Django (1966)

Quinton Tarantino got his main characters name and cool theme music for Django Unchained from this classic 'spaghetti western' simply titled Django.  Django here is not black but rather white, though he does take on the Ku Klux Klan, as well as Mexican bandits as a union veteran in the post civil war southwest.The film features Italian actor Franco Nero as Django, as well as a Claudia Cardinale type, model/actress Loredana Nusciak as Django's love interest Maria. Most memorable among the supporting cast are Jose Bodalo as leader of the bandits and Angel Alvarez as Nathaniel.

Django starts the movie lugging a coffin around and murdering some Klansman after they kill some banditos to retrieve Maria who spurned the attention of there raciest leader Major Jackson (Eduardo Fajardo). Django then takes Maria to a nearby town that though practically abandoned, has become a kind of demilitarized zone between the Mexicans and Jackson's men, largely it seems because there is a brothel there, run by the character Nathaniel. Django takes up residence at the brothel then provokes Jackson and his men into attacking in mass so that he can slaughter most of them with the machine gun he's been keeping in that coffin. Django does this because Jackson was apparently responsible for the death of his wife. After laying the Klansman low Django then appears to team up with the Mexicans, but its all just part of a secret plan to steal some gold so he can start over and 'bury his old self'.

The film feels a little scattered but is still enjoyably off kilter. Django would spawn literally dozen of lose sequels that kept the characters name, but apparently not much else. Given this films obvious resonance to Tarantino I thought it would be worth a see, and it was. Not amazing, but odd and memorable. **1/2