Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Django Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 25, 2024

Sergio Corbucci's "Django" (1966) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Flms. The supplemental features on the release include Luca Rea's documentary "Django & Django"; recent program with Ruggero Deodato; archival program with Franco Nero; and more. In English or Italian, with optional English and English SDH subitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

There are a number of reasons why this legendary spaghetti western directed by Sergio Corbucci became so influential. For example, its main protagonist, Django, played by a young and very handsome Franco Nero, is the type of antihero that prior to Corbucci’s film was simply non-existent in classic westerns. The many memorable characters from John Ford’s westerns, for instance, are all rough but good-natured men that never failed to earn the audience’s sympathy. Django was different. He was somewhat selfish, sadistic, and unpredictable character that caught everyone off-guard. While watching him killing his opponents, one felt like he did not really care whether he would be liked.

The atmosphere in Corbucci’s film was also different. The lyrical beauty and calmness of Sergio Leone’s classic westerns was what one would have expected to see in Django, but Corbucci surprised everyone with dark and gloomy visuals that gave his film a type of grittiness that was also missing in classic westerns. When Nero enters the muddy border town, one immediately gets the feeling that this is a film in which anything could happen.

The uncompromising violence, however, is arguably the biggest reason why Django earned its cult status. When Nero attacks and kills his opponents, he does it with such enthusiasm that one begins to feel uncomfortable. I remember Corbucci once said that for Django killing was as important as inflicting pain on those who challenged him. And this is so true, because in his film the two are indeed inseparable, thus transforming the act of killing into something of a bizarre ritual.

After Django the western genre changed dramatically. Suddenly, violence became a lot more important for a lot of different directors and new boundaries were drawn. By the mid-1970s, there were already films that had gone even further than Django (see Lucio Fulci’s Four of the Apocalypse) and new subgenres in Italian cinema had flourished precisely because of the acceptance of violence by mainstream audiences (see the crime films of Fernando Di Leo, Michele Massimo Tarantini, Sergio Sollima, and Enzo Castellari).

From a purely technical point of view, Django is a somewhat uneven film. It is obvious, for example, that different sequences were filmed at different times and then edited and re-edited for the film’s final version. Unsurprisingly, there are some rough transitions that clearly affect the pacing of the film. Its style, however, is consistent. The attitude and uncompromising tone that elevated Django above every other genre film that was made prior to it never stutter.

Finally, Django also earned a lot of admirers with Luis Bacalov’s terrific soundtrack. (The simple but catchy theme that introduced Nero’s character would inspire endless copycats). After Django, Bacalov went on to compose soundtracks for such cult films as Maurizio Lucidi’s The Designated Victim (1971), Fernando Di Leo’s The Seduction (1973) and Shoot First, Die Later (1974), and Federico Fellini’s City of Women(1980). In 1994, Bacalov also won an Academy Award for the soundtrack he composed for Michael Radford's Il Postino

*Because of the uncharacteristic violence, Django was not officially released in the United Kingdom until 1993. In the United States, Django was released unrated.

Django Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Django arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Films.

This Blu-ray release introduces the recent 4K restoration of Django, which is also available on 4K Blu-ray. You can see our listing and review of this release here. However, the 4K Blu-ray release does not have a Blu-ray disc with a 1080p presentation of the 4K restoration.

I have now seen Django in it entirety on Blu-ray as well. I think that just like the native 4K presentation, the 1080p presentation of the 4K restoration is quite the dramatic upgrade in quality over the previous Region-B release of Django, which Argent Films produced in 2013. In fact, the 1080p presentation is so impressive, I actually do not think that there is a significant gap in quality when it is compared to the native 4K presentation. Several darker segments, for instance, like the one where the bandits cause havoc at night, look slightly better in 1080p because there is more to see in darker backgrounds. Density levels remain excellent, too. I also liked color reduction, though in select areas, and specifically ones featuring the color red, the expanded color gamut of 4K Blu-ray is clearly superior. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review. All in all, this Blu-ray release offer an all-around excellent upgrade in quality over the previous Region-B release and makes it possible to experience Django in an entirely new way. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Django Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English LPCM 2.0 and Italian LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH (for the English track) and English subtitles (for the Italian track) are provided.

I have now viewed the entire film on Blu-ray as well. The comments below are from our review of the 4K Blu-ray release of the film, which was published earlier.

I viewed the entire film with the English track. This track is very healthy. This being said, it does have some inherited limitations. For example, the overdubbing creates small yet noticeable unevenness, and in some the synchronization is not always perfect. But these are limitations that have always been around. The crucial detail here is that now this track is very healthy.

Django Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Django & Django - this recent documentary about the life and legacy of Sergio Corbucci was produced by Luca Rea in 2021. The documentary mixes recent material with Quentin Tarantino, Ruggero Deodato, and Franco Nero and archival material with Corbucci. In English, Italian and French, with English subtitles where necessary. (81 min).

• A Conversation with Franco Nero - in this archival program, the legendary Italian actor recalls how he was chosen to play Django and discusses the film's production history and success. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Django and Me - Interview with Ruggero Deodato - in this exclusive new program, Ruggero Deodato discusses the great directors that inspired him and had a lasting impact on his work -- like Roberto Rossellini, Federico Fellini, and Mauro Bolognini -- and Sergio Corbucci's Django, one of his favorite films. At the end of the program, Mr. Deodato also describes a hilarious experience he had with Corbucci in Athens. In Italian, with English subtitles. (21 min).

• Introduction by Alex Cox - an archival introduction to Django by Alex Cox. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Art Cards - three collectible cards, one for each film in the Cult Spaghetti Westerns set.

Django Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The new Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray releases of Sergio Corbucci's cult spaghetti western Django from Cult Films introduce the same excellent 4K restoration of the film that was prepared at L'Immagine Ritrovata in 2018. I think that the restoration looks great on both releases, for different reasons, and both represent tremendous upgrades in quality over the previous Blu-ray release from Argent Films. Both feature Luca Rea's very interesting recent documentary Django & Django as well. The Blu-ray release is available only as part of the Cult Spaghetti Westerns three-disc set. The individual 4K Blu-ray release does not have a Blu-ray copy. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.