User reviews

If you get the chance, by all means see this movie, but try to leave your preconceptions aside.

Before this movie came out, it was roundly denounced by people who misunderstood what it is about. The story is not, as many feared, about a dog trained to attack black people. It is the story of a man (Paul Winfield) and his determination to do something that everyone says cannot be done - FREE the dog of its programming. Unfortunately, it seems that too few people were able to break THEIR programming and give this movie a chance.

As someone who was raised to abhor racism & any discrimination for that matter, maybe there is some truth to the idea that a person's beliefs (whether questionable or not) all begin with how they are raised. This could very well transfer to the animal kingdom if WHITE DOG is any indication.

Just from reading the synopsis of the film, I was prepared for a movie that would not be making its points subtly, but rather pulling no punches whatsoever. Director Samuel Fuller was always known for telling it like it is, as well as maintaining his independence from the Hollywood mainstream. At first, Paramount had intended to distribute this movie after owning the rights to Romain Gary's story for years. However, I can guess that the powers that be were still very afraid of the adverse reaction WHITE DOG was likely going to generate, mainly by people who either had not seen the movie, or had misunderstood it. That was why Paramount pulled out before the film's American release, and to this day, it has not been seen in our theaters.

It is thus easily understood why Fuller never made another American film (to which I say, good for him!) because even as liberal as we Americans often claim to be, sometimes a certain subject such as that portrayed in WHITE DOG hits a little too close to home. Fuller dared to talk about racism (a problem still alive & well even decades after the advent of civil rights) without any sugarcoating whatsoever, and it was this take-no-prisoners approach that meant curtains for the film even before it had a chance. No surprise, European audiences & critics loved WHITE DOG, and understood the movie for what it was: a statement against racism, not condoning it. Furthermore, Fuller dared to put forth the theory that racism can be taught to another person (or in this case, animal) by careful teaching. Whether or not deprogramming in the opposite direction can happen is unclear. WHITE DOG succeeds by not giving any clear-cut answers, and that is another reason why Americans probably would not have taken to it well: for every message picture we get, we expect to see some solutions for the problem. WHITE DOG does not do that.

To say WHITE DOG is a film ahead of its time would be an understatement because I do not think even today, a movie like this could be green-lighted by a major studio. Coalitions & interest groups would likely protest loudly enough to force WHITE DOG off the screen. Some would say the violence is to blame, and yes, it IS graphic. But the film does have a PG rating, so it is not gore of the highest order. Even when the film did make it on to American cable, cuts were made so that the dog merely bit its victims rather than killed them. Others would say the mere plot of the movie itself is hateful enough, but sometimes an unvarnished approach to a brutal subject is necessary to get the point across. All I can say is be prepared to have the film's message beat you over the head, for I highly doubt Fuller would have done it any other way. It will also cause heated debate & discussion, yet another result that Fuller (R.I.P.) would also have appreciated totally.

Where are all the protesters who gather whenever some idiot tries to censor artwork or expression that is contrary to American culture? None of them seem to have shown up when this great work was put on the shelf, then later chopped up. Europeans, with an open eye to American society (only due to the benefit of being distant), were able to see this film with honesty. I say this because that's where it was shown uncut and critically acclaimed.

The truth is that it is a statement about and against racism, completely misunderstood by the civil rights groups and the others who opposed it. It is a good, hard look at the way racism is propagated in America, through the training of not only this one single dog, but of young people by racist adults and peers as the young people mature into adulthood. It tackles the subject with an honesty that is sadly missing in the statements of most anti-racist organizations.

Most groups prefer to gloss over the true causes of racism with platitudes, and a few often have a political agenda that promotes socialistic ideals, so they really don't give full attention to the true causes of racism. Everybody now is so afraid of offending anybody else, that everything becomes a watered-down, grayish, inoffensive litany no more bothersome than grouchiness. Sam Fuller stated in film what it really is, and that is that people learn from others throughout childhood, not always by overt indoctrination but by subtle methods, to think in stereotypical and racist terms. Not just whites thinking of blacks as uneducated gangster-rappers, but also those who think of Native Americans as lazy drinkers, Italians as loud-mouthed mob disciples, country folks as hillbilly trailer trash, and so on.

