Introduction
Django Unchained is a film about an enslaved Black person in the 1850s, Django, who was caught and freed by a bounty hunter, Dr. King Schultz, with whom they eventually became friends. It focuses on Django’s life path in times of slavery, when he needs to survive, kill enemies, and protect friends and loved ones. Its main idea is to show the heroic image of a Black ex-slave who overcomes all hardships in conditions of extreme violence.
There are other vibrant images in the film: Stephen, another enslaved person perfectly loyal to the violent master, Candie, and Broomhilda, Django’s wife, whom he rescues from him. Candie represents a typical villain, while Schultz, an enlightened and free-spirited White, becomes almost a brother to the heroic Django. The movie raises the problem of racism and xenophobia and the necessity to overcome them, fighting injustice without compromises, while keeping human values and qualities.
Movie Overview: Heroes and Archetypes
Django, played by Jamie Foxx in Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 film Django Unchained, is a formerly enslaved person who teams up with a German bounty hunter named Dr. King Schultz, played by Christoph Waltz. After Django helps Schultz with his deeds, killing his enemies, the Brittle brothers, at Spencer Bennett’s plantation. After that, Schultz acknowledges Django’s help, considers him a close friend, and goes with him to save his wife, Broomhilda, played by Kerry Washington. She was a slave to the sadistic plantation owner, a gentryman named Calvin Candie, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. He is a typical villain, charming and charismatic, and his servant is Stephen Warren, played by Samuel L. Jackson, who is utterly loyal to the master and can be considered a “race traitor” (Speck 188).
It can be mentioned, however, that the main villain of the film is not Candie nor any other person: it is slavery and, consequently, racism (Speck 189). Therefore, one can see the film’s relevance. Instead of simply showing another documentary about slavery, it creates a powerful story about a heroic Black person who rises against injustice and atrocities.
Tarantino subverts typical Hollywood representations of Black characters by creating a Black protagonist who bravely opposes the horrible and repressive system of slavery. Courage and triumph over the adversity of the outer world during the journey are typical traits of the Hero archetype, and all are present in Django (Faber and Mayer 307). Django Unchained, as a film, violates historical facts and standard Hollywood portrayals of Black characters to develop a new narrative about race and racism in the United States. Tarantino was criticized for such a choice; for example, Spike Lee called the film disrespectful due to twisting facts (Rolling Stone). The film’s value is not in its historicity but in the ability to influence the public positively, and Django Unchained certainly has this value.
Black People and Hero’s Archetype
Although the film is intentionally historically incorrect, it shows the Black freed enslaved person as a Hero archetype, providing a strong image of how Black people can overcome social injustice and racism. Spike Lee, an African-American director, attacked Django Unchained for its treatment of slavery and use of racist epithets and stated that it was “insulting to his ancestors” (Rolling Stone). While the film is brutal and full of atrocities, its main hero can fight them, even in the final scenes when it seems he is doomed. Tarantino and others believe that the film’s novel and revisionist approach to the subject is critical for addressing past and present injustices faced by African Americans.
The problem of racism is not buried in the 19th century; it is present today, and the film’s archetypes represent how it can be fought. An archetype, by definition, is a psychological model, a prototype, which clearly and often exaggeratedly shows some traits typical of it (Faber and Mayer 308). Due to that, they have a strong influence on emotions and often serve as models for behavior. In the modern United States, black men are still a highly vulnerable social group, with high poverty, incarceration, suicide, and drug abuse rates (Gates 14). The image of a heroic black man who fights against the atrocities of slavery and racism while maintaining qualities such as brotherhood, honesty, and faithfulness is highly encouraging and empowering.
Therefore, Black people in the United States, especially men, lack self-representation and authenticity and suffer from various inequality problems. According to Gates, “each rages against the terrifying requirement to represent; against the demands of ‘ authenticity” (17). Django carries this responsibility of representation, a strong and heroic personality with the potential to influence the public, especially Black people.
