the audience applauded

Simply A Masterpiece

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

I have no problem with the anti-racist bias here. I DO have MAJOR problems with the techniques used in re-training the dog out of his racial bias. Possibly the author of the original story (and the film people) consulted only local dog trainers? My background (although a professional PhD clinical psychologist, now retired) includes 7 years study on my PhD in learning theory which also included teaching many fellow PhD candidates.This film's authors, directors, & screen writers obviously did not consult with any scientific university experts on the learning and retraining principles involved. As is, it makes an emotionally compelling story and worthwhile story but a flawed one. Why have the retrainer be one single black man -- why not have many blacks, of many ages and both genders? That's what any adequate retraining regime would have done. And why use a full size burger as a reward? In learning (and retraining) positive results do NOT depend on the size of the reward but upon its frequency of occurrence and immediacy to the desired response and desirability. While these are critical, important points in any effective retraining procedure, they are not those most people would be aware of.

Those people who were quick to condemn this movie for what was perceived as its message unfortunately missed the point. It's deeply affecting stuff, based on a story by Romain Gary, of an actress named Julie (Kristy McNichol) who takes in a beautiful white German Shepherd that she accidentally hits with her car one night. She comes to love the dog, realizing he makes for an excellent guard dog, but comes to learn that this dog has been trained to attack people - specifically, black people. In desperation, she turns to a group of men who train animals for the movies, including Carruthers (Burl Ives) and Keys (Paul Winfield), hoping the dog can be rehabilitated. Keys, who is black himself, makes it his mission to try to get through to this dog; even though he has his doubts, he holds out that slim hope of claiming victory. It's hard to get through this story and NOT be deeply affected; as one can see, this is more than just the story of one dog, it's a means of showing any and all ways that people can channel their prejudices, whether it be through their children, and keep the cycle going, or through man's best friend in this case. The viewer will likely feel the same way as Keys, played wonderfully by Winfield, hoping that against the odds there will be some sort of happy ending. They'll reel from the implications of this dog's actions. Accompanied by beautiful Ennio Morricone music, this movie may have some silly lines and moments here and there, and not exactly be subtle about its message, but one thing is for sure, and that's that it definitely keeps one watching. It's hard to watch at times, in its uncut form, but undeniably powerful. The animal action by Karl Lewis Miller is first rate (Miller also cameos as the would be rapist) and the canine performances are no less than completely convincing; the white dog, played by a quintet of dogs, is truly scary when in attack mode. Co-starring Jameson Parker and Lynne Moody, with bit appearances by the likes of Christa Lang (widow of director Samuel Fuller), Fuller himself as Julie's agent, Marshall Thompson, Bob Minor, Paul Bartel, and Dick Miller, "White Dog" is a movie not easily forgotten, and it's easily deserving of another look. Eight out of 10.

The movie White Dog is definitely a hidden gem. It is so sad that this movie was not shown in the theaters at that time. The movie absolutely had nothing to do with promoting racism. Opposite of it, movie is anti-racist and white dog is a metaphor for racism in the society. Is racism curable? Can you unteach racism to a person who is brainwashed by racism? Movie concerns with these social issues. Movie not only raises some important questions about racism, but also entertains its audience. There are some very thrilling scenes in the movie. I am sure that the movie would have a great box office success if it was released in the theaters. Most of the movies which appeal to a large audience is not concerned with any social or any other issue. And most of the movies which are concerned about social issues do not appeal to a large audience. White Dog is one of few exceptions. The movie would effect a whole generation to think about these issues if it was released those days.Banning such movie by the claim of racism is absurd. It made me doubtful about the freedom of speech in the US. Why did they banned the movie? Authorities of the time were so illogical to think that the movie is racist? Or they just did not want this movie to point some of social issues to the large audiences? I think there is no way a person can think this movie is racist. So, there can be only one reason why did they banned such movie...

When I first watched White Dog, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. I understood that it was a film about racism and that it questions whether or not racism is a treatable or incurable condition. At the time, I felt like I needed to just let it soak in, to just absorb it all and wrap my thoughts around it.It starts like this: a young actress, Julie, is driving along a dark road and accidentally hits a white German Shepherd dog. After she gets the dog treated at a vet, she takes him home whilst trying to find the owners. The dog protects her one night and she decides to adopt it, not knowing that the dog was trained to attack African Americans. After realizing that there's something not quite right with the dog, she brings him to a dog trainer, Carruthers, whom, at first, tells to kill the dog. But another trainer, Keys (who is African American), undergoes the task of retraining the dog.So can the dog be retrained or not? To be completely honest, I couldn't completely buy into the story. Yes, I find it believable that a dog can be trained in such a way, but at the same time, the reactions from the characters just threw me off. Take Julie, for instance, she's rather defensive of a dog that just attacked her coworker. I get that she has an emotional attachment to the dog, especially since he protects her from a rapist. But I don't really understand why it doesn't seem to strike her as odd when the dog comes back one night, covered in dirt and blood. Don't you think if your dog came home looking like that, wouldn't alarm bells start going off in your head? Truthfully, I found the film interesting. I wouldn't put it up there with my favorites, but at the same time, I wouldn't knock it down either. I just wish the characters were a little more developed. But other than that, I would suggest it just for the question of whether or not learned hatred can be cured.