The Classic That is Django.

Hello People,
Well i don't know if you are aware but there is a new podcast in town , it's called Wanted:Alive or preferably dead. Recently started up by the great chaps Stephen and Vaughn it's going to explore all things western, i heard on the preview show the title "Django" and i thought i have not seen that it years, so whilst scanning through my LOVEFILM account i found it a re-watched it, boy what a great film!
Made in 1966 staring the great Franco Nero and directed by Segio Corbucci it tales the usual western tale of a man seeking revenge for those that have done him wrong, but what lifts this high in my opinion above a ton of other westerns is the grittiness and violence not really seen before in westerns up until this point, a genre changing movie.Sergio Corbucci is often unfairly refereed to as "The other Sergio" In reference to Sergio leone, the director of the classic spaghetti westerns.This Django his very well known amongst film fans including of course Quentin Tarantino who inspired by this and the other Django movies will be bringing us this year his take on the genre with Django Unchained, in fact he is such a fan that he starred in Takashi Miike's excellent western Sukiyaki Western Django, which is also a film i would highly recommend.
Talking of Tarantino, there is a scene in Django where  a priest is revealed as a spy and they decide to take revenge on him by cutting off his ear, ring any bells?

So, back to the film, It's starts off with a classic theme song and the image from behind of Franco Nero as Django dragging a coffin behind him.He then See's a woman tied up and being whipped by a bunch of bandits, this is where we seem him do his 1st classic speech and start deliver his ultimate coolness then proceeds to rescue the lady, he enters a town where there is a feud going on between member of a Mexican gang and the KKK, Even Tarantino couldn't make that  one up!

The film proceeds with Prostitutes mud wrestling, long bar fight sequences and did i mention Django's amazing Gatling gun?Needless to say that Django is there and he is instantly at odds with the Major Jackson and the Mexicans, this gets back to the fact that you can sense the anger and hatred played brilliantly by Django and there are people dispatched left,right and centre.This is down to in my opinion Corbucci's straight to the point no nonsense film making that has few as you would call them "Slow" moments, flying along and it's over before you know it, but do not despair as Nero returned in the also great Western Django strikes again.Bizarrely it was banned in many a country on release because of it's so called violence, but being back in 1966 you can see why, it still remains cut in many countries DVD release of the film, but thanks to LOVEFILM i found it and it's a great print, so i have put the link at the bottom to their site so why not check it out,I'm off to seek more Django films! And be sure to keep your ears on Vaughn and Stephens new show, i will definitely be doing as I'm sure there is a ton out there that they know of and I'm waiting to discover,

Jonny T.



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