And Hollywood does little of significance to dispel this, because they mostly grind things down to these kind of stereotypes to fit into the 2-hr film story mode that they like, which is long on violence, sex and action, and short on character. It's easier that way. Thanks to Sam Fuller for his courage.

ADDENDUM: I had the opportunity to see this again recently after 25 years, and it is still as powerful as I remembered. It does have a B-movie quality to it, a roughness that actually makes it better than if it had been a polished film. The final sequence remains as terrifying as anything I've seen in any type of film, horror, suspense, Hitchcock, and so on. And it has a fabulous music score by Ennio Morricone. I'd confidently call this one a must-see!

Adapted by Fuller and Curtis Hanson from the Romain Gary novel (to whom the picture is dedicated), WHITE DOG was the iconoclastic director's last Hollywood effort – and one of his most remarkable, in my opinion. However, due to accusations of racism, the film was never released to theaters in the U.S.; undaunted, Fuller took it to Europe instead!

Having watched it twice myself (first on Italian TV and now on DivX, both viewings compromised by the full-screen format – since it was originally filmed in Panavision – and the latter even more so by the VHS quality of the source!), I have to say that I really don't see it as a racist picture at all. On the contrary, the film deals extremely tactfully with its delicate subject matter, and nowhere does it condone such views! One perhaps tends to forget that, hand in hand with the racial angle, the film also tackles another very sensitive issue: animal cruelty. This is handled just as effectively, particularly in the scene towards the end where the dog's previous redneck owner appears out of the blue to reclaim it.

Despite the violence it commits, the dog is never portrayed as a 'monster' that should be destroyed like the ones we encounter in conventional horror films. However, it does carry undeniable connotations with the genre – notably Robert Louis Stevenson's perennial "Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde". Like the leading character of that story, the dog seems to register two diverse and entirely opposing personalities – docile, protective and even playful with its mistress (Kristy McNichol), then turning suddenly into an unstoppable beast out for blood whenever a colored person crosses its path!

The 'reconditioning' scenes with Paul Winfield are exceptional, and really give one an idea of what trained animals have to go through before they finally learn to 'perform'. The rather bleak final scene (so typical of Fuller) is especially powerful – and poignant. The film is accompanied by a simple yet tremendously effective score by the great Ennio Morricone. From the cast, both McNichol and Winfield are superb; Burl Ives is admirably cast against type; Jameson Parker (from the SIMON & SIMON TV series) appears as McNichol's boyfriend; and there are nice cameos by the likes of veterans Marshall Thompson and Dick Miller, director Paul Bartel and even Fuller himself (as McNichol's agent).

Twenty-five years after the fact, it seems that Paramount has had enough time to reconsider its position and accommodate this important motion picture with an official release, at long last – which is rumored to be coming via a Criterion DVD, no less! I truly hope that we will soon see this fascinating and thought-provoking film receive the exposure it so well deserves: if anything, it ought to be made available for its valid sociological aspects – which it doesn't exploit for sensationalistic value but rather aims for maximum eloquence with a direct, realistic style that really shouldn't offend anybody...

Meandering at times, but sensitive thriller about a white-colored, racist dog trained to attack African-Americans. Kristy McNichol nurses him back to health after hitting him with her car, soon learning his true nature and dedicating herself to curing the gorgeous but brainwashed creature. The random scenes of attack on black characters--one in slow-motion--are probably what doomed this film's chances at getting a theatrical release (it played Mexico, but only "preview performances" in the US). True, they are upsetting, but deliberately so. They are necessary in showing the reasoning of what happens next, but that certainly doesn't erase the controversial undermining. McNichol has a difficult time getting a grip on her character (we don't get a good idea of who she is either), but the actress's mere presence is reassuring--she's like a lovely ray. Paul Winfield gives his best performance ever as the black man who attempts to retrain the dog, knowing how slim his chances are. Some shots are repetitive, and Ennio Morricone's music is as well--though I found the passages lovely and melancholic. The slow motion taxed my patience, however all is nearly redeemed by that final shot. What tragic beauty there is in it, what a loss of innocence for all concerned. **1/2 from ****

