Movie Description Sam Fuller's blunt parable about racism, WHITE DOG, explores what happens when a young actress (Christy McNichol) adopts a German Shephard that has been trained to attack black people. After a number of terrifying attacks, she hires a black trainer (Paul Winfield) to rehabilitate the animal. Together, their effort to cure the white dog of its vicious upbringing becomes something an ethical experiment: can hatred be unlearned?
A trenchant moral drama that isn't subtle, or easy to forget, WHITE DOG is well aided by Ennio Morricone's fine musical score which deepens its operatic dimensions and adds a layer of psychological unease. Produced in 1982, the film's controversial subject matter caused it to be withheld from theatrical release until 1991. Loosely adapted from the memoir by Romain Gary, Fuller co-wrote the screenplay with a pre-L.A. CONFIDENTIAL Curtis Hanson.
Samuel Fuller's 1982 take on racism was once thought too controversial for American moviehouses. Available now for the first time in its original form, WHITE DOG explores what happens when a woman takes in a dog which turns out to have a vendetta against black people. Having been trained to attack only people with dark skin, the dog causes considerable distress for its victims and its owner, who in turn hires a black trainer to rehabilitate the animal.
| Credits | | Producer: | Jon Davison | | Cast: | Christa Lang, Lynne Moody, Marshall Thompson, Samuel Fuller |
Editorial Reviews "[An] uncompromising, poignant examination of racism....A gripping, meditative, and ultimately beautiful achievement..." -- Grade: A Entertainment Weekly - Kim Morgan (12/12/2008)
| See an error? Submit a change request |