Just before the counterculture emerged and the anti-hero took hold, Hollywood was still trying to make grand, sweeping, star-studded epics. From this period in the in the very early sixties arose "Home from the Hill." An entertaining and quite engrossing film (even at its almost three hour running time) that just misses being an epic by a smidge.
Even though Robert Mitchum gets top billing, it is the "Georges" (Peppard and Hamilton) that get the screen time and it is nice to see both shine. Peppard is great, reminding one of a young Steve McQueen, and shows the promise he possessed prior to falling into schlock films like "The Blue Max" and retreating into the small screen. Hamilton is a revelation. He also shows good acting chops and makes one wonder how he became such a media caricature of himself. Mitchum, well, is Mitchum. Nothing wrong with that, but at times it seems as if he's just going through the motions. Eleanor Parker holds her own, but the women in this film are just window dressing as this movie is really boys about becoming a men.
For a man who directed his share of musicals, Vincente Minnelli's direction is a bit static and his staging is at times quite awkward. For instance, the scene where the household discovers Mitchum's character has been shot takes place in the corner of the room, behind a chair. The odd camera angle is from the other side of the room and except for a small push-in, there is no camera movement. Details and character reactions cannot be discerned, the scene just cries out for a close-up of or some type of cut. Perhaps Minnelli just wanted the audience to focus on the seriousness of the entire scene. Or Perhaps growing up with the quick edits of the MTV Generation, I'm expecting too much, probably both.
At times the story and the acting can be a bit mawkish, but that was the era. This is still a grand, old, sweeping Hollywood film, a BIG FILM, like they used to make, almost an epic. Going into it with that state of mind you will find yourself immersed in the film and the characters and nearly three hours will have passed before you know it.
Even though Robert Mitchum gets top billing, it is the "Georges" (Peppard and Hamilton) that get the screen time and it is nice to see both shine. Peppard is great, reminding one of a young Steve McQueen, and shows the promise he possessed prior to falling into schlock films like "The Blue Max" and retreating into the small screen. Hamilton is a revelation. He also shows good acting chops and makes one wonder how he became such a media caricature of himself. Mitchum, well, is Mitchum. Nothing wrong with that, but at times it seems as if he's just going through the motions. Eleanor Parker holds her own, but the women in this film are just window dressing as this movie is really boys about becoming a men.
For a man who directed his share of musicals, Vincente Minnelli's direction is a bit static and his staging is at times quite awkward. For instance, the scene where the household discovers Mitchum's character has been shot takes place in the corner of the room, behind a chair. The odd camera angle is from the other side of the room and except for a small push-in, there is no camera movement. Details and character reactions cannot be discerned, the scene just cries out for a close-up of or some type of cut. Perhaps Minnelli just wanted the audience to focus on the seriousness of the entire scene. Or Perhaps growing up with the quick edits of the MTV Generation, I'm expecting too much, probably both.
At times the story and the acting can be a bit mawkish, but that was the era. This is still a grand, old, sweeping Hollywood film, a BIG FILM, like they used to make, almost an epic. Going into it with that state of mind you will find yourself immersed in the film and the characters and nearly three hours will have passed before you know it.