"white dog" is one of the best films of the 80's,it's a very very hard film but also a really clever and lucid film about racism,conditioning,hatred and the complex connections between people and animals. The acting (especially from Kristy McNichol and Paul Winfield) is great,Fuller's direction and his sense of editing and use of slow motion are really effective,the screenplay is brilliant and ennio Morricone's soundtrack is really beautiful and haunting. I have only an old VHS (with bad dubbing and full screen format)of "white dog"...this underrated masterpiece really deserves a beautiful edition on DVD!

White Dog (1982)

As usual, the sensationalist Sam Fuller pulls off a riveting film, and its message about racism is blunt. And the filming is strong, the editing tight. Much of the acting (the three main people at least) is also good.

But the writing is forced, which causes some of the lesser actors to fumble, and the better actors to strain a bit. It's not a subtle film, and the main theme, about racist dogs (attack dogs trained to attack blacks) is interesting but not really enough, by itself to be satisfying. And there many times when people just don't do quite the right thing--where the main woman would try to stop her dog from attacking another actress, for one example. The dog training aspects are fanciful in general, and a bit nerve wracking.

However, there are some great animal rights implications here, a little ahead of the curve in movies. These in turn are meant to raise issues of human racism, and the analogy is great. I just with the movie had more substance, and better construction, as a movie.

White Dog is often mentioned on lists of all-time most controversial films, and there's a good reason for that. Samuel Fuller's film is controversial because it confronts the theme of racism head on, and succeeds where modern films such as 'Crash' fail in that it actually makes you think. Rather than actually being 'about' racism, White Dog tells a story and lets the themes flow; thus meaning that the audience is allowed to see the themes shining through, rather than being beaten over the head with them. The film is really clever and is based on a premise that isn't immediately obvious. In fact, if it wasn't for a series of little niggles; this film would be an absolute masterpiece. The problems with the film are largely down to the execution, as Samuel Fuller uses too many close-up shots; and the scenes where the title animal attacks in particular suffer from poor editing, which means that it's sometimes difficult to tell exactly what's going on and most of the time gave me a headache. Furthermore, the plot doesn't move particularly well and the film can seem like it isn't going anywhere at times.

It's a good job, then, that Fuller utilises his themes so well. Racism isn't a subject that interests me generally (mostly because of tacky, sentimental dross like Crash), but the plot here is used in such a way that it's impossible not to be taken in by it. We follow a young aspiring actress that accidentally runs a dog over. After becoming attached to it, she decides to take it in; but pretty soon the dog attacks someone, and she finds out that aside from being a white dog, it's also a 'White Dog'; a dog used by white people to kill blacks. The main reason why this film is so good is down to the title animal. Here we have an entity that is entirely innocent of its crimes; the guilty party being the racist that trained him. By letting us see what the dog is capable of, but making sure we know that the dog is only doing what it has been programmed to do ensures that the true horror of racism is allowed to shine through; as well as the futility of hatred down to skin colour. Films like White Dog are few and far between; here we have a movie that dares to tell a story despite its implications, and a movie that forces its audience to think about their own prejudices. It's just sad that we live in a world where films like Crash win Oscars while films like White Dog are banished into obscurity. Highly recommended!

Deemed too controversial by Paramount in 1982, Samuel Fuller's bare- knuckled study of the psychology of racism went virtually unseen for over two decades, playing sporadically at film festivals and private screenings until Criterion remastered and re-released it on DVD in 2008. Fuller was understandably devastated and perplexed by the decision, as it was incredibly well received in the countries that actually saw a limited released, but it was made in a time when serious and unblinking social commentary was favoured less than greased-up man-mountains wielding dual machine guns.

