“Django Unchained” is a Western film that tells a classic Tarantino revenge story of Foxx (the enslaved person) with the help of Waltz, a German bounty hunter. The film, set from 1858 to 1859, elaborates on unique themes, such as slavery and racism. Indeed, its focus on such themes has made the audience come up with different arguments on whether the movie is fiction describing historical events or just a story. Although the writers and directors do not base Django Unchained on a true story, it incorporates elements from actual events and people to create a fictional account. Indeed, during that period, people from the South were staunch racists who possessed many enslaved people. Released on December 25th, 2012, the film runs for two hours and forty-five minutes.
Although the movies contain an extensive cast, Django Freeman, Dr. King Schultz, Stephen Warren, Calvin Candie, and Broomhilda Von Shaft serve as the primary characters in the film. Together, these characters bring out the concept of conflict through oppression, slavery, revenge, and the power of love. Race conflict within the film emerges during the transportation of Django and other Black Americans, where the masters subject them to torture and abuse (Tarantino et al., 2012). The hate between the African Americans and the whites led to the death of Dicky after DR. Schultz helped them kill Ace. Similarly, in the Candyland plantations, race conflict emerges after the masters force the African Americans to engage in the Mandingo fights, which usually led to numerous deaths. Racism and high ethnicity levels make the Black Americans forcefully work in plantations while being whipped. In the end, Django took his revenge and killed dozens of White women and men with blood exploding off their bodies in little red bursts.
Although “Django Unchained” intends to depict slavery and Southern barbarity, the film does not serve as an accurate historical piece. Instead, it comes out as a Spaghetti Western genre that does not correctly illustrate the events of the 19th century and focuses on a Blaxploitation-revenge flick other than a documentary. Besides, the Ku Klux Klan in the film only emerged after the Civil War from a group of Confederate Veterans, indicating that it was unavailable in 1858 (Beirich, 2021). Even under the institution of slavery, events such as Mandingo fighting did not happen since the masters feared losing valuable personnel in the fight. Hence, the film “Django Unchained” is more of a fiction that incorporates numerous events and clans that were untrue or did not exist.
Moreover, the character depiction and hunting strategies do not match that of the people in the 19th century. Unlike Django, who rides a horse, many enslaved people in the Tarantino universe were only allowed to walk to different plantations (Tarantino et al., 2012). Although Django’s blue suit is an allusion to the 1779 painting by Thomas, it is evident that the dressing code reverses the power dynamics that ruled the antebellum society of the South, where African Americans were ordinarily subservient to their masters. The clothes used in this film derived inspiration from spaghetti westerns and other artistic works, making it historically inaccurate.
Although “Django Unchained” targets people across the board, it is more favorable to Black Americans and people over eighteen. Despite the criticism surrounding the nature of the film and its themes, it attracted a significant black audience. The film is also appropriate for adults aged eighteen and above since it contains a considerable amount of nudity, use of graphic violence, and vicious fight. Hence, the underage audience should not watch the film.
Overall, this film is entertaining and unnerves the audience by illustrating slavery history in America during the pre-civil war period. Through irony and humor, the director allows the audience not to be overwhelmed by the violence or provoke a state of denial. Regardless of the criticism, I would define the movie as an entertaining and informative piece that ridicules the Black Americans’ brutality in the West. Thus, I would give a 3.5 rating to the film since it had some historical inconsistencies.
References
Beirich, H. (2021). 10. The Struggle for the Sons of Confederate Veterans: A Return to White Supremacy in the Early Twenty-First Century?. In Neo-Confederacy (pp. 280-308). University of Texas Press.
Tarantino, Q., Sher, S., Hudlin, R., & Savone, P. (2012). Django Unchained. United States; Weinstein Company.