Search - Whity on DVD

Content Advisory: Adult Situations Movie Release: 1971 DVD Release: 03/28/2000 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: German Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 35 mins Studio: Fantoma Members Wishing: 4 Genres: Drama, Period Film, Melodrama

In his 36-year life, director Rainer Werner Fassbinder made some 40 films. He is perhaps best known to American audiences for his 1978 period drama, The Marriage of Maria Braun. A theme he examined repeatedly in his films was the unreasonable meanness of people, which he shows in a stark, relentless fashion. This early film, Whity, is set in the American Old West, with overtones of the antebellum South. The main character, Whity (Günther Kaufmann), is a black servant who is sorely abused at every turn. Eventually, he has had all he can take; his manner of taking vengeance is what this film is about. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Günther Kaufmann - Whity
Ron Randell - Ben Nicholson

Fantoma has done a fairly good job with =Whity. The disc was mastered at the American Zoetrope lab, as was the =Apocalypse Now disc, and it is apparent they are looking for the highest in quality. It would be impossible not to notice how good the picture looks. And what's even more impressive is the fact that the 2.35:1 widescreen image uses an anamorphic transfer. The picture does show a few moments where even the best restoration work could only do so much, but for the most part, it is not intrusive. The overall color scheme, which director Fassbinder uses for full effect, translates very well to DVD. Sound, in German with English subtitles, is workable, but far from impressive. The sound is only in a mono Dolby Digital track, coming squarely from the front-center speaker. This of course means that there are no directional effects or surround material. The extras on this disc are relatively slim, with only an audio commentary from cinematographer Michael Ballhaus and actor/producer Ulli Lommel. Each displays a love and admiration for the late director. Both worked with him on many films (Ballhaus made 14 films with him), and their anecdotal information makes the film a little more comprehensible; this is a commentary track worth listening to. Though certainly not a film that reaches out to a wide audience, this disc does justice to a challenging title. ~ Trent Fordham, All Movie Guide