Django (1966)

This cult movie centers on Django(Franco Nero), a stranger man without identity, at the beginning he saves a woman (Loredana Nusciak). Later on , he is going to a village dragging a coffin behind him. The little town is located in the US-Mexican border. There he will take on two rivals, a Yankees group(leading Eduardo Fajardo) and Mexican bunch (commanding Jose Bodalo).The colonel Jackson band is formed by a type of Ku-Klux-Klan hoodlums and he wears a red foulard. Django befriends the owner of the saloon (Angel Alvarez , a character-alike to Silvanito from ¨Fistful of dollars¨). Django seeks vengeance and go after the dastardly nasties because of his wife lies into a tomb captioning Mercedes Zaro (1839-1869).

It's an exciting western with breathtaking showdown between the starring and the enemies. The highlights of the film are the confronting at the village full of mud and dirtiness between the baddies hooded with a red scarf and Django wielding a machine gun ( though with anachronism because is a 'Maxim model' that was made in 1880 and isn't utilized the usual 'Gatlin') and he does a real rampage. Besides the attack at fort where Django and henchmen originate a cruel slaughter and of course final showdown at the graveyard . Django is named as homage to Django Reinhardt , the famous American musician who introduced his particular guitar. There are special remembrance to Leone's Western , thus: ¨Fistful of dollars¨ about the facing off between two bands and ¨The good, ugly and evil¨ to regard the cemetery duel. The film blends violence, blood, shootouts and it's fast moving except the saloon's episode that's a little bit slow moving. There are many technicians and assistants who will have a wide career as cameraman Enzo Barboni or E.B.Clucher (author of Trinity series with Terence Hill, Bud Spencer) who does an excellent photography with barren outdoors, dirty landscapes under a glimmer sun and foggy clouds, shot on outskirts of Madrid in La Pedriza, Torremocha Del Jarama and Colmenar Viejo. The musician Luis Enrique Bacalov(author of ¨The Postman and Pablo Neruda¨ which won an Oscar and composed lots of Spaghetti)creates a good soundtrack with Ennio Morricone influence. In addition , assistant direction by Ruggiero Deodato(Cannibal Holocaust). The picture was no authorized to minor 18 years and prohibited in various countries for its violence, for example in England, but in France, Germany was a real hit and in Japan there is one ¨Fondazione Django¨ too. Sergio Corbucci direction is good, after that ,he will make several Spaghetti classics: ¨The great silence,Compañeros and the Mercenary¨ and other inferior : ¨Hellbenders,Far west story ,Johnny Oro and Navajo Joe¨.

It's followed by an official sequel titled ¨Django strikes again (1987)¨ by Nello Rossati alias Ted Archer with Franco Nero who has left his previous life of violence in favor of a existence as monk, though returns when his daughter is kidnapped. Furthermore, numerous unofficial sequels, rip-offs, and copies, such as ¨Django the last killer(67)¨ by Giuseppe Vari with George Eastman ; Django dares Sartana¨(69) by Pascuale Squitieri; Django Il Bastardo¨(1969) by Sergi Garrone with Anthony Steffen, ¨Django shoots first (1974)¨ by Alberto De Martino with Glen Saxon and Evelyn Stewart.