“Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.”
Those lines, the final two of Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem Requiem, introduce the movie featured today. The image of the hunter has long been a romantic one. In mythology Orion was not only renowned for his skills as a huntsman but also for his amorous exploits – in addition to his attractiveness, it is said that he fathered up to fifty offspring by as many different mothers. It is therefore apt that the protagonist in Vincente Minnelli’s Home from the Hill (1960) should also embody these characteristics. And as this hunter moves inexorably towards that repose alluded to in Stevenson’s short poem those features are repeatedly highlighted. In telling this story, Minnelli creates one of his grand melodramas, assembling from constituent parts which are at once discrete and also united in their focus on the deceptions that people lock themselves into in their quest to achieve contentment. How is that to be achieved? Through three interdependent actions: confronting the past, acknowledging the present, and securing the future.
Small town America, the ultimate paradox in some ways, that curious blend of the idyllic and the deeply unattractive. There is something comforting, reassuring, even downright alluring about the sense of orderliness and stability that small, close-knit communities seem to exude. There is a security attached to everybody knowing everybody else, but of course the flip side of that is the preponderance of gossip, of long memories of a malicious type, a type which fosters and breeds grudges. Wade Hunnicutt (Robert Mitchum) is the town’s leading citizen – everybody calls him Captain, adding another layer of deference – wealthy, influential, a noted sportsman, and an infamous womanizer. The opening scene among the bulrushes in the middle of a duck shoot cements all these qualities, the latter one in particular being driven home with some force when Wade finds himself marked as prey by a desperate and indignant husband who has been wearing the horns of a cuckold. That Wade narrowly evades death at his hands is down to the sharp reactions of Rafe Copley (George Peppard) in knocking him just out of harm’s way at the critical moment. By and by, it becomes apparent that Rafe is his illegitimate son, a fact which irreparably soured his marriage to Hannah (Eleanor Parker) and led to her forbidding him to have any involvement in the raising of Theron (George Hamilton), their son who was born in wedlock. That all changes though when Wade comes to realize Theron has reached an age where he needs to learn some lessons that will see him graduate to manhood.
Manhood, however, entails a good deal more than being adept at hunting and the use of firearms, the sowing of wild oats, or even the kind of rugged individualism that Wade Hunnicutt espouses. Those are mere trappings, the panoply of masculinity that one may or may not need to adopt in certain situations, but the characteristics of a man are more nuanced, they run deeper and ask more of the individual than that. This of course forms the core of the movie, the processes, experiences and trials that one must pass through and absorb on the road that leads a boy to grow into a man. That road may be circuitous, forked, ill-defined or uncharted depending on the person who treads it and the destination won’t be the same for everyone yet it’s a journey none can avoid. Maybe more than anything it is the bumps and hollows encountered, and how they are navigated, that ultimately mark the man. For better or worse Wade Hunnicutt has grown into the man he is, and the meat of the tale is to be found in the trajectories followed by Rafe and Theron. The former moving through the roles of tutor, guide and confessor, creating an illusion of being the finished article while he’s really still only part way along on life’s learning curve. Theron is starting further back, having been cocooned in the cotton wool of innocence, his path to maturity seems more dramatic and raw as a consequence. His growing awareness of his father’s legacy, the galling revelations this exposes with regard to the family he thought he knew, and his rejection of a potentially redeeming love see him cast out, his full maturity if not denied then at least deferred.
There is a degree of mirroring with regard to the behavior of the characters. Theron’s disgust at the hypocrisy he discovers at the heart of his family drives him away. He has already proved his physical courage in the wild boar hunt and then his loss of innocence sees him strike out alone seeking independence from his parents and thus indirectly fulfilling another of his father’s wishes. Still, his immaturity and callowness lingers and he ends up, through fear of both himself and his family’s history, abandoning storekeeper’s daughter Libby (Luana Patten), who he has left pregnant. Despite himself, he has acted as his own father did with Rafe’s mother. While Theron is fated to recycle the sins of the father, Rafe is afforded the opportunity to forestall some of the prejudice and rejection he suffered. The past throws long shadows though, especially in these small towns, and even the best intentions can be ambushed by small minded parochialism. Rafe’s selflessness and essential good nature is undermined by cheap gossip and leads to yet more tragedy, though perhaps one whose foundations had been laid long before.
