The Intrigue of a Name: Django, Not Unchained But Reimagined
Netflix’s Django, no doubt, piques your interest with its name alone. If you’re drawing parallels with Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 hit Django Unchained, you’re not off the mark—but you’re not spot on, either. The series invites viewers to grapple with the Django legacy, a complex tapestry woven by Quentin Tarantino, who was himself inspired by Sergio Corbucci’s original 1966 film.
“In fact, following the enormous success of Corbucci’s original Django, nearly 40 films set to release in the following years renamed their projects to feature the name ‘Django’ and cashed in on its success,” the series creators noted.
The Roots and Routes of Django
The original Django was a white Union soldier, venturing into a US-Mexico border town post-Civil War to avenge the death of his love at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan. Fast forward to 2023, and we have Matthias Schoenaerts, known for roles in Red Sparrow and The Danish Girl, embodying Django in a manner closer to the original Corbucci vision.
“Although the character is white, the fight against racism has always been tied to the character’s name,” Leonardo Fasoli and Maddalena Ravagli, the creators of the new Django series, emphasized.
Tangled Tales in New Babylon
Set in the early years of emancipation, the show takes us to New Babylon, a city founded by John Ellis (Nicholas Pinnock) and inhabited by Django’s headstrong daughter Sarah (played by Dark’s Lisa Vicari). While the series invites us to uncover multiple layers of relationships and rivalries, it also introduces an intriguing antagonist in Elizabeth, a merciless killer portrayed by Noomi Rapace of Prometheus fame.
“Rounding out the cast is Corbucci’s original Django, Franco Nero, who also appeared briefly in a Django Unchained cameo in 2012,” according to the series’ production notes.
Revisiting and Revising the Spaghetti Western
Much like Sergio Corbucci’s original Django films, the new Netflix series utilizes the Spaghetti Western genre as a kind of Trojan Horse. It delves into complex issues such as race and sexuality, setting it apart from both Hollywood Westerns and its own series predecessors.
“This series goes even further than that. Nothing is portrayed as simple in Django, including the character’s sexuality,” Fasoli and Ravagli revealed.
Defining a Genre: What Really Makes a Spaghetti Western?
While the original Spaghetti Westerns were Italian productions, Django raises the question: What defines the genre today? It returns us to its European roots as an Italian-French production shot in Romania, but takes its own pacing and storyline directions.
“Its pace sometimes punishes its audience, and the story could perhaps have been told over fewer episodes, but ultimately it succeeds in immersing its audience into the gritty world of the old American West,” stated the creators.
A Story That Stays With You
Netflix’s Django serves as a deep dive into what makes a Spaghetti Western tick, raising the bar on storytelling while staying true to its gritty origins. With an ensemble cast giving their all, this latest entry in the “unofficial” Django franchise not only respects its predecessors but also redefines them for today’s audience.