On the one hand, the film shows exceptional cruelty; on the other hand, a heroic Django who does not crumble under this cruelty but fights it (Perry 132). While the film is hard to watch and causes discomfort, it is incredibly vivid and clearly communicates its message (Speck 196). It is the message of the heroic fight for freedom and justice, and its historical revisionism is not a problem, as it is not a documentary but an archetypal movie.
Black Film as Heroic Film
Django Unchained is more than just a black picture: it is an archetypal film that shows a black man as the hero. It calls into doubt the commonly held belief that only black people can make real black films. The film’s cruelty is necessary here to show vividly and exaggeratedly how a true hero can overcome all challenges of oppression and injustice (Perry 133). The archetypic Black hero resonates with the Black audience, which sees in it an example of how injustice can be fought (Faber and Mayer 320).
The black film would better be defined by its political and cultural impact rather than simply by race, as the problem of racism is much deeper (Speck 276). A broader definition would include films that aggressively challenge and destroy institutional racism, regardless of the ethnicity of their creators. According to this definition, Django Unchained is a black film because of its daring portrayal of a black protagonist heroically fighting against the injustices of slavery.
Film Impact
Tarantino addresses mainstream media’s historically inaccurate representations of servile, docile, and powerless slaves by showing a black protagonist who is assertive, brainy, and skillful. Django quickly understands and acts according to the situation, is ready to kill those who do injustices, and feels deep brotherly love for those with him, including Schulz (Perry 131). In contrast, there is an image of Stephen, a “race traitor” who is utterly loyal to his wicked master and is ready to commit atrocities by himself (Speck 188). His actions lead to the tragedy when Schulz is killed, and Django is captured by Candie’s people, who are left alive.
Django’s character development throughout the film emphasizes the importance of tenacity and determination when faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. He shows courage, killing Spencer “Big Daddy” Bennett when he tries to capture Schulz. After the skirmish began in Candyland, he killed several of Candyland’s people in revenge for Schulz, who was shot.
In the final scenes, when he is captured and seemingly doomed to be worked to death, he manages to escape, kill guards, and finally get revenge for his friend’s death. Thus, this horrible experience did not break Django but only motivated him to become stronger, act courageously and smartly, and, eventually, kill all oppressors and torturers and rescue his wife (Perry 136). The film’s success and influence demonstrate that there is a market for movies that offer new perspectives on the black experience.
Django Unchained acts as a catalyst for talks about race and racism in the United States. It presents a new perspective on black people’s lived experiences and pushes viewers to confront the horrible realities of slavery. Although the film is inaccurate in certain aspects of history, its revisionist approach to the history of slavery in the United States forces audiences to confront the institution’s atrocities. The film’s portrayal of a heroic black protagonist fighting against slavery’s injustices and its collaborative filming process demonstrate cinema’s ability to challenge conventional narratives and achieve social change.
Conclusion
Therefore, the film is relevant for modern times and communicates a robust message about injustice and the necessity to fight it. Django Unchained challenges historical accuracy and subverts stereotypical Hollywood depictions of black characters, but creates a new narrative about race and prejudice in the United States. Despite its excessive cruelty and usage of racial epithets, the movie is a robust black picture that communicates the message of Black people’s representation and fights for their rights. The film is recommended, as it shows a strong and vibrant heroic story, inspiring one to be stronger and defeat injustice.
Works Cited
Faber, Michael A., and John D. Mayer. “Resonance to Archetypes in Media: There’s Some Accounting for Taste.” Journal of Research in Personality, vol. 43, no. 3, 2009, pp. 307–22, Web.
Gates, Henry Louis. Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Man. Vintage, 2011.
Perry, Samuel L. “Django Unchained and the Undisturbed Frontier Hero Archetype.” Disturbing Argument, Routledge, 2015, pp. 131–36, Web.
Rolling Stone. “Spike Lee Calls ‘Django Unchained’ ‘Disrespectful.’” Rolling Stone, Web.
Speck, Oliver C. Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained: The Continuation of Metacinema. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014.