The screenplay for Home from the Hill came via Harriet Frank Jr and Irving Ravetch, adapting a novel by William Humphrey. The writing couple had come off two tricky William Faulkner adaptations directed by Martin Ritt, the rather fine The Long, Hot Summer and the less good but still worthwhile The Sound and the Fury. Now I’ve not read Humphrey’s novel but a quick bit of research suggests the screenplay made a number of changes to the story and characters, and I think the original tale must have been quite different as a consequence. What we get though forms the basis of a fine melodrama, the type of material that was ideally suited to Minnelli’s talents and vision. Perhaps it is a touch more subdued than some of his other melodramas, the palette chosen reflecting this to some extent. There is an earthiness on display in the soft green and brown hues which predominate. However, there are flashes of those vivid shades often found in Minnelli’s pictures at key moments – the crimson dress worn by Luana Patten in the waterside scene where she entrances Theron, the rich burgundy upholstery in Wade’s den where the affairs of men are raised and settled, and then the blood red tombstone in the final scene that is somehow triumphant, sedate and reassuring all at once. These are all instances of great passion and those varied tones of red capture the mood of the scenes perfectly. It’s noteworthy too that the site of Theron’s climactic revenge is backed by an acrid yellow, the noxious gases rising off the swamp matching the bitterness on show.
Robert Mitchum catches all the shades of his character, the arrogance born of privilege often to the fore and, in his more private moments, a hint of humility creeping through whenever he’s reminded of his personal failings. The scene which offered him the most to work with occurs during the barbecue arranged in the wake of the boar hunt. Sharing the screen with a pensive Eleanor Parker, both of them are on the porch overlooking the revelers on the front lawn. Mitchum starts out gently, reminiscing and quietly romancing the woman who has spurned him for so long. He seems to be making headway, gradually softening her with his talk of bygone and better days. And then just as he seems to have victory in sight, she slams the door, telling him in no uncertain terms that he’ll never have her. The wounded pride and the hurt of rejection, that sudden, sour realization that it’s all been for nothing flash across Mitchum’s features for no more than an instant yet he accomplishes it all so effortlessly. Fine acting.
Eleanor Parker is all frozen dignity and has a hugely influential role, her character’s actions motivating and coloring the lives of those around her. The strained marriage to Mitchum has led to her overprotecting her son and the decay that characterizes that union ends up blighting the latter’s life. George Hamilton gets the sullen immaturity of Theron across quite successfully and Minnelli would use him again, albeit less satisfactorily, in Two Weeks in Another Town a couple of years later. George Peppard, in just his third feature role, is excellent as Rafe. His character may have been denied a name and left unacknowledged but he carries himself more easily than Theron. While there is resentment inside, he covers it with a veneer of assurance and gets to play some of the most memorable scenes in the picture: the interlude in the cabin with Theron after the truth of his identity has been brought out into the open, his stepping up to the plate with the distraught and desperate Libby, and his tenderness after the marriage. The film is all about the attainment of manhood and the contentment that this brings and Rafe’s progression towards that goal is an immensely satisfying one to follow. Theron only gets to take the first faltering steps before being sidetracked by upheaval, but Rafe reaches his destination and gets there in some style.
The movie features two cemetery scenes and I guess there is some quality about that spot none of us can avoid which draws forth honesty and strips away the pretense. Both scenes involve Peppard and Parker, the first is wistful and touching as Rafe carefully tends the plot on “reprobate’s field” where his mother reposes. He’s come to terms with his regrets and there is a sense of a young man who has made his peace with who he is and his place in the world, while Hannah sees the beginnings of a thaw warming her heart. It’s all very understated and very effective. Then reminiscent of the final glorious scene in Some Came Running, Home From the Hill draws to a close in another cemetery. All at once memories and loss shed their sorrow, fusing instead into something rich and positive. The point where we witness resentment chase briefly across Rafe’s face before being banished permanently leads to a moment of catharsis and truth, the healing of a wound long suffered by both himself and Hannah achieved through an instance of shared decency and unity. A homecoming lent greater significance and value by being so hard-earned.
