Django the Bastard
Django the Bastard
R | 19 April 1974 (USA)
Django the Bastard Trailers

A Confederate soldier returns from the dead to take revenge on three officers who betrayed his unit in battle.

Reviews
Interesteg What makes it different from others?
Lucybespro It is a performances centric movie
ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.
Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.
ironhorse_iv Antony Steffen plays yet another unofficial Django type character. A man in black; face hidden by wide brimmed hat; whom has the burden to place a cross bearing the name of the people that wrong him in the past into the ground. He haunts his victims like the Grim Reaper arrive to collect their soul. I like to think of it, as WWE Undertaker, the movie with his Gothic themes. Anthony Steffen might not have the same dark premise as Franco Nero, but I have to give mad props to the man for trying. As you see, at the time, a lot of Spaghetti Westerns try to hook audience in, by trying to connect their movies with other Spaghetti Westerns movie that has popular characters. You can see a lot of them, sporting that their character is the same as the Man with No Name, Sartana, and in this case, Django. According to the IMDb, there were well over fifty of these "Django" imitations made. Unlike other movies, that do this, and have no similar themes. The film tries hard on the concept, and really look like it could belong to a Django film. Still, in the long run, the film has really no connection to 1966's Sergio Corbucci's film, Django, but seem more influence by the Man of No Name character from the Sergio Leone 'Dollar' trilogy. Anthony Steffen is very stoic and subdued. People would say wooden, but he under acts appropriately and does what he has to do. He knows how to be cool. The only problem is Anthony Steffen isn't that menacing. The more, you got to see him, the less, he become cool as the movie went on. Honestly, they shouldn't reveal way too much of his personality in the flashbacks. That was the fault of 1966's Django: A Bullet for You. That character had nothing to do with Django. It made the cool ghost, into an average man by the end. Django the Bastard also known as The Stranger's Gundown is a very interesting Spaghetti Western movie directed by Sergio Garrone. This movie was a key inspiration behind Clint Eastwood's 1973's High Plains Drifter and deserves credit for that reason alone. The execution however doesn't match the idea nor does it mine its full potential. The movie concept was better used in 1968's 'Once Upon a Time in the West'. The plot is a traditional revenge film with a man who everybody think is dead seeking revenge on his killers. At less, the movie made it believe that he was a ghost and that only epileptics and gypsies could speak with him. Obtaining an "X" rating on its initial Italian release due to its violence. It's now look upon as silly one-shot kills. Still, it had a pretty memorable intense action like the two men playing hot potato with a live dynamite. I love how the whole town people were exile, just for the villains to find this mysterious man hiding among them with his many men. It gave a near impossible fighting against the odd feel to the hero. The acting is alright for the most part, but the actual villains, the Murdock Gang are not that memorable. If anything, they killed off, Luke Murdock (Luciano Rossi) way too earlier. He is totally over the top insane, and brutal. Rada Rassimov's character Alethea is a bit annoying with her money hungry greedy ego. Every scene with her and Django made me want to see her met her end. Sadly, it never came. The English dubbing is a bit off with the mouthing. I really can't say, that it's better with other languages. It was very flat dialogue. I did like the devil out of hell talk scene. The music score is very creepy and atmospheric. It set up the Gothic horror feel, but in a fast paced. The real pacing in the movie is pretty slow. It get really boring at times, at less, in the beginning. The original version of this film has a pre-credits explanatory scene. The version released in the UK & the US places this scene, the entire reasoning behind Django's motives in the film in a flashback later in the film, roughly half way through the film, rather than before the credits, which is how it is presented in the Italian version. It kinda work and kinda didn't. It made the movie, really confusing at first as he don't know if Django is supposed to be the villain or the hero. The camera work is great for the most part. Garrone uses innovative camera work to good effect. He cracked the camera glass when filming, so he can give the three villains together with distort images. He uses a kaleidoscope affect in one scene. Also, he filmed night scenes for almost half the movie. It was great, not seeing day for night, or the night scenes being way too dark. These are filmed in a skillful style that never obscures the view and keeps the film interesting. Very good direction for the most part. Some really awful shots, had to be, the odd church roping scene, a scene where somebody walking by, hit the camera on accident, and the awful Civil War flashbacks in slow motion. Much of the daylight cinematography is poorly lit. There's some bad editing that makes me think that the original Italian version may have been longer, but in my surprise, the film wasn't cut up much, as the normal running time is supposed to 107 minutes. Surprising for a Spaghetti Western. The picture quality is great. It kinda depends on where you get the DVD. There are some lines and scratches, and some color distortion in some DVDs. In my opinion, MCP & Studio Canal often get restored copies. Overall: to combine the Horror genre with the Western, with a somewhat mixed, if interesting, result. It's a unique and interesting film in spite of whatever minor flaws it may have.
