White Dog

An actress (Kristy McNichol) adopts a stray German shepherd after accidentally hitting it with her car. She develops a close relationship with the animal when it saves her from an attack, only to learn that the dog has been taught to assault black people on sight. She takes the dog first to one trainer (Burl Ives) and then another (Paul Winfield), who give her conflicting advice about handling her pet. Samuel Fuller’s portrait of race in the United States is also the last film he made for a major studio. The project grew out of a conversation with Romain Gary, a French diplomat and novelist whose semi-autobiographical 1970 work, Chien blanc, serves as the film’s source material. While Gary’s novel takes an awful turn at its ending, Fuller’s story is even more bleak—and powerful. Fuller’s full-on lunge at the nature of racism was the victim of its own violent takedown. Its limited release drew the attention of the NAACP, which found the film disturbing and threatened boycotts. White Dog never received an official release from Paramount—and there has never been a better time than now for it to be screened.

Bing Theater | FAQs | 30th anniversary screening, special guest: Howard A. Rodman (vice president of the Writers Guild of America West and screenwriting professor at USC)

$10 for the general public, $7 for LACMA members, seniors (62+), and students with valid ID | Tickets available Thursday, May 31 at 5 pm | Tickets: 323 857-6010 or purchase online.

$5 for Film Independent, LACMA Film Club, and New York Times Film Club members | Pre-sale tickets available Thursday, May 24 at 5 pm |  Members of these groups will be required to show proof of membership when retrieving their tickets | Tickets: 323 857-6010 or purchase online