Home from the Hill
Home from the Hill
NR | 03 March 1960 (USA)
Home from the Hill Trailers

The wealthiest man in a Texas town decides to teach his teenage son how to hunt to make a man out of him.

Reviews
Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!
Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.
2hotFeature one of my absolute favorites!
Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.
wes-connors In 1960s Texas, real estate tycoon Robert Mitchum ("Captain" Wade Hunnicutt) is wounded, by the husband of one of his many feminine conquests, during a hunt. Young handy-man George Peppard (as Raphael "Rafe" Copley) comes to Mr. Mitchum's aide. Nobody talks about the fact, but Mr. Peppard is Mitchum's 22-year-old illegitimate offspring. Mitchum employs Peppard, but does not officially recognize him as a son. Mitchum's "legitimate" son and heir is gangly good-looking 17-year-old George Hamilton (as Theron Hunnicutt). Peppard chain-smokes, swings a rifle, and does other manly things. Mitchum beds women.But, young Mr. Hamilton is known as a "mama's boy." He gets his main nurturing from mother Eleanor Parker (as Hannah). Though still sexy, Ms. Parker keeps her bedroom door locked. The film top-bills Mitchum and Parker, but deals mainly with the "coming of age" story concerning Hamilton's character, how it effects others in the cast, and uncovers buried emotions. Described as "wet behind the ears," Hamilton is taught how to hunt "like a man" by brotherly Peppard. Then, he is encouraged to ask pretty Luana Patten (as Elizabeth "Libby" Halstead) out for a date. Hamilton figures out what to do with her on his own...Beautifully adapted by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr., from a William Humphrey story, "Home from the Hill" is a surprisingly effective indictment of illegitimacy. Director Vincente Minnelli manages the material exceptionally well, bringing the characters and situations to life; this is absolutely necessary, since the basic story is very often told. Known mostly for his musicals, Mr. Minnelli received award nominations from the "Director's Guild" and "Cannes Film Festival".His theatrically poetic performance won Peppard a "Supporting Actor" award from the "National Board of Review". This group placed the picture at #7 for the year and gave Mitchum a combined "Best Actor" award for "The Sundowners" and "Home from the Hill". Peppard was also nominated by the British Academy and "Film Daily" in supporting and newcomer categories. The later noted Ms. Patten in the juvenile category, but "The New York Film Critics" polled her at #8 as "Best Actress".In the critics' mind, Hamilton seemed to be playing second fiddle to Peppard, but he had just received similar accolades, for "Crime & Punishment, USA" (1959). Hamilton makes you believe he is the naive teenager he is playing. Watch Hamilton in the scene he plays with mother Parker, after several hours on a picnic with girlfriend Patten. From the moment he walks in the door, Hamilton leave you with no doubt about what the couple has been doing. Now, that's "method" acting.******** Home from the Hill (3/3/60) Vincente Minnelli ~ George Hamilton, Robert Mitchum, George Peppard, Eleanor Parker
moonspinner55 Southeast Texas game-hunter, a married man with a reputation for womanizing, wants to get a hunting rifle into the hands of his son, whom he fears is becoming a mama's boy; meanwhile, a young, swaggering associate of the hunter teaches the mild-mannered lad about girls. In the earliest portions of "Home from the Hill", director Vincente Minnelli nearly reconstructs a rural variation on "Tea and Sympathy" (which he also directed); after a muddled, melodramatic opening, the film becomes less a coming-of-age story than a tale of family secrets revealed, and the second-half of the picture is surprisingly serious and bracing (though rendered in typically glossy M-G-M fashion). George Peppard and George Hamilton are both excellent, far outshining the unhappy adults (Robert Mitchum--miscast--and Eleanor Parker, who keeps fiddling with her costumes as if she were a maiden lady). Peppard, in particular, has some wonderful physical bits of business, convincingly playing a small-town bachelor stud toying with the idea of growing up. Minnelli allows the dialogue-heavy plot to unfold carefully, slowly, but those who stick with it will find a rewarding drama of honor and responsibility. Constance Ford is terrific in small role as a bar floozy, and Everett Sloane gives a highly sympathetic turn as a businessman with family troubles of his own. **1/2 from ****
bob-790-196018 If you read a synopsis of the movie, you'd say ho-hum. A loveless marriage. An unacknowledged illegitimate son. An unwanted pregnancy. A scandal-mongering small town. But, thanks to good writing, direction, production values, and acting (especially by Robert Mitchum and George Peppard), this movie holds your interest for its 2 1/2 hour length.I was impressed by the two hunting scenes, finding them vivid and exciting, even if, as one reviewer says, they were not really shot in the wild.George Hamilton starts out as a mama's boy, soft and overly sensitive, and after learning to shoot and hunt and tracking down a fierce wild boar, he still seems like a mama's boy. Blame it on his facial expression, perhaps.The Robert Mitchum character's insistence on his son's cultivating manly virtues (for want of a better term) and abandoning boy's preoccupations like stamp and butterfly collecting is likely to offend some viewers, but he is only being true to the background portrayed in the story.
kenjha A rich and powerful landowner tries to make a man out of his tenderfoot son while dealing with an illegitimate son and an estranged wife. This is perhaps the finest drama Minnelli ever made, as he elicits terrific performances from his stars. Mitchum is perfectly cast as the hard-drinking womanizer who has some regrets. Parker occasionally goes overboard but is otherwise fine as his estranged wife. Peppard turns in arguably his best performance as Mitchum's son from a dalliance with a maid. Even Hamilton does well in a role that seems to be tailor-made for Anthony Perkins. This long and absorbing drama is marked by good cinematography and score.