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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Based on the novel by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, The Last Days of Pompeii is the story about a centurion who returns home to Pompeii as he goes after thieves who had killed his father. Upon his search for the masked thieves, he discovers that a group of Christians are being accused just as Pompeii’s days are dwindling. Directed by Mario Bonnard and Sergio Leone and screenplay by Leone, Sergio Corbucci, and Ennio de Concini. The film marks the directorial debut of Sergio Leone who would later reinvent the Western in the 1960s. Starring Steve Reeves, Christine Kauffman, and Fernando Rey. The Last Days of Pompeii is a good and engaging film from the duo of Mario Bonnard and Sergio Leone.
Returning home from his service in Palestine, a centurion named Glaucus (Steve Reeves) hopes to meet his father as he sees a young woman named Ione (Christine Kauffman) lose control of her chariot as he saves her. On his way home, Glaucus encounters a young thief named Antonius (Angel Aranda) who was about to be punished until Glaucus helps him deal with the Praetorian guard Gallinus (Mimmo Palmara). Arriving at his home, Glaucus discovered that his father was murder with a cross symbol on the wall as he vows revenge on the killers. During a night with his friends, Glaucus decides to crash the party of council head Ascanius (Guillermo Marin) as he gets into a fight with Gallinus who tries to rape the blind servant Nydia (Barbara Carroll).
After his friend Marcus (Mario Berriatua) was killed when he tried to get into the Temple of Isis based on evidence given by Antonius, Glaucus wonders what is going on as Christians are being accused of the killings. When Gallinus hears about Nydia’s allegiance to the Christian faith, she is shocked when Gallinus knows what is happening as Ione goes to the Christian service with Nydia realizing that it’s not them. The Christians, including Nydia, are captured as Ione reveals to Glaucus about what she knows as he goes to Rome to reveal what he knows to the council. Instead, he is stopped by hooded men who attack him as he barely escapes with his wounds to the home of Ascanius. While Glaucus heals, Antonius arrives at the home revealing some startling information about who is leading these killings where the two confront the culprit.
Suddenly, Glaucus learns that things become more complicated as he’s accused by Ascanius’ mistress Julia (Anne-Marie Baumann) of murder as the High Priest of Isis in Arbaces (Fernando Rey) condemns Glaucus to be sentenced to death with the Christians. Just as Glaucus decides to fight for the Christians, all of it would be shaken up by an event that would change the face of Pompeii.
The film is essentially the story about a man seeking revenge for his father’s death as he learns about a conspiracy to accuse Christians of his father’s murder. With the help of a councilman’s daughter and a young thief, he learns about a plan to rid of the Roman Empire as he later has to fight for those who have been accused of murder. It’s a simple premise that does have a traditional structure of storytelling along with a few twists. Yet, it’s a story that is often quite predictable in terms of the schematics that is expected in a genre like this. Notably in the twists though it does reveal the motivations into why the antagonists want to get rid of Rome. It eventually culminates in a showdown in the arena where Glaucus has to defend the Christians that is then followed by the event that would shake Pompeii to its core.
Doing a lot of the direction for the film is Sergio Leone as the film definitely bears a lot of the visual hallmarks that he would provide later on his westerns. Though the film is credited partially to Mario Bonnard who became ill during the production. The direction definitely has amazing use of the widescreen format as well as very chilling scenes of violence such as the film’s opening sequence where Leone definitely shows his penchant for brutal violence through some amazing establishing shots. The direction also has some intimate moments and grand set pieces that is typical of the swords-and-sandal genre that includes this amazing 15-20 minute climax in the end where the crowd runs in chaos due to a catastrophic event. Overall, Leone and Bonnard craft a fine film that is entertaining despite the flaws in the script.
Cinematographer Antonio L. Ballestros does nice work with the film‘s colorful Cinemascope photography to capture the lush colors for many of the film’s interiors along with some stylish lighting for some of the film’s nighttime interiors. Editors Eraldo Da Roma and Julio Pena do some terrific work with the editing to capture some of the film‘s suspense along with more rhythmic cuts for its action scenes. Production designers Ramiro Gomez and Aldo Tommasini do great work with the set pieces to create the world of Pompeii with its homes and temples.
Costume designers Duilio Cambellotti and Vittorio Rossi do some wonderful work with the costumes from the armored uniforms the soldiers and guards wear to the robes many of the female characters wear. The special effects work of Dino Galiano is quite good for some of the visual effects stuff that happens in the film‘s big climax towards the end of the film. The film’s music by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino is excellent for its soaring and bombastic orchestral score to play up the sense of drama and action that occurs in the film.
The film’s ensemble cast is pretty good though there aren’t many standout performances as many of the actors play mostly parts that are very typical of the genre. Performances from Mario Berriatua as Glaucus’ friend Marcus, Carlo Tamberlini as the Christians’ leader, Guillermo Marin as Ione’s father and council head Ascanius, Angel Aranda as Antonius, Barbara Carroll as the blind Nydia, Mimmo Palmara as the slimy Gallinus, and Anne-Marie Baumann as Ascanius’ mistress Julia are quite fine in the roles that they play. Fernando Rey is excellent as the devious high priest Arbaces while Christine Kauffman is terrific as Ione who tries to help Glaucus in proving the innocence of the Christians. Finally, there’s Steve Reeves in a superb performance as Glaucus where he has this great physical presence that makes him fun to watch although his attempts to emote aren’t very good as the dubbing of his voice makes him sound like a whiny John Wayne.
The Last Days of Pompeii is a pretty good film from Mario Bonnard and Sergio Leone. It’s a film that is fun to watch for its sense of action and period setting while it features a lot of the visual hallmarks and plot ideas that Leone would inject into his future films. It’s a film that Leone fans would definitely would want to seek out to see where he would get his idea to frame certain scenes as it does have moments that are quite captivating to watch. In the end, The Last Days of Pompeii is a stellar film from Mario Bonnard and Sergio Leone.
Sergio Leone Films: The Colossus of Rhodes - A Fistful of Dollars - For a Few Dollars More - The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly - Once Upon a Time in the West - Duck, You Sucker! - Once Upon a Time in America
Related: Once Upon a Time: Sergio Leone - The Auteurs #16: Sergio Leone
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