Perhaps I’ve rambled on a little too much about this movie, but it’s one I have always admired and it has stuck with me since I first caught a broadcast on TV by chance some forty years ago. It’s a strong addition to that wonderful run of melodramas that Minnelli embarked on in the 1950s and the early 1960s. I have spent a fair bit of time here on some of the performances and a handful of key scenes, but I’d also like to take the opportunity to mention the score by Bronislau Kaper. It is a marvelously evocative piece of work, those lush soaring strings backed by melancholic horns, plaintive as a hunter wearied by the chase. I’d just like to sign off on this piece with his prologue to the movie.
Riding the High Country 
Not seen this one before but your review has me hooked, Colin. Shall keep an eye out for it. Hope all good with you. Maddy
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Thanks Maddy. Yes, all is good here.
I certainly recommend checking out the movie should you get the chance. Minnelli made some of the finest melodramas of Hollywood’s golden age and all of them are worthwhile.
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Excellent review of this fascinating film. Love Mitch of course. Been to the beautiful town of Oxford where quite a bit of this was filmed home of Ole Miss and the great William Faulkner. I believe the cemetery in the movie is where Faulkner and his wife are buried. The church and the house from the film are still there. Another excellent film done in Oxford is ‘Intruder in the dust’ from ’48. Also Rowan Oak Faulkner’s home is lovingly preserved the place he always wanted to escape back from Hollywood.
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An aside about Mitchum. He was offered The Misfits and turned it down. Gable, who replaced him, had been offered Home From the Hill and turned that down.
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I’m sure both could have coped with those roles, but realistically Gable was probably too old for this, and Mitchum probably still too young for Huston’s movie.
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Gable had also been offered years earlier The Bad and The Beautiful he turned that down as well. I think he did not want to play or identify with the characters. Mitchum was more flexible. For example in The Grass is Greener he played the part Cary Grant had initially reserved for himself, but when Harrison’s wife was ill, Grant moved into that role and Mitchum acquitted himself well replacing Cary.
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Nice to known some recognizable locations still remain.
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Really enjoyed this first-rate post, Colin. I’ve never been interested in this film before, but I sure am now. Definitely putting this one on my watchlist. Thank you!
— Karen
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In that case, I’m pleased to have stirred your interest in the movie, Karen. There’s much to enjoy, as I think is true of Minnelli’s melodramas in general.
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Such a fine review of this intriguing movie, Colin. That scene on the verandah between Mitchum and Parker is a great piece of film-making and I like how you acknowledge Mitchum’s skill in it. Understatement was his strength
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Thank you, Steve. Mitchum knew very well how conduct himself on screen, that less is frequently more and how effective even the smallest reactions can be at conveying the deepest emotions. I won’t say that is the only scene where he puts this into practice but it is one of the most effective. And it should be noted that Parker’s cool poise provides the ideal foil for him to play off – they complement each other perfectly here.
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Started watching my DVD yesterday after reading your post. Very enjoyable once again.
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If this piece put you in the mood to watch the movie again, I’ll take that as a job well done.
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I’m glad you mention Peppard. He is good in this. I’m fascinated by the arrogant characters he played in ‘The Carpetbaggers’ and ‘The Blue Max’. By the way, ‘The Carpetbaggers’ has been put out on a rather fantastic Blu. It looks amazing and Kino did a fine job.
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Yes, but The Carpetbaggers is truly terrible.
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Peppard’s early work is very good in general and reasonably varied too. Later he got somewhat locked into more generic stuff, still good enough but not as demanding perhaps.
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Yes, I meant to say he did good work especially in the Civil War scenes directed by Ford in ‘How the West was won’.
