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IMDbPro

Whity

  • 19711971
  • 1h 35m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
57,585
6,413
Whity (1971)
DramaWestern
Whity is the mulatto butler of the dysfunctional Nicholson family in the south-west U.S. in 1878. The father, Ben Nicholson, has an attractive young wife, Katherine, and two sons by a previo... Read allWhity is the mulatto butler of the dysfunctional Nicholson family in the south-west U.S. in 1878. The father, Ben Nicholson, has an attractive young wife, Katherine, and two sons by a previous marriage; the homosexual Frank and the disabled Davy. Whity tries to carry out all thei... Read allWhity is the mulatto butler of the dysfunctional Nicholson family in the south-west U.S. in 1878. The father, Ben Nicholson, has an attractive young wife, Katherine, and two sons by a previous marriage; the homosexual Frank and the disabled Davy. Whity tries to carry out all their orders, however demeaning, until various of the family members ask him to kill some of t... Read all
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
57,585
6,413
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Rainer Werner Fassbinder
    • Writer
      • Rainer Werner Fassbinder
    • Stars
      • Ron Randell
      • Hanna Schygulla
      • Katrin Schaake
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Rainer Werner Fassbinder
    • Writer
      • Rainer Werner Fassbinder
    • Stars
      • Ron Randell
      • Hanna Schygulla
      • Katrin Schaake
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 8User reviews
    • 17Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 2 nominations

    Photos71

    Whity (1971)
    Whity (1971)
    Günther Kaufmann in Whity (1971)
    Ulli Lommel in Whity (1971)
    Hanna Schygulla in Whity (1971)
    Rainer Werner Fassbinder in Whity (1971)
    Hanna Schygulla in Whity (1971)
    Whity (1971)
    Günther Kaufmann in Whity (1971)
    Hanna Schygulla in Whity (1971)
    Harry Baer, Günther Kaufmann, Ulli Lommel, and Katrin Schaake in Whity (1971)
    Hanna Schygulla in Whity (1971)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ron Randell
    Ron Randell
    • Benjamin Nicholson
    Hanna Schygulla
    Hanna Schygulla
    • Hanna
    Katrin Schaake
    Katrin Schaake
    • Katherine Nicholson
    Harry Baer
    Harry Baer
    • Davy Nicholson
    • (as Harry Bär)
    Ulli Lommel
    Ulli Lommel
    • Frank Nicholson
    Tomás Martín Blanco
    • Fake Mexican physician
    • (as Tomas Blanco)
    Stefano Capriati
    • Judge
    Elaine Baker
    • Marpessa, Whity's mother
    Mark Salvage
    • Sheriff
    Helga Ballhaus
    Helga Ballhaus
    • Judge's wife
    Günther Kaufmann
    Günther Kaufmann
    • Whity
    • (as Günter Kaufmann)
    Peter Berling
    Peter Berling
    • The Hefty Bartender
    • (uncredited)
    Rainer Werner Fassbinder
    Rainer Werner Fassbinder
    • Saloon guest
    • (uncredited)
    Kurt Raab
    Kurt Raab
    • The Pianist
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Rainer Werner Fassbinder
    • Writer
      • Rainer Werner Fassbinder
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Never released in theaters.
    • Connections
      Featured in Fassbinder in Hollywood (2002)
    • Soundtracks
      I Kill Them
      By Peer Raben

      Performed by Günther Kaufmann

    User reviews8

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    4/10
    WHITY (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1971) **
    When is a Western not really a Western? When it’s directed by Fassbinder! WHITY is only my sixth film from the so-called German wunderkind: I admire Fassbinder for his prolific and versatile output, though I’ve yet to be won over completely by a film of his; frankly I was hoping this would prove to be the one – but, as it turned out, I couldn’t have been more wrong! For the record, I’ve got four more titles from him to watch: still, considering my dismal experience with WHITY (especially since I had fully expected it to be the most accessible of the lot!), I don’t know when I’ll muster the courage to get to them now…even if DESPAIR (1978) is a reasonably enticing title, given the participation of Dirk Bogarde and the Vladimir Nabokov source.

    To be fair, the Western ambiance is delivered in spades throughout. The film was stunningly shot in Widescreen – by Michael Ballhaus (later a valued collaborator of Martin Scorsese) – in Almeria, location site of many a Spaghetti Western. It generally has the right feel for time and place with regards to settings and wardrobe, while the all-important score is highlighted by a decidedly infectious riff. Even so, the repertoire of English-language ballads (the bulk of the film, of course, is in German) allotted to chanteuse/prostitute Hanna Schygulla – not to mention her own affected delivery – is inappropriately modern and comes across as unintentionally laughable! Schygulla was a fixture in Fassbinder’s work; the film also features Ron Randell (best-known, if at all, for playing Christ’s attorney[!] in Nicholas Ray’s KING OF KINGS [1961]) and Ulli Lommel (who later graduated to directing himself, notably TENDERNESS OF THE WOLVES [1973] and THE BOOGEYMAN [1980]).

    The overriding pretentiousness at work here is palpable above all in the film’s lethargic, indeed deadly, pace (never have I seen a movie in which the characters moved more s-l-o-w-l-y!). Besides, it isn’t helped by unsympathetic (even annoying) characters – mostly members of a dysfunctional family (and particularly the pasty-faced, frizzy-haired sons of landowner Randell) – indulging in all manners of transgressions (from such commonly-depicted capital sins as greed, lust and murder down to nymphomania, masochism, interracial relationships and incest!). In the midst of all this is an unsavory gay subtext which, inevitably, seems to be on the agenda of virtually all directors so inclined in real-life (but becoming obviously more pronounced in the liberalized modern cinema)!

    The plot, for what it’s worth, is reminiscent of Pier Paolo Pasolini’s THEOREM (1968) – coincidentally another gay parable – as the life of everyone involved is influenced in some way by the household’s black manservant (the character bears the ironic titular nickname but is also curiously underwritten and inexpressive), who’s actually the fruit of Randell’s illicit affair with his frumpy colored maid! The fact that each, in turn, pleads with him to slay the other could have turned this into a pointed black comedy – but the film is simply too labored and deliberately self-conscious for the subtlety intrinsic to such refined treatment...

    In the end, one should note that 1971 saw a boom of arty Westerns with other such offerings as Alexandro Jodorowsky’s EL TOPO, Peter Fonda’s THE HIRED HAND and Robert Altman’s McCABE AND MRS MILLER. As for WHITY (whose shooting, by the way, inspired Fassbinder’s own BEWARE OF A HOLY WHORE [1971]), I had owned the Fantoma DVD – which includes an Audio Commentary from Ballhaus and Lommel – for quite a while before actually sitting down to view it. I’d purchased the disc through the company’s own website during a sale but, as I said, could only manage to find a slot for it in my hectic/eclectic schedule after having enjoyed a couple of equally stylized (but far more satisfying) Spaghetti Westerns – DEATH SENTENCE (1968) and YANKEE (1966) – earlier this week.
    helpful•7
    18
    • Bunuel1976
    • Apr 4, 2008

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 2, 1971 (West Germany)
    • Country of origin
      • West Germany
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Whity ging nach Osten
    • Filming locations
      • Almería, Andalucía, Spain
    • Production companies
      • Antiteater-X-Film
      • Atlantis Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • DEM 680,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 35 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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