DJANGO! Well; what a movie. Where do I start! So many questions I would like to ask the cast.I could say that Quentin was not as gruesome as he usually is or that some of the scenes were not over the top blood splattered but the truth is I am on the fence about these statements because I was still cringing, holding my breath, dropping my jaw and I even found myself looking away in one of the scenes. That said it's an amazing movie and we should all have a look see.
In true Quentin style he gives us the heads up that we are in for a bumpy ride with the opening scene assault of welted back dirty shackled slaves. The kind of dirty that you can almost smell and the sound of dragging chains. I don't know about you guys but that visual still gets me in the gut and I truly have a hard time believing that we were treated that way not too long ago. Anyway; as soon as you have tempered your nerves, like a whip you are assaulted again. This time by the N WORD. It comes ringing out of a white mans mouth with the comfort and ease of that time and then even worse is repeated by Django in that accepting matter of fact ease.
Kudos to Quentin for digging in there right away but what was running through my mind was how did Jamie and all those other black actors feel sitting in the moment on that film. I doubt any white reporter would throw that out on the red carpet but I will certainly be trolling the internet for a sit down interviews to see if its broached.
As I got further into the movie I saw the speed at which Django absorbed information and the way in which he accepted and sat in his freedom. Almost like he was never a slave. His confidence was so current and I questioned his acceleration as in was it too quick? Was the passing of time to subtle and so I missed his progression and then I satisfied myself with the fact that back then your very survival probably hinged on being a quick learner.
The movie stirred up so may emotions that it has been difficult to just come out with a straight review. Instead I was filled with questions. Questions about the treatment of the film and the time and wanting to hear from the actors. I loved Christoph swagger and I hated Leonardo so much. He sat so comfortably in that roll that I had to keep saying to myself, It's only a movie, he's a humanitarian, and finally, he's just that good of an actor. Samuel opened the doors a crack as to what a head house slave function was. Adding yet another layer and while this is no full on assault like Roots I would not count it out for content. It manages to give us a quick be it brutal taste of the time.
What can I say. Thank you for the ride Quentin. Thank you for the ride.
