Whereas Robert Mitchum's been absolutely notorious for sowing his wild oats around the whole region. Eleanor Parker stays married to him, more for the sake of propriety than anything else, and for their son George Hamilton. Some of Mitchum's good old boy drinking buddies like Guinn Williams and Denver Pyle send young Hamilton on that southern tradition, a futile snipe hunt. That little prank actually sets the whole plot of the film into gear. It's supposed to be women who gossip, but these good old boys also with some of their locker room gossip that Everette Sloane overhears that sets the climax of the film going.Robert Mitchum is cast in one of his best roles and it's ironic that he was a second choice for Clark Gable. I doubt that Gable could have done better with this part. The always dependable Eleanor Parker matches Mitchum all the way with her performance as the suppressed wife.George Hamilton and George Peppard got very good roles in Home from the Hill in the salad days of their respective careers.Though Home from the Hill does veer into soap opera it's held together primarily by director Vincent Minnelli and by a great cast he assembled.
9 out of 11 people found the following review useful: this film should be a cult classic, 12 January 2003 Author: BeccaHuffa (BeccaHuffa@aol.com) from Scotland
Though not one of its director's best, this film has to be one of the best ways to pass a rainy afternoon or dull night. Robert Mitchum has two sons: one legitimate (George Hamilton, who is spoilt and preppy) and one illegitimate (George Peppard, who is macho and resourceful but also one of nature's gentlemen, and lives in a hut with his dogs, waiting patiently for a word of kindness from his father). Mitchum also has a Southern belle wife who's locked the bedroom door against him for 18 years. Simmering tensions and overcooked dialogue make this just incredible fun - see it if you can.
6 out of 6 people found the following review useful: Underrated Drama Is One Of Vicente Minnelli's Best Films, 20 March 2005 Author: Hal-900 from WA, USA
"Home from the Hill" is perhaps a bit too melodramatic but Vicente Minnelli's excellent direction and the strong cast make it irresistibly slick entertainment. It is long, but well-defined characters and unexpected situations, keep the narrative interesting. Robert Mitchum gives a strong performance in the leading role. Eleanor Parker is great too (her beauty and elegance are more evident than ever before). George Hamilton and George Peppard perform well in secondary roles. Curiously, the high production values (a trademark of MGM) are at odds with the grim aspects of the narrative - it is a strange combination that works beautifully. Fans of old Hollywood productions need to check it out.
5 out of 6 people found the following review useful: Not for the politically correct, 25 May 2006 Author: lee1888 from United States
This is a great unsung movie. Robert Mitchum plays the perfect strong macho father of the fifties. If you're a bleeding heart or one of those politically correct people, and an animal lover. Stay away from this movie! When Dr. Phil was going to school, this was required reading on how not to be a father, mother, son or family for that matter.Mitchum has two sons in this movie. One is by his wife's played by Eleanor Parker, who is cold as ice to Mitchum affections, and the other from a woman on the wrong side of town. But she is long dead and we never get to see her. A young George Peppard plays that son. I think this is one of Peppard greatest acting jobs.This is a great must see movie if you like hunting and watching a son being brought up by a strong father and over loving mother. But I'm afraid you will have to catch it on cable if you're lucky. This film like many of Mitchum's films are not available on DVD
3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: One of the Best Movies of all Time!, 17 February 2007 Author: pennygunter from United States
I loved this movie! I saw it originally as a teenager and am still in love with it today. If they ever do a remake of it, I'd love to play Eleanor Parkers, part! Robert Mitchum was at his all time best, as this truly lovable yet misguided man of the world. George Peppard can still make women fall in love with him, 47 years later and I don't believe George Hamilton ever gave a better performance. Luana Patton was believable as the scared teenager in love. As a whole, I'd say it was one of the best movies of 1960, if not of all time. This is southern life and love at it's best. If you play close attention, you'll see a lot of older character actors, Denver Pyle, for instance, that make the movie seem real, as though you were in Texas, living through the heartache and break with them, great performances by all!
3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Real good solid movie., 16 July 2007 Author: Boba_Fett1138 from Groningen, The Netherlands
This is a well made typical genre movie that features some solid emotions and characters and offers some well written plot elements.It's a coming of age movie but it also is a (melodramatic) family drama. These type of movies really had been popular in the past and most of them also are really great ones to watch. Too bad they just don't make movies such as these anymore. This movie might not be the best in its genre but it has more than anything other elements in it to compensate for this.One of them most definitely is the cast. Robert Mitchum once again gives away one fine performance. The movie also features a great and still young looking George Hamilton and George Peppard, though Mitchum on the other hand still looks the way he did 20 years before this movie.The movie handles all of the genre elements really well and know to bring it in a good and original way. Definitely a surprising movie from Vincente Minnelli, who got his fame for directing other type of- and less serious movies. I especially like the way George Hamilton's character gets developed and changes throughout the movie, from a mothers-child to a real adult. It was also great how they handled the Robert Mitchum character. They make him not-likable but at the same time also intriguing and interesting enough to not hate him. It's sort of too bad that they made the mistake to let his character slowly disappear out of the movie for most of the last third of the movie, while he starts off as the main character. The movie does a good job at portraying the relationships between the characters, which is an essential part for movies such as these.Despite the fact that the movie its story definitely has soap-opera like dramatic developments in it, you still get drawn in to it, which is I think due to the interesting characters and actors that portray them. It keeps the movie real.The movie is set in the South of the United States, which gives the movie that special kind of- and warm atmosphere. Its sets, costumes and props all add to this. The time period the movie is set in also definitely benefits the movie. The movie also has a surprising good and likable musical score, by Bronislau Kaper.Worth seeing if you get the chance to.8/10
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