Django (character)


Django is a character who appears in a number of spaghetti western films. Originally played by Franco Nero in the Italian film of the same name by Sergio Corbucci, he has appeared in 31 films since then. Especially outside of the genre's home country Italy, mainly Germany, countless releases have been retitled in the wake of the original film's enormous success.

Character biography

Franco Nero films

''Django''

Django is a 1966 Spaghetti Western directed by Sergio Corbucci starring Franco Nero as Django; a dismissed Union soldier who fought in the American Civil War. The film is set in 1869, four years after the end of the Civil War. After arriving in a bleak, mud-drenched town in the American Southwest and dragging a coffin behind him, Django gets caught up in a violent race war between a gang of Mexican bandits, led by General Hugo, and a clan of militants under the command of the sadistic Major Jackson. Armed with a deadly Mitrailleuse volley gun, Django proceeds to play both sides against each other in the pursuit of money and, ultimately, revenge against Jackson; the Major having murdered his wife years before.

''Django Strikes Again''

Twenty years after the events in the first Django, the title character has left the violent life of a gunslinger to become a monk. Living in seclusion in a monastery, he wants no more of the violent actions he perpetrated. Suddenly, he learns from a dying former lover that some time ago he had a young daughter, who has been kidnapped along with other children who are now working for a ruthless Belgian criminal known as El Diablo Orlowsky, who is an arms dealer and slave trader. The children and other prisoners work in Orlowsky's mine, from which he hopes to get rich from the spoils. Determined to find his daughter and nail the bad guys, Django gets some arms and goes on the warpath against Orlowsky's private army.

Appearances

Official films

Franco Nero films

In May 2016, it was reported that Franco Nero will reprise his role in his third outing as the titular character, entitled Django Lives!, with the film taking place 50 years after the events of the original installment, set to be directed by John Sayles.

Jamie Foxx films

The enormous success of the original Django movie in 1966 inspired unofficial sequels to be created by a multitude of studios, due to loose copyright laws in Italy at the time. Some actually feature the character of Django, and some titles just capitalize on the name, even though the character is not in the film.