White Dog **** (1982, Kristy McNichol, Paul Winfield, Burl Ives, Jameson Parker, Lynne Moody, Marshall Thompson, Paul Bartel, Dick Miller, Parley Baer, Samuel Fuller) – Classic Movie Review 4497

Esteemed cult writer director Samuel Fuller delivers an uncomfortable but rivetingly intriguing 1982 thriller, in which Kristy McNichol stars as Julie Sawyer, an actress who unwittingly takes in a white German Shepherd dog trained to attack black people. Paul Winfield plays Keys, the unorthodox African-American trainer she hires to re-educate the dog.

Based on a Romain Gary novel, with a screenplay by Fuller and the Oscar-winning Curtis Hanson, this is a dour, low-thrills movie that holds the attention because of Fuller’s dogged writing and direction (he also appears as McNichol’s agent, Charlie Felton). The film is based on a true story when Romain Gary’s wife, the actress Jean Seberg, unwittingly brought home a large white dog that someone had trained to attack only black people. The film is dedicated to Romain Gary.

Paramount wanted White Dog to be ‘Jaws with Paws’ and any racial elements toned down. A studio memo reads: ‘Given the organic elements of this story, it is imperative that we never overtly address through attitude or statement the issue of racism per se.’

Nevertheless, it was still mistakenly accused in America of promoting a racist message, though its intentions are clearly anti-racist, which could be seen as a mark of just how disturbing it is, except that this was while the film was in pre-production and hadn’t been seen. Threatened with boycotts, Paramount limited screenings in America to a handful of cities and then aborted its release. The studio finally lifted its ban on the film by licensing it as part of Criterion Collection on DVD in 2008. However, the film was released in UK and French cinemas in 1982. It screened in 1983 at the London and Edinburgh Film Festivals.

It is shot by Bruce Surtees, produced by Edgar J Scherick and scored by Ennio Morricone (at the suggestion of Fuller’s wife Christa Lang), so everything is well taken care of.

Also in the cast are Burl Ives as animal trainer Carruthers, Jameson Parker as as McNichol’s boyfriend, Lynne Moody, Marshall Thompson, Paul Bartel, Dick Miller, Parley Baer, Martine Dawson, Cliff Pellow and Samantha Fuller.

Five white German Shepherd dogs – Son, Hans, Duke, Folsom and Buster – play the unnamed White Dog.

Fuller had experiences of German Shepherd GI hunting dogs in the Second World War.

Roman Polanski and then  Tony Scott were originally set to direct.

Fuller recalled: ‘Shelve the film without letting anyone see it? I was dumbfounded. It’s difficult to express the hurt of having a finished film locked away in a vault, never to be screened for an audience. It’s like someone putting your newborn baby in a god-damned maximum-security prison forever. Moving to France for a while would alleviate some of the pain and doubt that I had to live with because of White Dog.’ Indeed, it was the last film he made in the US before moving to France.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4497

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