''Albino'' (also known as ''The Night of the Askari'', ''Death in the Sun'' and ''Whispering Death'') is a 1976 German

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

directed by

Jürgen Goslar Jürgen Goslar (26 March 1927 – 5 October 2021Traueranzeige
Nordwest Trauer, 16 October 2021, ...

and starring

Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultim ...

, James Faulkner and

Sybil Danning Sybil Danning (born Sybille Johanna Danninger) is an Austrian actress, model, and film producer. She is best known for her frequent appearances in B movies during the 1970s and 1980s. Biography Early years and first films Born in Austria, Dannin ...

filmed on location during the

Rhodesian Bush War The Rhodesian Bush War, also called the Second as well as the Zimbabwe War of Liberation, was a civil conflict from July 1964 to December 1979 in the List of states with limited recognition, unrecognised country of Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe-Rh ...

. The film is based on the novel ''The Whispering Death'' by

Daniel Carney Daniel Carney (1944–1987) was a Rhodesian novelist. Three of his novels have been made into films. He was a brother of Erin Pizzey, also a writer. Biography Daniel Carney was born in Beirut in 1944, a son of a British diplomat. In 1963, he sett ...

Plot

Terrick ( James Faulkner), a

British South Africa Police The British South Africa Police (BSAP) was, for most of its existence, the police force of Rhodesia (renamed Zimbabwe in 1980). It was formed as a paramilitary force of mounted infantrymen in 1889 by Cecil Rhodes' British South Africa Company, fro ...

officer in rural

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of So ...

, looks forward towards the end of his police service and early retirement to his farm with his fiancée, Sally (

). Terrick's hopes for a peaceful life with Sally are shattered, however, when black nationalist guerrillas attack the farm. Sally is raped and murdered by the guerrilla leader, an

albino Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino. Varied use and interpretation of the term ...

known only by the moniker ''"Whispering Death"'' ( Horst Frank). Consumed by grief, Terrick and his farmworkers, led by Katchemu ( Sam Williams) set out to avenge Sally on their own. They subsequently learn that the guerrillas have summoned the local villagers to a meeting to politicize them and lay an ambush for "Whispering Death" there. However Terrick's party opens fire prematurely, killing and injuring some of the civilians present. The Rhodesian government demands that Terrick's police superior, Bill (

) hold him accountable for his recklessness and bring him to justice. From its perspective he has endangered the war effort by inflaming the relationship between the security forces and the locals through his irresponsible actions. Bill obligingly orders a manhunt for Terrick, but most of the policemen sympathize with their onetime colleague and are demoralized by the fact they are being ordered to pursue him instead of the guerrillas. They abandon the manhunt and return to their homes. Due to the apparent unwillingness of the police to apprehend Terrick, the

Rhodesian Special Air Service The Rhodesian Special Air Service or Rhodesian SAS was a Rhodesian special forces unit. It comprised: *C Squadron, Special Air Service Regiment (Malayan Emergency (1951–1953) *"C" Squadron (Rhodesian) Special Air Service (1961–1978) *1 (Rhodes ...

is called in to perform the manhunt. "Whispering Death" and his guerrillas decide to flee across the border to their sanctuaries in a neighbouring country. However, Terrick and Katchemu, who is an expert tracker, are hot on their trail. The duo become increasingly desperate, with Katchemu torturing a captured guerrilla for information. During a series of bloody skirmishes, Katchemu and nearly all the guerrillas are killed, leaving only Terrick and "Whispering Death" to face each other. Terrick gains the upper hand and stabs his opponent to death. The next morning, pursuing Rhodesian troops finally catch up to Terrick, but he is no longer coherent, having lost his mind as a result of the collective trauma he endured. When he threatens the soldiers with his rifle, they shoot him dead.

Cast

* James Faulkner as Terrick *

as Member-in-Charge (Bill) * Horst Frank as Whispering Death *

as Sally *

Sascha Hehn Sascha Hehn (born 11 October 1954 in Munich) is a German actor who participated in many feature films, TV shows, modern theatre plays and the dubbing of big international cinema productions (for example "Shrek") for German-speaking audiences. ...

as Peter *

Trevor Howard Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith (29 September 1913 – 7 January 1988) was an English stage, film, and television actor. After varied work in the theatre, he achieved star status with his role in the film ''Brief Encounter'' (1945), followed by ''T ...

as Dr. Johannes *

Erik Schumann Erik Schumann (15 February 1925 – 9 February 2007) was a German actor. He appeared in 100 films and television shows between 1942 and 1997. He was most successful during the 1950s and 1960s, when he played leading roles in several German f ...

as Captain Turnbull * Sam Williams as Katchemu

Reception

Film scholars Mark Miller and Tom Johnson described ''Albino'' as "a nasty, repugnant tale of racial hatred and revenge", criticizing the "exploitative" treatment which contemporary Rhodesian sociopolitical issues received. However, they also praised Lee and Faulkner's performances.

References

External links

*
Albino
– at the ''

Troma Entertainment Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974. The company produces low-budget independent films, primarily of the horror comedy genre. Many of them pl ...

'' movie database {{DEFAULTSORT:Albino (Film) 1976 films 1970s crime drama films 1970s war drama films Albinism in popular culture Cold War films 1970s English-language films English-language German films English-language South African films Films about race and ethnicity Films about racism Films about war crimes Films set in Rhodesia Films set in the 1970s Films shot in Zimbabwe German war drama films South African crime drama films German independent films Rhodesian Bush War films Troma Entertainment films 1976 independent films West German films 1976 drama films South African war films 1970s German films