Whity (1971) - Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Whity is about an illegitimate mulatto son of a rich white man who acts as butler to his father's dysfunctional family in the American southwest. As time passes he becomes more than just a simple servant, but a confidant subjected to the family's perverse fantasies. The situation soon becomes unbearable and murder seems the only possible escape. The first collaboration between Fassbinder and cinematographer Michael Ballhaus.

Fassbinder’s take on the Spaghetti Western, was shot in one of Sergio Leone’s own locations. Whity is the illegitimate son of a wealthy, deranged landowner who does not consider him of any worth but slavery, because “half-breeds” are still considered full-breed of colour in the power structure. Combine this with the explicit racism, homosexuality, cross-dressing and cast of other deranged character, and Fassbinder allows this to cross over into horror very quickly. Unlike most films in the cycle, this is one of the boldest and best that does not try to cash in on the huge box office success of The Dollars Trilogy. It even gets creepier when Fassbinder plays with the idea of skin colour throughout.

Starring: Ulli Lommel, Gunther Kaufman, Hanna Schygulla, Ron Randell