WHITE DOG (1982, directed by Samuel Fuller)

He was the ultimate maverick filmmaker. He created many superb films with a paucity of budget but a plethora of originality. He was, like many great artists, appreciated after his creative heyday, when the world finally caught up with him.

After years of not working, Samuel Fuller attempted a comeback with the great, episodic war movie, THE BIG RED ONE. Lee Marvin, who starred in that film, had nothing but respect for Fuller. But changing tastes and lack of insight condemned RED ONE to box office failure. The following year Fuller was back, with a low-budget, fascinating little thriller called WHITE DOG.

Unfairly maligned (this film condemns racism, not encourages it) WHITE DOG received little promotion upon release. It was the impetus that propelled Fuller to abandon his country and move to Europe, where a more enlightened community financed the work of his last years.

WHITE DOG is so hard to find, that the copy I saw (courtesy of The Video Library) had German subtitles! Nonetheless, it is a great little film that deserves rediscovery.

Kristy McNichol accidentally hits a beautiful white Alsatian while out driving. She takes it to a vet and assumes responsibility for her actions by sheltering the dog (with the intention of finding his original owner).

Shortly afterwards, while dozing in her apartment, a would-be rapist finds his way into her home. For some reason she has the TV volume turned up full. A war movie with a (symbolic) battle scene is blaring away, so at first the sleeping dog hears nothing. Finally after McNichol elicits a well-timed shriek, the dog becomes aware of the attacker and springs to life, viciously fending off the culprit and, in one spectacular sequence, bursting through a second story glass window to continue his pursuit. The bond between McNichol and the white dog is now formed.

A subtle hint of the dog’s potential force appears earlier when McNichol gives the dog his medication. In order to give the dog his pill, she has to open his mouth, and in so doing, reveals his lethal fangs. Of course the dog is submissive to her administration, but the potential for carnage is evident.

This is but one way in which Fuller brilliantly tells his story.

It is quite possible though that the real achievement of this film is its originality. Fuller has created a genuinely original film that is socially relevant. I found nothing derivative in it. What a rare accomplishment!

Well-drawn characters add to the film’s punch. Paul Winfield (who is good in everything he does) plays an animal trainer who is determined to re-program the white dog. Incidentally, the dog is not merely white in colour. A ‘white dog’ is an animal trained or programmed to attack only black people. (The training process is described in the film and is a sad testament to the sick minds of some people).

I’m amazed at how cinematically strong this film is, even by today’s ‘move the camera every two seconds’ standards. When Fuller moves the camera, it means something. One scene, involving Winfield trying to teach the dog that there is no difference between black and white, shows him lifting his white t-shirt to expose his black skin, then lowering it again. The dog growls when it sees his skin, then stops when the shirt is put back in place. Fascinating. What an effective way to show that we are all the same beneath the colour of our skin.

WHITE DOG does not have an easy conclusion. It is compelling, right up to the last shot. Comparisons about its effectiveness as social commentary have been made with TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Unlike the sweet memories of childhood in that preciously beautiful film, (which ensures that its images linger in our memory) WHITE DOG depicts the shattering reality of an adult perspective on this difficult subject.

There is another scene, where a grandfather (with his two sweet, innocent young grandchildren in tow) seeks out Kristy McNichol to reclaim his lost dog. McNichol’s reaction when she realizes that the old man is responsible for training the dog to be ‘the best white dog’ is stunning. What a good actress she is! She is the channel for all the righteous rage the audience should feel when confronted with the racist responsible for the dog’s malicious behaviour.

Incidentally, five dogs were used as the white dog and they are magnificently trained. The film was made under the supervision of the American Humane Association, so what you see is genuine movie magic.

I cannot recommend this wrongfully neglected masterpiece highly enough. Pick up your phone and call The Video Library (1-800-669-7157) and they will mail this great film to your door.

And may we never forget the genius of Samuel Fuller.

Jon Ted Wynne