In 1966, somewhere along the United States-Mexico border, a man wearing a tattered Union uniform drags a coffin across the desert… and into the hearts of the Italian moviegoing public. What was it about this mix of blood, violence, sweaty masculine tusslin’, and steely blue eyes? With just one film, Sergio Corbucci inspired over thirty five remakes, sequels, and rip-offs – the first two even in the same year the original film came out.
In this episode, as part of their once Bootleg Bond series, now expanded Genre series, Bart and Jenna make it their business to map out Django from the beginning. They start with the widely seen original and slowly make their way through a mix of western wannabes, surrealist desert violence and pure cowboy schlock. They also discuss what makes Django so appealing: is it the cathartic, unflinchingly bloody violence, or is it the leftist beating heart that many spaghetti westerns share? Why not both?
The following films are discussed:• Django (1966) Directed by Sergio Corbucci Starring Franco Nero, Loredana Nusciak, Eduardo Fajardo
• A Few Dollars for Django (1966) Pochi dollari per Django Directed by León Klimovsky & Enzo G. Castellari Starring Anthony Steffen, Gloria Osuna, Ennio Girolami
• Django Shoots First (1966) Django spara per primo Directed by Alberto De Martino Starring Glenn Saxson, Ida Galli, Fernando Sancho
• Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot! (1967) Se sei vivo spara Directed by Giulio Questi Starring Tomas Milian, Marilù Tolo, Piero Lulli
• Django, Prepare a Coffin (1968) Preparati la bara! Directed by Ferdinando Baldi Starring Terence Hill, Horst Frank, George Eastman
• Django the Bastard (1968) Django il bastardo Directed by Sergio Garrone Starring Anthony Steffen, Paolo Gozlino, Luciano Rossi
