l_rawjalaurence HOME FROM THE HILL participates in a tradition of Fifties melodrama that encompasses most of the work of Douglas Sirk for Universal Pictures.Set in an unnamed Southern town, it focuses on patriarch Wade Hunnicutt (Robert Mitchum) trying to maintain his authority over wife Hannah (Eleanor Parker) and son Theron (George Hamilton). His moral authority has been undercut by his private life; he has been far from faithful and one of his affairs led to his producing an illegitimate child Rafe (George Peppard), who now works as Wade's full-time factotum. Vincente Minnelli's film centers on the conflicts within the family that inevitably lead to tragedy and reconciliation.For historians of late Fifties and early Sixties social history, the film is a fascinating text. Wade embraces the patriarchal ideology in which men are inevitably perceived as breadwinners while their spouses stay at home and bring up the children. He is supported in this belief by Theron's erstwhile girlfriend Libby (Luana Patten), whose principal ambition consists of wanting to "settle down," have children and enjoy the confines of her newly-fitted kitchen.Yet the film shows that belief being challenged by Theron, who begins by wanting to emulate his father's ideals of strength and masculinity (by hunting down a wild boar) and thereby escape what he perceives as the destructive feminizing influence of Hannah. In a traditional society any hint of feminine instincts automatically destroys a man's reputation. As the action unfolds, however, and Theron discovers the truth about his father, so his concepts of gender change; in the end he rebels and walks out of the house altogether. This kind of stand taken by the old against the young is traceable back to REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955).Yet Minnelli suggests that such rebellions are in fact futile. It is better to maintain one's belief in the power of marriage and the family as the basis of social stability. This is precisely what Rafe believes in; hence his decision to marry Libby, even though Libby has become pregnant before marriage. Rafe is identified as the film's moral center; despite the disadvantages he experienced as a child (when his father refused to acknowledge his existence), he grows up to be a firm believer in marriage and legitimate children.Shot in Cinemascope, HOME ON THE HILL makes considerable use of cinematic depth, especially in the way it photographs the characters talking to one another in over-stuffed rooms. There is a clever use of symbolism: when Wade talks about the future of his family to Hannah, Minnelli photographs Hannah next to one of Wade's hunting trophies hung on the wall, suggesting that she represents little more than another trophy to her husband. It is his self-interest and moral myopia that lie at the heart of the film's social conflicts.With an operatic score (by Bronislau Kaper) underpinning many of the film's dramatic moments, HOME ON THE HILL is the kind of overblown melodrama that simply doesn't get made any more, with emotions worn on the sleeve and the actors playing their roles for all they are worth. The film might be long, but it is great fun to watch.

MartinHafer Robert Mitchum is a rich and powerful man. He's also a 'man's man'--tough, adventurous, a great hunter and one who likes to lead a manly life. However, he also has the morals of a sewer rat--and frequently sleeps with women--even though he's married (to Eleanor Parker). As a result, their marriage is VERY strained and they are distant. They have a son (George Hamilton) and the parents both want to shape him into their sort of man. As for Hamilton, he desperately wants to be respected by his father and be the manly sort. He has no idea what sort of reprobate his father is--that is, until he asks out a nice girl and her father flatly refuses to allow this. The pair decide to start dating on the sly.As Hamilton is molded into a man like his father, he's told by his father to be mentored by one of his most trusted employees (George Peppard). Eventually, however, Hamilton learns that this 'employee' is actually his dad's illegitimate son as well what sort of man his father really is--and it sends him off the deep end. When his girlfriend becomes pregnant, what sort of man will Hamilton turn out to be? And, what will become of this rich but no account family? And what about George Peppard--what about him?! This is a glossy soap opera, though it may not appear so when it begins. In many ways, it's in the same tradition as "Peyton Place" and "A Summer Place"--enjoyable, glossy, very well-acted and a bit trashy--but mostly enjoyable. It ended very well--very, very well. And, the film has a lot to say about what it means to be a man...a REAL man.