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George Peppard is superb in the very underrated The Blue Max. A fine actor who doesn’t get enough praise.
I loved his performance in The Carpetbaggers as well. I have to confess that The Carpetbaggers is a favourite mine – so excessive but sometimes being excessive works.
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I don’t have a copy of The Carpetbaggers to hand now, but since it’s been mentioned a few times now I will dig it out later in the summer when I get the chance.
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In the new Kino Blu it is a real hoot. Two great commentary tracks with it too.
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I have it on DVD as part of a Carroll Baker set I got from Australia, also including But Not for Me, Sylvia and Harlow – an interesting if imperfect set of movies.
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On the subject of Carroll Baker, anyone who hasn’t seen her in Station Six-Sahara should do so immediately. She’s sizzling. An excellent psycho-sexual melodrama in a desert setting.
Imagine a bunch of guys in the middle of the desert working on oil drilling. They haven’t seen a woman for months. Suddenly Carroll Baker arrives. You know that things are going to start happening. A very unfairly overlooked movie.
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Never seen it. I remember thinking about picking up a copy a few years ago but ultimately passed on it.
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Station Six-Sahara really is a great movie. It’s definitely worth tracking down a copy. She is dazzling in this movie.
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Harlow was a fine example of a good actress giving a good performance but the critics hated the movie so it wrecked her Hollywood career.
Which actually turned out well for her since she went on to make her best movies in Italy. It also turned out well for her personally. The Italians treated her with a level of respect she had never received in Hollywood.
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I’ve seen a smattering of Baker’s Hollywood films. She was cast in prominent roles in some very big movies but I haven’t seen anything she made in Italy. A fair bit of that work seems to have been in giallo-type films, which I’ve no doubt said before is not really a genre that holds much appeal for me.
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All of Baker’s giallos are proto-giallos so they bear no resemblance whatever to what most people think of as giallos. They’re light years away from the later Argento-style giallos. There’s no gore and virtually no blood. No shocking brutal murders. In fact often only a single murder.
They’re more like stylish Hitchcockian suspense thrillers. I highly recommend The Sweet Body of Deborah as well as all the movies she did with Umberto Lenzi.
They’re giallos for people who think they hate giallos, because they’re not giallos at all.
And they’re vastly superior to anything she did in Hollywood.
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I see, I’ll keep them in mind then.
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A fellow ‘Blue Max’ fan! It is a favorite war film of mine. Really great stuff in it.
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The Carpetbaggers should qualify as a guilty pleasure but I never feel guilty about loving a movie. George Peppard and Carroll Baker chewing every piece of scenery they can get their hands on.
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An excellent article, thanks Colin. Will dig out my DVD. I have a bit of a low threshold when it comes to melodrama but Minelli was having an incredible run at this point. Now for a Blu-ray of Tea and Sympathy please!
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Yes, Tea and Sympathy again looks at other interpretations of masculinity with really good work from the two Kerrs, John Kerr having already featured in The Cobweb for Minnelli. And it has that climactic scene in woodland too.
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I used to own that on laser disc …
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Minnelli’s films deserve to be seen in a form that brings out the best of their visual strengths. Mind you, I think the DVDs of both Tea and Sympathy and The Cobweb look pretty good.
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Only ever seen The Cobweb on Italian TV with rather muddy colours sadly. This was about 40 years ago …
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That wouldn’t be the best way to view the movie I have to say.
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I think MGM’s colour films of the era (based on Eastmancolor negs) haven’t always survived well – I did see a cinema screening of a restored print SOME CAME RUNNING and it was breathtaking, especially the fairground climax. Warner Archive is doing amazing work.
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Warner Blu-rays are, going by those I own anyway, a superior product and they have certainly done some incredible work on some previously less than satisfactory presentations. I think the Blu of Some Came Running looks wonderful and I continue to be amazed at the improvement The Naked Spur represents over the old DVD transfer.