ma-cortes This is an Anthony Steffen vehicle playing his usual character as revenger gunslinger as playing a phantom gone back from the grave to revenge his own death . An avenge-seeking soldier returns from the dead to take vendetta on three officers who betrayed his unit in battle during Civil War. The mysterious gunfighter without a name rides and arrives in the town to stay for execute his mission . After gunning down some desperado who tried to kill him, he set out to return to get their vengeance. Can the mysterious gunfighter without a name stop the outlaw brothers ? . This violent Western is set on eerie outdoors and dark interiors , the star is a mysterious revenger, ¨a man without name¨ , who comes to avenge against nasty villainous . It deals about a gunfighter (Anthony Steffen) arriving a little town that has the usual shops and buildings, as General merchandise, Livery stable, Hardware, Barber shop, Saloon , Hotel and of course the Church. The drifter will take on a couple of brothers called Murdock (Paolo Gozlino and Luciano Rossi) and their hoodlums (Carlo Gadi) , being only helped by the gorgeous Alida (Rada Rassimov) .Well crafted Western with interesting screenplay written by main actor Anthony Steffen and director Sergio Garrone . Although atmospheric , it's also downbeat and sometimes just downright nasty. The story is almost terrific and creepy as the drifter comes to strange frontier town just in time to reckoning villagers and bandits . The film is made in somewhat similar style to ¨High plains drifter(1973)¨ , it has been said that is the uncredited inspiration and also ¨Pale rider (1985)¨, both of them acted and directed by Clint Eastwood , only this time the drifter appears to have been sent from hell rather than heaven to right from past injustices and double-crosses .The picture is well starred by Anthony Steffen-Antonio De Teffe- , he began playing secondary roles into typical examples of popular Italian films of the late 50s as sword and sandal epics, comedies, adventures and was with spaghetti westerns that renamed achieved worldwide stardom. Anthony Steffen may be a name best remembered by Spaghetti Western aficionados, but in his day, from the mid-'60s to the early '70s, Steffen was one of the most popular actors of the genre — at the time cheap B movies, now revered cult classics . The handsome, Italian-born — actually at the Brazilian embassy in Rome — Antonio Luiz de Teffè von Hoonholtz began working in films as a studio messenger for Vittorio De Sica . From there, Steffen began acting in sword-and-sandal epics, later moving onto the Western genre, where he found his niche. Unlike fellow Spaghetti star Clint Eastwood, however, Steffen never became a top international box-office attraction. His acting is often accused of being wooden , but in many manners is ideally suited to playing the steely-faced gunslinger synonymous with the genre . His others successes include well liked features as Seven Dollars to Kill, The last Mohican¨, ¨Train for Durango¨, ¨Gentleman Jo¨ , ¨Four dollars for Django¨, ¨Shango¨, ¨Arizona colt¨, ¨Apocalypse Joe¨ and several others. He was still enjoyable in other genres, specially Giallos as the successful The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave¨, ¨Death in Haiti¨ or The ¨Crimes of the Black Cat¨, a good example of Giallo where he played a blind pianist - one of his roles he most liked- , and ¨Killer Fish¨ . The motion picture is interestingly directed by Sergio Garrone . Sergio started his movie career as a screenwriter and assistant director before making his solo directorial debut with the spaghetti Western ¨Se Vuoi Vivere... Spara (1968)¨. He continued to helm several other spaghetti Westerns that include ¨Three crosses of death (1968)¨, ¨Django Il Bastardo (1969)¨ his best film , ¨Quel Maledetto Giorno della resa Conti (1971)¨ and ¨Kill Django .. Kill first¨. He subsequently directed a wartime movie as ¨The dove must not fly¨ and Pornonazis and other exploitation films . Rating : Acceptable and passable.
von-13 "Wait a minute stranger, please...tell me who you are anyway"... a baddie asks Django, who replies, "A devil from hell"!! So yes...this movie certainly plays like a typical Italian horrorfilm.You know, one that takes place in an old remote castle where various people are destined to die horroble deaths. Technically this Sergio Garrone film is a much more skillful production than some of his "women in kz-lager" efforts of which he is so "famous"!!! The first 30-45 mins are visually very stimulating and this bears the film through. But after an hour or so, with lots'a style, thrills, atmosphere,moods etc, it just becomes too much(for me at least!!). Django appears everywhere never showing any facial expressions shooting down tons of baddies.Quite frankly, it borders on the tediously boring!!The ghostly happenings does set the film apart from most other entries in this fine genre and for this I praise and recommend it.
noahax This unusual horror film is one of the best examples of the spaghetti western genre. The plot is the standard "lone stranger seeking revenge," but in this instance, it's not clear if the stranger is a man or just a ghost. This aspect of the story, which is heightened by spooky music and scenes in fog-filled cemeteries, really sets this film apart.The soundtrack is also excellent, with lots of distorted guitars and sci-fi organ music.