If you’re really interested in this question, you’ll find an intricate (and maybe overwrought) text on the topic here (in three parts):
Just my opinion, but isn’t this topic better suited to be discussed on Django the Bastard’s actual thread?
[quote=“John Welles, post:162, topic:560”]Just my opinion, but isn’t this topic better suited to be discussed on Django the Bastard’s actual thread?[/quote]I thought so too so I merged the topics.
Thanks for the merge - I should have searched a little more…and thanks for the article as well!
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[size=12pt]Are you talking to me? [/size]
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Good review! But one thing…
[quote=“scherpschutter, post:165, topic:560”]High Plains Drifter, which featured a character who had come back from the other side to avenge his own death[/quote]It’s been a while since I saw HPD but if I recall correctly the man we see killed in town is not actually Eastwood. So, there’s a similar mystery of “is he a ghost or just a man after revenge” in it too.
In Ghosts and Avengers I wrote this about it:
It is only revealed in the final scene of High Plains Drifter that Clint’s drifter is not a normal human being. When the drifter is about to leave the town of Lago, the dwarf he made sheriff and mayor, tells him he still doesn’t know his name. “Oh yes you do”, says the drifter, and the camera turns to the grave of the sheriff who was whipped to death in the town’s main street years before. The most logical conclusion is that the drifter is a reincarnation of the murdered sheriff, so has avenged his own death.
I remember having read somewhere that the sheriff who was whipped to death was not the drifter, so the conclusion of this author was that the drifter was the younger brother (or the son) of the murdered man
U.K pre cert vhs cover which borrows from a few other films 
;
I’ve seen rather bizarre covers in my life, but this one … pfff
Is that Sebastian playing the epileptic lunatic?
Ha, ha looks like it.
Yes, strange cover indeed. Even more weird for me I used the photo on the front cover recently in Chris Casey’s Card Caption Competition thread.
[quote=“ENNIOO, post:168, topic:560”]U.K pre cert vhs cover which borrows from a few other films ;
[/quote]
HAHAHAHAHA It features every other film EXCEPT Django the Bastard!! Its almost as if the fuckers just put on whatever they had lying around.
What’s on the Sartana Pray for Your Death Cover, Bud Spencer from Trinity and Giulianno Gemma as Ringo?
Btw Scherp that Review was terrific and heavily improved upon my own analysis from Fistfulofpasta. I also agree that just because Steffen’s character can be hurt or killed, it doesn’t mean he’s not supernatural, and great stuff on bringing up Dracula.
And that from one who doesn’t like vampires …
But yes, beautiful review.
A unique combination of spooky Euro-Goth Horror combined with Spaghetti Western, this flick has the reputation of being the inspiration for Clint Eastwood’s “High Plains Drifter”. Anthony Steffen, the tall, lanky, somewhat wooden-faced Euro-Western veteran, was a co-writer of the script here; the picture is pretty much an ideal match for his particular skill. That is to say, it requires someone to be tall, imposing, bad-ass, and a little morose; with out any emoting or histrionics. He does a great job.
A mysterious figure arrives in town to seek revenge on the men responsible for a long-ago crime. The stranger, who was believed to have died, stalks and haunts the men, in and out of their homes, seemingly coming and going at will. For this reason, they come to fear that they are being trailed by his ghost, literally returned from beyond to avenge their crime.
The film is set in motion with a brilliant opening sequence, which has quickly become one of my favorite scenes from any Spaghetti Western. Allow me to break it down:
As the winds howl through the streets of a seemingly deserted town, we see a tall, black-clad figure stride slowly across the screen. First a POV shot of the Stranger’s boots crunching down on the dirt with each step, then a wide-angle shot seen through the spokes of a wagon wheel, finally, a dramatic, panoramic overhead shot. The Stranger, wearing a hat pulled low and a black cloak, keeps his face hidden from the camera. Finally he comes to stop in front of a grimy saloon, and from chest-level we see him pull back his cloak to reveal a wooden cemetery cross bearing a name and a date. With a bold thrust, the Stranger plants the cross into the ground so that it is visible from the saloon. Inside, the liquored-up roughnecks are aghast: the name on the cross is one of them and the date is today. As the toughs stumble out to challenge the Stranger, he sloooowly lifts his head until his face and eyes are visible from under the brim of his hat. The Stranger, all grimy, unshaven, and steel-eyed, repeats the name on the cross in a low voice. The victim’s eyes grow wide and we see a quick flashback of unarmed men being gunned down. The victim realizes in an instant that the stranger is here to avenge his crime of long ago. The thugs each attempt to drunkenly pull their guns out but are quickly dispatched by the Stranger in a lightning-quick hail of gunfire.
