Cult Corner : White Dog (1982)
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White Dog (1982)
Starring: Kristy McNichol, Paul Winfield, Burl Ives
In honor of Romain Gary’s Birthday!
The Kristy McNichol Movie so controversial it was banned in America! I’ve only ever seen this movie on European TV, so I have no idea if it is still banned or not in the States. It was originally released in the cinemas but has that total made-for-tv vibe about it. With the scenery, cast and overall feel, I keep expecting Jamie Sommers, the (old skool) Bionic Woman, to appear and clear everything up.
In the film, Kristy McNichol, rocking some happening 1970s-melds-with-1980s fashions, takes in a stray white dog, only to gradually find out it is a…..racist dog! Turns out the original owner was some kind of wanna-be klansman who taught the dog to hate when it was a puppy. Everyone tells her to have the dog put to sleep, but an African-American dog whisperer, played by Winfield (who’s talent as an actor is obviously way above this material) wants a chance to reprogram the dog….and this time it’s personal! Using only psychology and cheeseburgers, Winfield sets out to “totally mentally recondition” the dog. But can he succeed?
The film is supposed to be an allegory of the nurture v nature debate. I guess the moral of the story is that we are all born good but taught to hate by the society around us. If you go by the film’s ending, it makes it seem like you can’t teach an old dog new tricks and that maybe all racists should be shot because there is no hope for them. Yeah, okay, no probs here.
Crazy thing about this film is that it is based on a novel that is based on a true story. Romain Gary’s wife, Jean Seberg, found a stray dog and brought it home. They slowly realised the dog would attack black visitors to their house, but no one else. This served as a basis for his novel, Chien Blanc.
Here is part one of the film. You can see the rest at youtube.
Every once in a while I will look at some of my favorite cult movies, offering, of course, some kind of astrological connection. I mean why spend so much watching a bland soulless movie at the cinema, when you can see a really good bad movie for the price of a rental or even youtube.