funkyfry I think this is probably just as good as "Some Came Running", and the hunting sequence is on an equivalent level of cinematic audacity with the finale of "Running." I'm guessing that not as many people have seen it because there's a lot of appeal to seeing Sinatra, Martin and MacLaine in a nice-looking serious film. But Robert Mitchum's no small shakes either. George Peppard actually seems like a real leading man in the movie, and completely steals it from George Hamilton. I like Hamilton's work quite a bit more the second time around though, and I feel more sympathy for his character.There are some negatives I suppose. Some of the Texas accents seem strained, and Minnelli is such an alien himself to the whole macho milieu of the film that we're never fully comfortable in the Mitchum character's hunting den. Perhaps that's just as well. Nostalgia or sentimentality might have ruined the film's drama completely. If Howard Hawks had made it, the depiction of the Mitchum character would have become a bit too worshipful.I was really surprised to read a few of the comments here on IMDb and find out that the character Peppard played wasn't even in the novel. To me, he's just as interesting and important as the Mitchum character, much less the Hamilton character. I've read in other places that Peppard and Minnelli clashed because Peppard was the first method actor Minnelli had worked with. Minnelli was used to being the only one who fussed around and held things up. He liked working with guys like Kirk Douglas who delivered the goods and didn't waste a lot of time thinking about it. But he got a good performance out of Peppard, I would say the best performance I've ever seen from Peppard. If I had seen this movie in 1960, I would have thought Peppard was headed for an awesome career. Apparently MGM was all fired up about him being "the new Spencer Tracy" but I don't exactly see that. I see a really sensitive actor who plays well with the other actresses and actors. I thought he was better in this film than Paul Newman was in "Hud." He was definitely more convincingly blue collar, which you wouldn't think based on "Breakfast at Tiffany's." For the first time I can think of in a Minnelli film however, the female performers don't really hold weight with the male performers. Eleanor Parker seems like she's trying much too hard, although the final scene with Peppard comes off very well. Her character makes little sense and she's not helping any. Luana Patten fails to strike real chemistry with either of her leading men, and seems like a cute ornament in an important role. It's not bad work, just not the type that would compete with the energy of the male stars in the film.I should say more about Mitchum before closing. This was I believe the second film that Mitchum and Minnelli made together, after "Undercurrent" quite a few years earlier. That film was made when Mitchum was just finding his feet as an actual leading man. His main job in the film is to lurk stylishly in the shadows and look good in a cardigan or a smoking jacket. He has a lot more to do in "Home from the Hill", and he does it well. He has 3 really good scenes with Hamilton and at least one with Peppard. It's interesting how he grows progressively more openly cynical in each confrontation with the "legitimate" son Hamilton, finally telling him that by the time he reaches 40 he'll probably have stepped on a few toes as well. But with Peppard he's cynical from day one. The first and only real scene with the two of them together, he tells him that he should have thrown him to the dogs the day he was born. In the world of that character, it's an odd form of camaraderie, a recognition of the level of honesty that exists between the two of them.Ultimately it's a movie that makes me happy, but doesn't completely convince me on a dramatic level. It seems to me, maybe just from my observation, that cycles tend to repeat and not reverse themselves. It's very fanciful to think that the Peppard character would end up being a responsible family man and that the Hamilton character would become unhinged and totally run away from all that money. For a movie that has so many cynical characters and speeches, the whole conclusion is pretty rosy. It really requires that you think a lot of the human species. But... it's interesting. It's more fulfilling dramatically than a story that just ends with tragedy or with a predictable and morose depiction of the status quo. I like the Peppard character, so I like the way that things turn out. But it seems improbable, a bit of a handout. Divine justice, not human justice. Maybe dramatic justice. This is really a film that shows off the strengths and weaknesses of melodrama -- the sacrificial lambs march in line, dues are paid and lessons are learned.

irajoelirajoel Spoiler. This has to be one of Minnelli's worst films. First of all its way too long and not very compelling. The performances are OK, Mitchum was always good, but Eleanor Parker was a very limited, if lovely actress. The plot is silly and unbelievable even for 1960 (which was still really the 50's)and full of stereotypes i.e the town tramp,(played by the very fine character actress Constance Ford, the loyal "negro" servants etc. For an outdoor type of film its very claustrophobic with fake studio sets representing the woods, and is especially glaring in the opening shot. Also the film was so implausible like why the hell did Eleanor Parker stay around if she was so miserable being married to Mitchum, and can you really go along with Preppard agreeing to marry the poor dumb pregnant girlfriend of George Hamilton who walks into the sunset after killing Everett Sloan.