Django (1966 film)

Django
File:Django.jpg
Directed by	Sergio Corbucci
Written by	Sergio Corbucci Piero Vivarelli Bruno Corbucci José Gutiérrez Maesso Franco Rossetti
Produced by	Sergio Corbucci Manolo Bolognini
Starring	Franco Nero José Bódalo Loredana Nusciak
Music by	Luis Enriquez Bacalov
Distributed by	Blue Underground Anchor Bay Entertainment (USA)
Release dates	April 6 1966 (Italy) September 21 1967 (Spain)
Running time	90 minutes.
Languages	Italian English Spanish

Django is a 1966 Italian film directed by Sergio Corbucci and starring Franco Nero in the title role. It became very popular in Europe and is considered a cult film in the USA. It is considered by many as one of the best examples of the spaghetti western with a stirring musical score, gunfights and a quiet anti-hero which actor Franco Nero played in many subsequent Western films. Django is famous for dragging around a coffin which holds a gatling gun, trailing a belt of ammunition behind him. The film's unique look was the work of production designer Carlo Simi who created costumes and sets for Corbucci's earlier film Minnesota Clay, and who worked frequently with Sergio Leone.

Plot

A gun runner, Django, who drags a machine gun in a coffin, rescues a young woman, Maria, from being whipped by Mexican bandits and shot by Confererate renegades. He makes deal with Revolutionary general Rodriguez. When the latter is slow in paying for his supplies, Django steals his money - but he and Maria are caught; the money falls into quicksand and is lost; Maria is shot; and Django's hands are crushed by the hooves of the Mexicans' horses. Rodriguez and his men are then massacred by the Klansman Jackson, who goes looking for Django in a churchyard. But Django, who has bitten the trigger-guard off his pistol, shoots Jackson and his five surviving men.

Sequels

Django was a sensation the moment it premiered. It received an 18-certificate in Italy due to its violence: Bolognini says Corbucci 'forgot' to cut out the ear-severing scene when the censors requested he removed it. There are rumored to be over 100 unofficial sequels, though only 31 have been counted. Four were made the same year, in 1966. Most of these films have nothing to do with Corbucci's original: Italian copyright law seems to have been very loose in the 1960s and 70s and filmmakers frequently borrowed the names of the protagonists of other successful films - Django, Ringo, Joe, Sartana, and Sabata frequenty appeared.

In 1987, Ted Archer's Django 2 or Django Strikes Back! (Italian title: Django 2: Il Grande Ritorno) claims to be the only official sequal. Franco Nero plays an older Django, who is now a monk. Donald Pleasence also stars.

Cultural references

• The infamous "ear cutting scene" in the Quentin Tarantino film, Reservoir Dogs, was inspired by this film which shows a Mexican soldier cut the ear off of one of Major Jackson's men.
• Lee Perry's second album is titled Return of Django, and he has released tracks called "Django (Ol' Man River)" and "Django shoots first".
• An episode of Cowboy Bebop features a character dragging a coffin.
• The video game and anime series Gungrave features the main character carrying a coffin full of weapons.
• A boss in the video game, Red Dead Revolver, carries a coffin with a chaingun inside of it.
• The main character in the Boktai video game series is named Django. In addition, one key aspect of the game involves the player dragging coffins in order to bring immortals to the pile driver to purify them and stop them from being able to revive
• The film Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones features a bounty hunter named Jango Fett.
• Renowned punk band Rancid has a song inspired by the movie, aptly titled "Django" on their album Indestructible. The chorus is Django!/You drag your coffin around/You drag your coffin around/You drag your coffin around. Django!/You drag your coffin around/All around town/Just like a dead man does"
• One man metal band Thrones covers the theme song to "Django" on the Sperm Whale album.

External links

• Mondo-Digital Info on Django
• Cult Movies: Django