Son of the Revenge of the 31 Days of Cheese Day 8: Django

And thus we come to Django – whose name  Quentin Tarantino copped for his Django Unchained – which is keeping with film tradition – while there was really only one sequel to this film, t at least 50 Italian and other European westerns used the name Django. And it’s not hard to see why – other than Sergio Leone's Man with No Name trilogy (and his other works) this is the most influential spaghetti westerns of all time.

We open as many of these films do with a lone figure – this time he ‘s not riding a horse – he has a saddle over his back and he is dragging a coffin – it doesn’t look full sized but well who cares for the main titles what we have this guy going who knows where dragging a coffin with him. Nothing good is promsied.

He comes to a rope bridge and there he sees a woman (Maria) being tied to the poles holding the rope and then being whipped by Mexicans. No we don’t know why – our fellow with the coffin (who is Django) silently observes – then at about the 4^th blow of the whip the Mexicans are gunned down – but not by Django – by a group of men wearing red bandanas or scarves – but they are not going to rescue Maria they are going to kill her for selling herself to the Mexicans.

At this Django guns them down – I guess whipping women is okay but killing isn’t. And thus they both go into town.

Town it seems is a huge mud heap with mostly abandoned buildings. The only building open for business is the bar/whorehouse – Maria is one of the working girls there or was – it’s not clear and in Django there are a lot of things that are not clear but the sheer style of the film rolls over that.

It helps that Franco Nero as the lead has the presence with his brooding cool and very blue eyes to pull the role off (it made him a star in Europe).

As said the only business in the town is the cathouse , the Italian directors in general tended to skew pretty hard left politically so this could be a comment on the effects of capitalism or just a riff on the dead towns in Youjimbo and A Fist Full of Dollars – anyway Django and the Major have a confrontation at the bar – the Major’s 5 men get gunned down (a lot of folks get gunned down in this film - it was banned in England for years because of the violence). Django leaves the Major alive. Django tells him to bring all his men.

The Major we have seen is a monster – for his amusement he treats local Mexicans who owe hm money,  like pigeons, released from a behind a gate to be gunned down by the Major.

The next day Django is crouched behind a tree truck with his coffin patiently smoking a cigar. The owner of the bar tires to get him to run away but Django says he’ll be able to handle it.

And with ominous music the Major’s men (all 40 of them) appear in the town and slowly advance towards Django, the Major on horseback, most of the men on foot – some of them wear red masks which is a weird effect.

And then Django shows them what he has in his coffin. It’s a scene that’s been riffed on over and over again movies.

What Django has is an early type machine gun – and in about 3 minutes he guns down most of the Major’s men leaving them dead in the mud but leaving the Major alive for some reason.

Sometime later the Mexicans rebels arrive and after some unpleasantness with the Major’s preacher – suffice to say it involves an ear - they and Django with the help of the whorehouse owner rob the Gold at the local Mexican army base.  Seems once a month the owner brings the girls to the base – I guess the Mexican version of the USE doesn’t come there.  The Major is at the base for some reason. Which I guess is why he wasn’t killed. Honestly the film needed him to get killed at the end of the film so that’s why Django didn’t kill him.

What follows are double cross and then another double cross ending up with Django leaving the town with Maria and the coffin which is now full of gold – they pause at the bridge Maria wants to go with Django – he in classic loner style says no (his wife was killed by the major how and why we don’t know but it made him relationship phobic) as they talk the coffin full of gold falls off the cart into the mud and vanishes forever. And then the Mexicans show up, shoot Maria and then because well Django is the main character and the leader of the Mexican’s owes him his life from a couple of times just break his hands.

By having the horses step on his hands over and over again.

Yes it’s a pretty brutal film.

Then the Mexican’s attempt to return to  Mexico and are gunned down by the Mexican regulars – the Major’s about as well. (let’s face it almost everybody in this film ends up dead).

Meantime Django broken hands and all drags Maria (who unlike everybody else who was shot in the film is still alive)  back to the bar and asks the bartender to help her. Actually this is the first time in the film he does something for someone else.

The final showdown is in the cemetery. The Major is told a) Django is waiting for him there and b) his hands are broken. The Major shoots the Bartender (yep all fall down dead)

Then there is the final showdown leaving Django and I guess Maria the only living folks in the town.

Hyper- violent, cruel, surreal and full of brute humor and vigor – it’s an amazing film. Do see this one.  

Enjoy with espresso and desert. Cannoli mayhap.