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WHITE DOG; Sam the Man Fuller!
Topic Started: Jan 25 2009, 02:12 AM (308 Views)
Stephen Gladwin
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Heh. Only Sam Fuller could pull this one off! He took a flaky concept (lily-white, naive young actress finds stray dog that is trained to attack black people and seeks a professional trainer to "reprogram" it) and massaged it into something not just credible, but quietly profound and without pretense. Favorite bit: Paul Winfield's character (the black anthropologist determined to reprogram the dog) extending his hand to the dog (in extreme close-up). A great image (a disembodied hand) that works two ways, both practically (his hand "testing" the waters of the dog's training to attack black skin) and a great metaphor for racial understanding (almost a tolerant "handshake"), an extension of the olive branch, if you will. Also, a snarling dog as a symbol of boiling racism is a masterstroke of simplicity and power.

It really is a great film and its trademark Fuller imperfections and grittiness make it the salve to so much liberal "Hollywood hogwash" (I credit the Simpsons for that hogwash phrase!). I know Sam's previous career as a reporter (not to mention his WWII experience) showed him how people REALLY ARE, not how dried-out academics wish they were. This film certainly raises more questions than it answers, but that's how it should be. And like any Fuller flick, half the fun is the suspense of the content teetering on the edge of mawkish sentiment, of broad melodrama (check out the scene with Winfield in the church). But Sam's veteran directorial hand and the snappy editing always keep the schmaltz from dousing a scene. And let's not forget that great Ennio Morricone score. It's one of his best: haunting yet inquisitive and tentatively hopeful, with an impact that lingers, much like the film.

Bravo Sam! And bravo Criterion for bringing this back from obscurity!
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horrorC.K.
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Great flick indeed. Have it on tape for years now and everytime I watch it again I am overthrown by it. Soundtrack is awesome too.
Best one Sam did in my ops.
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Lars Jacobsson
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I wouldn't say the best Sam Fuller, but it's in the top 3 alright. Sonderful film, loved it! I'm so getting the Criterion DVD later on...
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