Following the critical success and reasonable box-office of his 1980 war movie The Big Red One, king of the mavericks Sam Fuller turned in a film that bristled with anger in a manner that many completely misunderstood, a throat-grabbing exposé on American racism whose release was initially held up when it's message was misinterpreted and ironically accused of being racist; today, the notorious film is lauded for its daring metaphor and gripping pulp filmmaking. Kristy McNichol stars as a young actress who adopts a lost German shepherd, only to discover through a series of horrifying incidents that the dog has been trained to attack black people, and Paul Winfield plays the animal trainer who tries to cure him. A snarling, uncompromising vision, White Dog is a tragic portrait of the evil done by that most corruptible of animals: the human being.

As long term fans of both the director and this film, we can't help but be just a little excited by the news that this too rarely seen work is to get the DVD release it deserves as part of the Criterion Collection in December. Featuring a new, restored high-definition 1.78:1 anamorphic digital transfer of the uncut version, approved by producer Jon Davison, the disc will also have the following extras:

• New video interviews with producer Davison, co-writer Curtis Hanson, and Sam Fuller's widow, Christa Lang-Fuller;
• An interview with dog trainer Karl Lewis-Miller;
• Rare photos from the film's production;
• A booklet featuring new essays by critics J. Hoberman and Armond White, plus a rare 1982 interview in which Fuller interviews the canine star of the film.

White Dog will be released on US DVD by Criterion in December 2008 (exact date to be confirmed) at the SRP of $29.95.