On H List of Movie Reviews
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Home from the Hill (1960)
Rate:
5
Viewed:
8/26
8/26:
It's weird that there was Hays Code back then, but Hollywood was allowed to produce movies about perversion
in the Deep South.
Some examples are Baby Doll,
Written on the Wind, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Another entry
to this genre is Home from the Hill. With the running time of two and half hours, it's a long, boring
Texas melodrama. There's a talk among men that defies belief when it's revealed that Wade impregnated Libby,
enraging her father. Impossible. She's not the sort of girl who would do that.
Originally, I chose this one solely for Robert Mitchum due to the raves he received from some critics. The
longer the show goes on, the smaller and more ordinary his part actually is. Rather, it's George Hamilton's film.
Sometimes, George Peppard takes over the lead.
At any rate, George Peppard steals the show. I never thought much of him as an actor, but after
seeing what he did, my tune is slowly changing. However, it's true that he stunk in a lot of films, starting
after The Blue Max. On the other hand, George Hamilton, who's
so young-looking, may look miscast, but he's right for the role. Eleanor Parker fails to sell her character
as the long-suffering, neglected wife. Then again, she wasn't much of an actress back then.
The worst aspect of the film is the fight scene between a boar and a dog. And this is from Vincente Minnelli
who did mostly musical and chick flicks? I would've thought this would be right up John Ford's alley.
Either way, it's a mistake. Besides, boars aren't dangerous (I scoffed when Robert Mitchum's character told
an exaggerated story about his encounter), but they can be if you bother them!
All in all, George Peppard saves Home from the Hill from being a total dud.