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Yes, WAC is amazing. Just amazing. The new disc of ‘3 Godfathers’ is an eye washer. What they did with ‘The Hanging Tree’ was wonderful. I can’t praise them enough. It is now like having a personal print of the film in your possession. Wondrous.
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Great review Colin đŸ™‚ You have nailed everything that is masterful about this 1960 Vincente Minnelli melodrama đŸ™‚ The way he uses color to shape the drama and his knack for getting emotionally powerful performances from his actors. As much as I love his musicals, I have always ranked Minnelli’s melodramas higher đŸ™‚ One of these days I plan on doing a blog entry regarding my favorite Vincente Minnelli films and you could expect to see Home from the Hill within the top 5 đŸ™‚
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Thank you, John. I hope you do that entry at some stage, I’d certainly be keen to read it. I think Minnelli is known by most for his musicals but anyone who has seen his great series of melodramas must recognize his skill and mastery in that form, they are all such rich and distinctive pieces of work.
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It makes sense that Minnelli specialised in musicals and melodramas – both genres that reject any attempt at realism.
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Most serious filmmakers are looking to get at the truth in some way, one can’t really produce a piece of art without having that aim in mind after all. There are those who sought to achieve that by adhering more closely to realism and melodrama does allow for that. I wouldn’t say that melodrama is by definition a rejection of realism – I think a stronger case could be made for the musical as it does tend to incorporate fantasy elements more readily and more often – but it does permit a flexible approach to it, something which seemed to suit Minnelli. That said, I feel this particular movie ranks among his more visually grounded melodramas; not thematically though, as they are all grounded thematically by their pursuit of truth with regard to the human condition.
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I was thinking of realism in terms of an obsessive desire to capture a snapshot of reality, which led to the deplorable obsession with location shooting. It’s a dead end.
Realism and truth are two different animals. You can make an obsessively realistic movie that contains no truth at all.
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“Realism and truth are two different animals. You can make an obsessively realistic movie that contains no truth at all…”
Personally, I wouldn’t go quite as far as that. For the most part, I’m not a fan of realism as a technique, which of course is not to say it has no value. I wouldn’t divorce realism from truth, but I do think realism and art are very different concepts and look to get to a similar place by radically different routes.
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Art is not realism, clearly, it is the opposite.
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And of course that’s assuming that such a thing as truth exists. Maybe there are just competing perspectives, all claiming to be the truth.
I rather like movies that suggest that truth is unattainable or ambiguous.
I have a certain mistrust of filmmakers who think they are dealing in truth when they’re simply expressing their own emotional prejudices. My own view is that the more a filmmaker is convinced that he is expressing the truth the less seriously he should be taken.
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“And of course that’s assuming that such a thing as truth exists. Maybe there are just competing perspectives, all claiming to be the truth…”
No, I can’t go along with that. Perspectives are one thing and are by their nature variables. However, truth remains a constant and though everybody may try to get at it differently, or even express different aspects of it, truth itself is immutable and absolute. To deny that is to deny the entire edifice of philosophy and human experience, or at least it leads us into the realm of relativism and sophistry, which is very dubious territory.
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I understand your point of view and I respect it.
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Minnelli had a few misfires. I think Undercurrent (1946) is an interesting misfire.
It’s fascinating to watch Robert Taylor acting Mitchum off the screen. You don’t see Mitchum totally overshadowed very often.
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It’s been too many years now since I last saw Undercurrent for me to be able to make any worthwhile comment on the movie. When I get the opportunity, I must dig out my copy and give it another look.
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Pingback: The Bad and the Beautiful | Riding the High Country
One of the greats has died. Donald Sutherland has passed at 88. So many great movies and performances. Glad they are there for eternity.
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Yes, that is indeed sad news. I hadn’t realized he was as old as that and somehow he seemed like one of those who was always around.
RIP
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He made so many movies. A very mixed career. A lot of very bad movies (M*A*S*H being the worst although Steelyard Blues was also awesomely bad). But a handful of great performances in a handful of great movies – Klute, Don’t Look Now, The Day of the Locust, and that’s about it really.
But in the right role he was memorable.
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