Django

Great movie poster.

Most of the readings I did from my online research on Sergio Corbucci's work led me to think he is not really a great director, but that doesn't stops us, connoissuers. Having been introduced to this spaghetti western classic by my dad years ago when I was still a junior high student I have to blame my father for making me the heir of his 60's and 70's movies addiction.So let's go straight to the point: Django.

Actually, the story in Django isn't hard to follow, unless you're unfamiliar to this movie genre, which,if you're reading this blog, makes you a connoisseur. The story follows a simple plot line, where Django is our hero, a tough man looking for trouble with the wrong people. He hates violence towards women and doesn't agree with those in power, get the idea? I'm sure you do.

Dogs aren't Django's best friends.

Franco Nero is in his iconic role as the title character (♪♫ Djangoooo!♪♫), a man dragging a coffin into town and with some payback to deliver against a man known as Mayor Jackson, and is actually caught up in two warring factions: a group of anti mexican red-suited a la KKK members, and a crazy group of Mexicans, with women thrown from here to there and in-between. Django, of course, doesn't want to get involved with that, but he does, and it becomes a whole big thing. In fact, this was the first in a whole franchise of Django- some official and most not, leading up to a japanese tribute remake known as Sukiyaki Western Django, a film in which Quentin Tarantino himself played his own part. I read somewhere that on this film we get to see about 150 corpses!

A real hero.

Then again, it's the look of most of the characters that becomes more and more striking as the movie goes on, including one snarling gunman with bad teeth and big gums, and the stone-faced Jackson himself who Django has the chance to kill early on but leaves alive (somewhat bewilderingly, then again there would be no film and less conflict for otherwise amazing comic-book gunslinger Django). What Corbucci can deliver alongside his cast of mostly bit players and hamming-uppers, is a kind of tough but loose style; he won't go to extremes like Leone with a close-up or a far-away angle, he'll just zoom and veer right into the action and get all of the bloody, crazy killings right up close and fast as possible. He's an expert exploitation director and a decent stylist, with a little artistry and a warped form of professionalism.

Happiness is a warm gun.

So, for any and all genre fans, spaghetti western you'll see why Django gets its reputation, for better or for worse, usually the better. It's sometimes sloppy and occasionally not altogether well-made, but it soaks up its audience with its character as he kills quick with his huge cannon of a machine gun and has a final scene at a cemetery that is in the books somewhere as a mark of a true bad-ass. 

Look at my shiny little gun mama!

Spoiler poster.

Classic poster.

To finish today's entry as usual, I give you the tempting movie trailer in case you still haven't seen such a magnificent piece of Italian spaghetti western.

Stay tuned for the next movie review!