From the very start, Fuller's movie is an exercise in resourceful simplicity, as young actress Julie Sawyer (Kristy McNichol) hits a white German Shepherd with her car, and takes the injured and seemingly innocent animal to the vets for a check-up. The dog's ferocity rears its head early on, as it takes down a rapist that breaks in Julie's house and restrains him until the police arrive. Its eagerness to attack is interpreted as protection of its owner, but when the hound starts savagely attacking black people, it soon becomes clear that this is no ordinary dog. Despite her boyfriend's pleas to put it down before it kills somebody, Julie believes that it can be cured of the affliction it was taught from a young age.

The first third of the movie plays out like exploitation with the subtlest of satire running through the story, almost like the type of movie Larry Cohen used to make only without a flying serpent or mutant baby. The attacks are brutal and well-made despite its low budget, and the movie proceeds almost like a slasher (gnasher?) as the beast bares its teeth with its coat festooned with blood. The animal is truly terrifying, and makes for a chilling movie 'monster'. Yet you see a glimmer of redemption in those sad eyes, and Julie does too, taking it to animal trainer Carruthers (Burl Ives) who, like everybody else, warns her to kill the beast before it kills somebody. One of his workers, dog trainer Keys (Paul Winfield), recognises it as a 'white dog' - one conditioned from a pup to hate black people.

It is a this point that White Dog becomes an enthralling and intelligent expose of racism, posing far more questions that it quite wisely fails to answer. The pure hatred bred into the animal rings true with humans; the kind of ignorant, confused and misdirected fury so prevalent in America. The film also asks whether or not this kind of conditioning is curable. Keys certainly tries, exposing more and more of his black skin to the dog as they gradually form a bond, but the German Shepherd remains unpredictable, managing one night to escape its confines and commit an act of pure savagery in the holiest of locations. The film highly suggests that you may remove the racism, but the hatred will remain, and it's a sobering thought. This is blunt, unflinching B-movie film-making that will have you on the edge of your seat as you watch, and reflect heavily on its themes afterwards.

I can't let this be the only comment for White Dog.

The best film about racism and hatred I've ever seen, with the basic message that hatred isn't something a child is born with, it's something they have been taught. And the question is raised, can you un-teach them?

A black animal trainer (Paul Winfield) attempts to re-train an attack dog taught to kill people with black skin.

Paramount tucked it's tail between it's legs when protesters who had never seen the film claimed it was the work of racists.

Fuller moved to France and never made another American movie. (He made one in France)

PS: to the lady above me, that annoying piano is Ennio Morricone and he has forgotten more about music than you will ever know.

White Dog should not have been banned for the reason of being racist! As an African American, I saw no sign of racism in this movie. Actually, I wish this movie had made the big screen for all Americans to see. The truth of how bigots actually train their pets and children to be racist should be shown around the world.

Coming from the south east I can understand to great details on how this works! As professor Carrasco pointed out that the final turning point for the dog is turning on his master and then on the owner of the zoo because he smelled his previous owner. A dog's sense of smell (mainly German Sheppards) and taste contributed to his old user's tactics of attacking black people. Once a German Sheppard taste blood, he/ she will crave it, especially from anything or anyone whom it consider a threat!

Just as all racist people, because they fear what they do not understand, animals and children are subjected to attack things they do not understand for fear of disappointing their masters or parents. How do we stop this form of terrorism in our country? As much as it makes me sick to watch movies like this and Rosewood, it keeps me sound as to the truth of how racism started and how it is still permeated!!

Misunderstood at time release and attacked as racism picture, unhappy Samuel Fuller leaves the America to live in France, offered to Fuller it wasn't his project, however he accepts and make the screenplay and directed the movie, made a fabulous job, also brings actors as Burl Ives and Paul Winfield.

In fact the picture displays the racism thru the dog, many white people trained them to attack black people, unfortunately wasn't well received by the critics in this period, the time goes by and today Samuel Fuller has his final redemption on "White Dog" at last, exorcizing it for good!!!

Resume:

First watch: 1995 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 8.