The DVD (under the title THE STRANGERS GUNDOWN) from VCI is a very presentable-looking 1.85:1 Widescreen Transfer enhanced for 16x9 monitors; it is much better looking than the version available on various budget sets and on YouTube.
I’ve wanted to view this ever since I read the synopsis and some positive opinions about it. Unfortunately, in spite of being terrificly written, it’s all let down by Garrone’s direction, which varies from pretty good to horrible. The mix of rapid pans in and out makes me almost feel dizzy. It’s as if the director endeavored to point something in the space, but this filming technique is used to the extension that is almost laughable. Garrone’s attempt to create his personal style by utilizing low-angled shots and plenty of zooms is futile. The action sequences often lack a dynamism and the way Garrone tells the story even punctuates this. There is a lot of indifferent acting in the movie, Luciano Rossi and Paolo Gozlino are very unconvincing as villains, Rada Rassimov looks gorgeous and she plays her role really well in comparison to other actors. Surprisingly enough, Anthony Steffen appears to be the best in it. Of course, he is quite wooden, but during those flashback scenes he proves he is a rather competent actor. Flashbacks were the best part of the flick as well. A soundtrack was cheesy but somehow it suits to the crappy tone of the movie, anyway I found it very enjoyable - the main theme is splendid. It’s a pity it was directed by Sergio Garrone, as it’s genuinely full of great ideas and the whole concept works very well. Besides I love gothic westerns. The director simply takes advantage of the movie’s potential in the least and this is Django The Bastard’s biggest problem. There is too much awkwardness and trashiness in it for me to like it. On the whole, it’s not THAT bad, but when you expect a top-notch, you might be disappointed with it. 2 stars
I read somewhere that there are something like 60 or 70 movies with Django in the title, but only four are worth watching - this one, the original, “Viva Django”, and “Django Kill”. Imagine how bad the others are…
Django Shoots First
Don’t Wait, Django… Shoot!
A Man Called Django!/W Django!
and in addition
Massacre Time
Texas, Adios
God Forgives, I Don’t
$10,000 Blood Money
Vengeance Is Mine
Death Sentence
Man, Pride and Vengeance
Black Jack
May God Forgive You… But I Won’t
I Want Him Dead
The Moment to Kill
Vengeance
Duel in the Eclipse
A Fistful of Lead
No Room to Die
Cowards Don’t Pray
One After Another
Johnny Hamlet
Any Gun Can Play
That should be enough… 
Many films in different countries use the name Django, but most of these are only dub-Djangos.
In Italy between 20 and 30 SWs were released in which the hero was called Django, but many of them have less to do with Corbucci’s film than other SWs which have a hero more similar to the original.
Btw Django Kill is also only a dub-Django. The protagonist is (and I assume by purpose) another man with no name, and is throghout the film only called the stranger. Renaming this film to Django works against the intentions of the film.
I almost created a topic to find out how many “real fake” Django / non-dub-Django there are, maybe I should or is there already one (can’t find it)? For some reason I’m very curious about that.
Viva Django and Son of Django at least suggest a certain link to the original movie, the first one a (sort of) prequel, the second as a (sort of) sequel, but the connection is vague. I like a lot of movies mentioned by Jonathan, but I don’t think any of these movies is a genuine Django movie. Some movies with Django in it (Some Dollars for Django, Don’t Wait Django, Shoot! W Django!, Django Kill) aren’t Django movies at all, the protagonist is in most cases anyone with virtually no connection to the original character created by Corbucci.
Here’s a list (I don’t think it’s complete)