Classic Review: Django

In recent years, I've been gaining a much greater appreciation for the Spaghetti Western. Few fans or historians will dispute the fact that such movies present an absurd representation of the Old West. Still, it's hard to deny the charms of a movie where one steely eyed man can outwit, outshoot, and possibly most important of all, out quip roving gangs of toughs or even whole army battalions get the girl/treasure/McGuffin/Last Laugh and ride off into the sunset. That said, it quickly became clear that Django was right up my Alley.

The film opens with a scene of our main character, the titular Django (pronounced Jango FYI) in a ragged Union Army outfit, dragging a coffin through the mud. The camera stays at his back and we don't see his face under his wide brimmed hat. He isn't on a horse, and he is pulling his dubious cargo with grim determination. As was common with most spaghetti westerns, an oddly passionate song that can only be described as a Spaghetti Ballad accompanies this scene. These songs a very common in the opening credits of Spaghetti Westerns, and for some reason I just love em.

Behold.



Right away, the viewer can't help but be intrigued by the morbid parcel Django drags. The coffin is old, muddy and rugged. What's in there? Why does he drag it everywhere he goes? Why does he forbid people to inspect it?

As the film opens, Django stands on the edge of a valley as unfortunate scene is playing out, silently observing. A woman is being whipped by a group of Mexican bandits who are shortly dispatched by several former confederate riders. Rather than rescue the distressed damsel, it turns out these men are planning to burn her alive for an apparent betrayal. As they prepare her for her grisly fate, Django interjects and the confederates inform him that his service in the Union Army has doomed him. Django is quick to apologize for the offense... and even quicker to gun them all down. The girl, Maria, thanks him for intervening, but Django insists "I didn't do it for you."

Maria, Django, and the coffin arrive in a nearly deserted town. The owner of the town saloon let's Django know that he and his "girls" are the only civilians who remain, as the town has become a sort of Neutral Zone for a turf war. On one side, General Rodriguez and his Mexican outlaws. On the other, Major Jackson and his Militant KKK followers. A spy for Jackson reports Maria's arrival and the mysterious stranger she arrived with. Shortly thereafter, Jackson and some of his men and confront Django. Talks quickly break down, and Django dispatches all of the Major's thugs in spectacular fashion. Steely eyed Django asks the major how many men he has left, to which the Major replies he has 48. Django lets him go and tells him to come back with all of them, so they will have a chance next time.

As he prepares for the major's return, Django drags the coffin outside and crouches behind a log in front of the Saloon. Nathaniel, the owner, asks how Django expects to fight off all of the Major's men without help. Django glances at the coffin and replies "I've got all the help I need."

The Major returns with his Posse, and they slowly close in on the saloon. As they approach, Django opens the coffin, and then... All hell breaks loose.

And that is just the first third of the film. From there, a twisting series events leads to a truly epic conclusion.

It goes without saying that Django is a classic. So many of the scenes are iconic and so often rehashed in other movies. The pacing of the movie can best be described as a roller coaster. Slow valleys, High peaks, and break neck drops. Django must have the highest ratio of minutes to plot twists in film history. At first, our protagonist can hardly be called a hero, serving his own interests above everything else. However, by the end, an epically selfless act reveals that Django is a man haunted by the past, but that deep down he is not a bad person. The climax of the movie has to be seen. It is as iconic as western movies get.

Visually the film is constantly interesting, and the music fits perfectly with the pacing of the different scenes. The primary actors are all excellent, Franco Nero as Django in particular. His portrayal of the hard as nails, mysterious gunman became a staple of westerns and few have pulled it off as well.

If there is one thing that drags down this film, it is the rather unfortunate dubbing of the English translation. There are times when it seems as though no consideration given to the pacing of the vocals matching that of the actors on screen. The voices are often very good, Django's in particular, but some of the background characters voices are atrocious. This is a common problem with Spaghetti Westerns in general, so it's not surprising, but it's still a shame when considering how excellent the film is otherwise.

All in all, I recommend this film to any lover of westerns, and a lover of classic cinema in general should find plenty to enjoy here.

9.5 Mysterious Coffins out of 10.