Django Unchained

 

Django Unchained: 

A film about Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Vengeance

Thank you for taking a break from your routine day to see what Gilchrist says about Django Unchained.

I know there will be many people who will assume that Django Unchained is simply your run of the mill slave movie, told from the perspective of a White man.  But it is so much more than that.  I am typically not a fan of Tarantino’s films but found Django Unchained to be both interesting and entertaining with surprisingly humorous moments.  It would have to be in order to get me to stay and watch for almost three hours.  If you are brave enough to put your preconceived ideas aside to actually go to the theater to see this film, you will find that Django Unchained is a love story wrapped in a Tarantino R-rated action flick, focused on a black man set in the mid-1800s when slavery in America was a booming business.   I am reluctant to call this a slave film.  So, without spoiling the film for you, I will give you some tales from Django Unchained to look forward to should you venture out to see it.

While the writer touches on some of the lesser known, but equally brutal horrors of slavery, (Mandingo death fights, “R” branding, being ripped to shreds by dogs, etc.) he does not portray the bulk of these slaves in the typical docile, ignorant and obedient manner that is so common with Hollywood films.  Though the synopsis describes Samuel L. Jackson’s character as the ‘trusted house slave’ he actually regularly smart mouths his master “Sam Jackson-style” without any apparent repercussions whatsoever.  Django looks white people in the eye during the entire film and shows no fear in their presence.  He also spends the bulk of the film dressed very differently from typical slaves and he knows how to ride a horse, which is unique because black people were not allowed to actually ride on horses during slavery times.  Hildie, played by Kerry Washington, speaks German and has a fire in her that keeps her hungry for freedom. 

He also portrays the white people in this film differently from typical slave films.  Quite often, Hollywood will create slave masters and other whites in these movies to be seen as dignified, intelligent and well bred.  In Django Unchained there is an overwhelming amount of stupidity and foolishness flowing from the white characters in this film, which causes them to be repeatedly outsmarted by Django and his partner Schultz.  His attempt to create funny scenes is successful, though some may still feel uncomfortable with the humor in this film.

Dr. Schultz, played by Inglourious Basterds Christoph Waltz, and Leonardo DiCaprio are both filled with their own individual eccentricities, which they each wear proudly for all to see.  But their very opposite peculiarities are what lead to the big showdown of the film. 

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Quentin Tarantino film if there wasn’t a giant bloody mess leaving a trail of corpses behind.  Also true to form is his overuse of the “N” word throughout the film.  I counted hearing it over 100 times before the bloody showdown begins, which is at least 45 minutes prior to the end of the movie.  But at the same time, he brilliantly allows Hildie to communicate her entire story in less than 25 lines.  Quentin stumped me with that one, I must say. 

Django and Hildie are fully triumphant in this film and I’m sure I have ever seen that in a film about black people set in the mid 1800s.  They actually ride off into the sunset, happy and victorious (okay—that’s a spoiler but I couldn’t help myself). 

Overall, I highly recommend seeing this film, if only to see it’s cinematic beauty and some amazing, not-to be missed performances throughout the project.  The title of this piece is actually taken from one of the movie’s more recent tag lines: “Django—Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Vengeance” which is an accurate description.  While it will always be challenging for black people to see depictions of themselves on the screen from the years prior to the Civil War, these stories really happened and it is a big part of our history, like it or not.  Django Unchained plays with these circumstances in a way that allows the title character and the love of his life to be seen as nothing short of heroic, honorable and exceptional.

My personal commentary is this:  If you view this film with an open mind, you will remember that folks like Django paved the way for us to have people like the real Jamie Foxx, and women like Hildie are the ancestors of ladies like Kerry Washington who is simultaneously portraying Olivia Pope, inspired by a fixer named Judy Smith.  The blood, sweat and courage of people like Django and Hildie allows all of us to decide who we are and what we become in this United States of America.  So don’t hate their stories, not matter who writes/distributes them, no matter how much it may sting or how hard it is to watch.  It’s our history and only we could have descended from people with that kind of strength, integrity and power. 

Now, back to work (but post comments first)!

Read the IMDB synopsis here