Martin Ritt

 Martin Ritt




Hud (1963)

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965)




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2. Hud (1963)


By the 1960s, the Western genre had become far more of entertainment concept meant to placate the masses. There were numerous films still, but even more television series. The market was overrun with Westerns. So, when a subversive and more introspective Western like "Hud" comes around, it really stands out above the rest. Starring the iconic Paul Newman, 1963's "Hud" centers on Hud - a morally bankrupt ranch-hand on his aging father's Texas cattle ranch. What's interesting about this particular Western is how the 'society' that normally invades the traditional Western landscape happens from within. Hud himself represents this new societal change, not some external pressure (as is typically with any Western format).





1. The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965)


Based on the 1963 novel of the same name by John le Carre, Martin Ritt's 1965 "The Spy Who Came In from the Cold" is yet another great film that exemplifies Cold War paranoia. Starring the incomparable Richard Burton, the film follows a British spy infiltrating the East German Intelligence Service. Although we are loosely told the nature of our protagonist's mission, there are specificities that are kept from the audience. So, certain plot points are left for us to determine if they are indeed part of the 'mission' or not, leaving a certain level of suspense and uncertainty to the mission's success or failure. This creates more drama than a typical spy film in which you are simply watching them try to execute a laid-out plan. To me, "The Spy Who Came In from the Cold" is a very bleak examination of the Cold War, in which moral decay can be attributed to all sides: U.S. and Soviet / capitalism and communism, etc. The ushering in of a new format of 'war' and what that means all lie in the thematic confines of the film. Because of this, the film remains a prime artistic expression of this phenomenon. 

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