"White Dog" was a very interesting movie. The ending does definitely leave the viewer depressed and feeling somewhat betrayed. However, in my opinion, its tediousness and poor acting by Kristy McNichol took away from Paul Winfield's (Keys) determination to cure this dog of its disease. He felt so strongly about doing the right thing and reforming a beast, it made the audience feel that there was still a chance for the dog. It is obvious this is a complete 1980s movie. It's overpowering music and in-your-face type of cinema was a typical trait of the 80s. But absolutely, I do not see this as a racist movie. It is exposing the fact that there ARE racists out there and that there are some sick people who take advantage of a dog's ability to be trained to create monsters out of these unsuspecting creatures. This movie is not saying that all black people are bad. It's shedding light on the fact that some people see it this way and pry into the minds of dogs and program them to think the same way. Since dogs supposedly see in black and white, this is the easiest race between which to differentiate. In a dog's eyes, an Indian or very dark-skinned Hispanic could appear to be as dark as an African American. This movie overall was enjoyable to watch, yet somewhat predictable. The audience wants so badly for the dog to reform and sees hope in the dog after he makes progress, although there is always underlying tension which classifies it as a thriller/suspense. The audience never knows if he will snap or turn on his owners. Sadly, he loses his battle against becoming pure from an instinctual betrayal.

I thoroughly enjoyed this powerful film, particularly for its witty writing, great camera work, and editing. It is on par with To Kill a Mockingbird in terms of its comprehensive treatment of prejudice. My favorite scene is McNichol's chance encounter with the dog's original owner. Throwing tranquilizing darts at R2D2 was a brilliant metaphor for the story, i.e., (1) the futility of suppressing someone's lifetime of a robotic knee jerk reactions to the world with "treatment". On another level, Fuller seems to seek the termination the animal as a sidekick (and criticizing the absence of animal at all in cinema) and while longing for a return to depictions of animals (including the human animal) as a genuine menace. I appreciated the characters' mixed motives and questionable methodology.

I was delighted to see Curtis Hanson was a co-writer.

Criticisms? It should have been shot in black and white. The allusions to brain surgery were weak, and the animal experimentation implications could have been more subtle. The motive(s) of the Burl Ives character is unclear. Kristy McNichol's attachment to the dog is inexplicable and unconvincing, although her performance is very good. Her devotion might have been demonstrated in other (in varying degrees of cheesy) ways, i.e., photographs of her beloved pet, saying outright "but I love him!" or perhaps showing the dog's reflection in her sunglasses. But why strain the story with her waiting by the phone for the news that the dog is cured? I was much more convinced by the trainer's passion.

It's a great film nonetheless.

First of all I thought that Mr. Fuller was very courageous for making such a controversial movie during the time that he did. I believe that even if the movie was first released today, it would face a lot of criticism and enemies, but seeing how it was released almost three decades ago, I can't imagine what kind of criticisms the movie had to go through. Past the fact that this movie is about racism, I believe that this was one of the best thriller movies i have ever seen. I thought that Mr. Fuller did a great job keeping up the suspense through out the whole movie. I was almost never able to predict what was going to happen next and was caught by surprises by what happened. I believe that the suspense wouldn't have been as great without the superb music. Even during calm scenes there would be times when ominous music would be playing and that kept me on my toes throughout the whole movie. Along with great music I thought that the camera work on great close ups during crucial parts of the movie made the movie even more thrilling. Even though this movie is widely known for it's racist aspects, i think that this movie should be watched for it's great thrilling aspect.

Sam Fuller's reputation as an important film maker is something of a mystery to me. The movies of his that I've seen have all had a cheap, distinct trashiness about them. This in itself can hold a certain appeal, but there's an overriding sense of an amateur at work, rather than the serious director he is purported to be.

"White Dog" is no exception. Roman Gary's story is powerful and in the hands of a truly talented director, the result could have been explosive. While Gary and Curits Hanson are credited as co-writers, the stilted dialog has Fuller's stamp on it. The lines have a lame quality, associated with extreme B movies, if not the filler dialog of porn movies.

Kristy McNchol, Burl Ives and Paul Winfield are fine enough actors, so it's to Fuller's discredit that the film should be so shoddy.

The attack scenes are handled well, and as some reviewers have mentioned the dog out acts them all. Fortunately he has no dialog.