2024 Blind Spot Series: Django (1966 film)

 

Based on the film Yojimbo by Akira Kurosawa and co-writer Ryuzo Kikushima, Django is the story of a drifter and his mixed-race prostitute companion as they find themselves in the middle of a conflict between Confederate soldiers and Mexican revolutionaries. Directed by Sergio Corbucci and screenplay by Sergio and Bruno Corbucci, Franco Rossetti, Jose Gutierrez Maesso, and Piero Vivarelli with un-credited contributions from Fernando Di Leo and English contribution by Geoffrey Copleston from a story by Sergio and Bruno Corbucci. The film is a Spaghetti western that explores a man being put in the middle of a violent conflict leading to all sorts of chaos as it is the first film of a trilogy of films by Corbucci with Franco Nero in the titular role. Also stars Loredana Nusciak, Jose Bodalo, Angel Alvarez, and Eduardo Fajardo. Django is a violent yet gripping film by Sergio Corbucci.

Set years after the American Civil War, the film revolves around a drifter who is dragging a coffin where he is later accompanied by a mixed-races prostitute in a muddy town near the U.S.-Mexico border where a violent conflict between ex-Confederate Red Shirts and Mexican revolutionaries are brewing. It is a film that has this man trying to find a way to get both factions to kill each other while hoping to get something out of it and start a new life. The film’s screenplay has a straightforward narrative where its titular character is dragging a coffin where he sees a group of Mexican bandits harass and attempt to rape a Mexican American prostitute in Maria (Loredana Nusciak) until they are killed by Red Shirts who attempt to do the same as well as crucify her until Django kills them.

The script also has Django learning about the town they are in as it is a neutral town where both factions do not fight each other but the saloon owner Nathaniel (Angel Alvarez) still pays the Red Shirts protection money for himself and the five prostitutes that live in the saloon. The script also reveals that Django knows both leaders of the respective factions in Red Coats leader Major Jackson (Eduardo Fajardo) and the Mexican leader General Hugo Rodriguez (Jose Bodalo) as the latter was someone Django worked for while the former is someone Django has a grudge towards.

Sergio Corbucci’s direction is stylish in not just in its grimy and muddy presentation but also in its abrasive approach to violence. Shot on location at the Tor Caldara nature reserve in Lavinio, Italy with interiors shot at the Elios Studio in Rome as well as additional locations in Colmenar Viejo and La Pedriza near Madrid, Spain. Corbucci uses some of the Spanish locations for the desert areas while the muddy town where much of the action takes place has this desolate feel where there are little bits of green, yet it plays into a world that is neglected and used nothing more as a place where both factions can take advantage of the small group of people who live at the saloon. There are wide and medium shots that Corbucci would use to play into the scope of the locations while also finding ways to transition medium shots into these tight close-ups to play into the suspense and horror. Notably in the way Corbucci would present the violence as images of blood are prevalent throughout the film. One major sequence in the film that is shocking where Major Jackson and his soldiers are killing Mexican peasants where they would run, and they would shoot them from afar.

Corbucci’s direction also plays into some of the extreme elements in the violence in what Django uses to scare off the Red Shirts as well as a raid he takes part in with General Rodriguez. Still, Corbucci does reveal the extent of what Django wants to do while he also knows how to play gender politics seeing how Maria is often mistreated where he hopes to give her some freedom and a new life as it is something that he wants as well. The film’s third act does revolve around Django’s attempt to free himself from this conflict as well as wanting revenge towards Major Jackson. Corbucci would use some religious imagery as it plays into Major Jackson’s beliefs and what he wants to do with Django being the one person that needs to stop him. Overall, Corbucci crafts an exhilarating and intense film about a drifter who battles two warring factions in the West.

Cinematographer Enzo Barboni does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of low-key lights for the nighttime exterior/interior scenes as well as the usage of natural lighting for some of the daytime exteriors. Editors Nino Baragli and Sergio Montanari do incredible work with the editing with its stylish usage of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to play into the action and suspense. Production/costume designer Carlo Simi, along with set decorator Francisco Canet, does amazing work with the look of the town that Django and Maria go into as well as Nathaniel’s saloon while Simi’s design of the dresses the prostitutes wear are colorful to play into the film’s offbeat look.

Sound recordist Bernardino Fronzetti does terrific work with the sound in the way gunfire sounds up close and afar as well as other sparse sound effects to play into the action and suspense. The film’s music by Luis Bacalov is phenomenal for its usage of sweeping orchestral textures in the strings and brass instruments that play into the suspense and drama along with other pieces that are offbeat in its usage of string instruments with a title song sung by Rocky Roberts that adds to its sense of adventure.

The film’s wonderful ensemble cast features some notable small roles from Yvonne Sanson, Flora Carosello, and Silvana Bacci as a trio of prostitutes who work and live at the saloon, Cris Huerta as Mexican officer at a fort where Major Jackson stays at, Jose Canalejas and Remo De Angelis as a couple of henchmen for General Rodriguez, Jose Terron as a scarred henchman of Major Jackson, and Gino Pernice as Major Jackson’s spy Brother Jonathan who often poses as a priest that carries a Bible. Angel Alvarez is superb as Nathaniel as a saloon owner who is caught in the middle of the conflict as he sees Django as someone who can save the town as well as realize he is a good man that wants to help. Jose Bodalo is excellent as General Hugo Rodriguez as a Mexican revolutionary who is hoping to return to Mexico to counter anti-revolutionaries while is trying to goad Django into joining him. Eduardo Fajardo is brilliant as Major Jackson as a former Confederate officer who leads a faction of former Confederate soldiers in Red Shirts who hates Mexicans as he also tries to wreak havoc on those he sees as inferior.

Loredana Nusciak is amazing as Maria as mixed-race Mexican American prostitute who is saved by Django as she tries to sway him from getting into more dangerous adventures while also dealing with the abuse she gets from General Rodriguez. Finally, there’s Franco Nero in a tremendous performance as the titular character who is this drifter that drags a coffin wherever he goes where he hopes to get some revenge while also hoping to get something that will give him stability as it is an understated performance from Franco with Tony Russel doing the English dub in his voice performance which is typical of Spaghetti Westerns.

Django is a spectacular film from Sergio Corbucci that features a great leading performance from Franco Nero as the titular character. Along with its story of vengeance and justice, grimy setting, gorgeous visuals, an exhilarating ensemble cast, and Luis Enriquez Bacalov’s rich music score. The film is a western that is not afraid to into violent extremes as well as being a study of a man trying to get two warring factions to kill each other. In the end, Django is a tremendous film by Sergio Corbucci.

Related: Yojimbo - Django Unchained

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