An homage to Italian director Sergio Corbucci of the 1960s and contemporary director Quentin Tarantino, recounting a memorable period in Italian cinema with the sensibility of today.
Quentin Tarantino, here in the role of narrator, describes why Sergio Corbucci (1927-1990) is “the second-best director of Italian westerns,” as stated by one of his characters in his latest film “Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood,” and as confirmed by his choice to shoot “Django Unchained” using Corbucci’s movie from the 1960s as inspiration. Unpublished original materials, testimonies from Franco Nero, Ruggero Deodato (“Django”’s assistant director), and footage from the original films compiled by Luca Rea are entertainingly insightful if a bit fragmented. Besides the reimagining of “Django,” Tarantino has paid homage to Corbucci on several occasions throughout his career.
“Django & Django” begins with the final act of Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood,” when Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Rick Dalton, is offered the role of Nebraska Jim in a Sergio Corbucci picture. Cut to Tarantino, sitting in a private theater with a glass of whiskey, he continues his storyboard fantasy of what Rick Dalton and Corbucci would discuss. This segment took up around 10 precious minutes of the documentary’s 72-minute running time.
At one point, Tarantino planned to pen a novel titled ‘The Other Sergio’ (due to Sergio Leone being more renowned). And just like Leone, Corbucci got his start as a film critic, then as a screenwriter, and finally as a second unit director where he learned the tricks of the trade. Corbucci grew up in fascist Italy while Mussolini ruled, so naturally, Tarantino theorizes the subtext of Corbucci’s films was concerned with fascism. Corbucci also portrayed the fight for civil rights and the politically charged assassinations of peaceful activists that plagued the 1960s.
Initially, Corbucci was interested in the more traditional outings popularized by Howard Hawks and John Ford. Everything changed when Sergio Leone’s “A Fistful of Dollars” took the genre and smashed it through a saloon window. Although there’s undeniable influence from Leone (like hiring Ennio Morricone as a composer), Corbucci‘s style was darker, more concerned with vengeance, and accurately depicting the depravity of the West. Most of Corbucci’s films contain a body count that rivals Sam Peckinpah, with the Italian director humorously recalling, “I’ve killed more people than Caligula and Nero.”
Corbucci considered his hometown Abruzzo, “the real Italian West, just like America.” When not filming, Corbucci enjoyed “La Dolce Vita” or a bourgeois existence hanging with Rome’s intellectuals. In one of the few interviews with Corbucci, he stated being drawn to comic book heroes who must lose their power before defeating a villain. Tarantino notes the important distinction between a hero and an avenger; Corbucci’s characters are not saving the day – they are seeking retribution – and maybe some gold.
Despite “Django & Django” being anecdotal since interviews with Corbucci are sporadic, it remains mostly entertaining. But the “second best Italian director” deserves a more refined showcase.
“Django & Django” recently premiered at the 78th 2021 Venice Film Festival
