DVD review: Sam Fuller's 'White Dog'

"White Dog" still has plenty of bite, but from a distance of a quarter century it's hard to see how this tale of racism and redemption gained such a ferocious reputation.

The rarely seen 1982 movie from B-movie genius Samuel Fuller returns via the Criterion Collection, which brings it up from the underground in a single-disc edition.

The film, about an attack dog trained to kill blacks, appears to be a mixed breed -- part monster movie, part 1970s-style social commentary. Paramount exec Michael Eisner disparaged it at the time as " 'Jaws' on paws."

Still, "White Dog" remains curiously fascinating, a must-see for admirers of Fuller's fist-first filmmaking. Like a prime cut of pulp fiction, "White Dog" is almost impossible to put down before the grisly thing plays out.

Fuller's attack on white vs. black racism was put to sleep by the Beverly Hills branch of the NAACP (an organization long known in Hollywood for its love of publicity and news headlines). The group pressured Paramount to kill the film, which the studio did without much fuss.

The NAACP outpost feared that the film's high concept -- that "white dogs" are routinely bred to attack blacks solely because of the color of their skin -- would inspire racists to rededicate themselves to the practice.

“We’re against the whole thrust of the film and what it says about racism," NAACP spokesperson Collette Wood said at the time. 

Fuller's message appears to be that racism is a matter of twisted upbringing and training, not a natural phenomenon. The rebel filmmaker had long dealt with racial themes in movies such as "The Steel Helmet," "Shock Corridor" and "China Gate."

Disgusted with the studio system and the fate of "White Dog," Fuller moved to Europe. "(Movie executives) never understood Sam or his movies," producer Jon Davison says in the DVD extras. "They didn't want to deal with him."

"White Dog's" first theatrical exposure came when Paramount's arthouse unit revived the project a decade later. "Sammy was vindicated" by critics' reactions, Davison says.

"White Dog" picked up some fans on cable TV and made the rounds on fuzzy bootleg VHS tapes that seemed to make the film's violent rep bigger and badder. Criterion's is the first DVD release of the title. (Criterion put out Fuller's "Shock Corridor" and "Naked Kiss" back in the laserdisc days.)

The "White Dog" movie begins, oddly enough, with Kristie McNichol of 1970s TV fame, who plays an up-and-coming actress in L.A. Driving home one dark night she hits a dog and saves its life. Dog ends up living with actress -- a good thing, it seems, because a rapist sneaks in shortly thereafter. Dog shreds the white rapist, a hero until the actress figures out the pooch has been trained to kill blacks on sight.

A black movie-industry animal wrangler (Paul Winfield) agrees to cure the dog of its racist programming. This leads to a series of bullfighting-style fights between attack dog and heavily padded trainer, set in a gladiator cage. Thus broken, the dog comes to love the black man, but harbors a powerful need to escape. With assorted tragic results.

The DVD's making-of interviews tell the long and twisted tale of "White Dog," starting with its birth in a short story and novel written by a Fuller pal. 

Director Curtis Hanson, who wrote an early version of the script and later finished the job with Fuller, does a lot of the talking in the extras. "I was there to serve Sammy, and happily so," Hanson says of working with the legendary director. 

The project originated at Paramount with production czar Robert Evans seeing it as a vehicle for Roman Polanski. Fuller came aboard after a regime change, based on his powerful work in "The Big Red One." The director's vision was for Jodie Foster, Billy D. Williams and Lee Marvin in the lead roles. He ended up with McNichol, Winfield and Burl Ives.

Criterion's DVD looks quite good, especially considering the film has a bit of that crappy 1970s film-stock feel to it. Images (1.78:1) are mostly sharp with good color saturation and decent contrasts. The mono audio is good enough.

The booklet is a good read, with a pair of thoughtful "White Dog" essays from critics and a weird bit in which Fuller interviews the Dog, who has gone Hollywood.

* * * * *

"The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" also returns via Criterion. The John le Carre spy novel adaptation stars Richard Burton as he gravely endures direction from Martin Ritt.

"Spy" looks sensational, a study in gray that suits the cloud cover of ambiguities offered up in its story of a double agent working both sides of the Berlin Wall. I love the film, but strongly recommend orientation by reading (or rereading) the le Carre novel before seeing it.

Burton and Ritt, who grew to hate one another, turn in some of the best work of their careers. Ritt, who went on to make socially aware films typified by "Norma Raye," is all shadows and fog here, allowing no sentiment or nationalism to creep in.

Le Carre talks about the film in a bully interview done last year by Criterion. He says Burton wouldn't have been his choice for the role ("too loud"), and rolls out a few other criticisms of the film. Ultimately, he says, the "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" movie turned out to be "something close to a real classic case."

Le Carre tells how his surprise hit novel and its film adaptation were "bonuses" to a young man with a real career in the U.K. spy biz. The writer's famously amazing life is covered in "The Secret Centre: John le Carre," a 2000 documentary from the BBC that's included as a DVD extra. (The new interview is the extra to catch.)

Cinematographer Oswald Morris talks about his work on "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" and provides some inside information on the shoot, including this gem: 

Of all of Burton's film directors, Morris says, "Only Marty (Ritt) had the nerve and strength to conquer (Burton) and to get him to play the part he directed." 

There's also a vaguely creepy British TV interview with Burton from 1967.

Buy Criterion's "White Dog" and "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" at Amazon.