Django Unchained

(2012, directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, and Leonardo DiCaprio)

“I wanted to explore slavery…give black American males a hero…and revenge. ” – Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino is know for his distinct directorial style that features various Tarantino trademarks. These identifiable components include extreme and excessive usage of violence often accompanied by pulsating music, satire, a strong female lead, use of a select group of actors (ex. Uma Thurman and Samuel Jackson), and a cameo appearance within the film. The film Django Unchained, was released in 2012, and contains a few of these signature trademarks such as violence, pulsating music, satire, Samuel Jackson, and a cameo appearance. Tarantino created this film with the purpose of creating a film that provided a form of catharsis for African American men.

The movie explored the American Slave Trade and the idea of what would occur if a character similar to that of Shaft, existed back then. What qualities would the ideal black superhero of that time period possess and look like ?

… Enter Django the African American, gun slinging, sharp shooting, cowboy.

The film is the center of controversy due to its portrayal of slavery, use of the derogatory word “nigger”, extreme levels of violence, and how the content was satirized.

Portrayal of Slavery

• Life on the plantation was depicted as relaxed in some cases. On the plantation belonging to Spencer “Big Daddy” Bennett, a select group of slave women were shown wearing nice dresses, chattering among themselves, and enjoying a sunny afternoon on swings while other slaves toiled in cotton fields. I believe that this contrast existed in order to educate the audience about types of slave, for example house and field slaves.

• As slave owners both Bennett and Calvin Candie seemed way too “familiar” with the slaves. In the film both of these slave owners were regarded as wealthy and ruthless but other than their wealth, they seemed very relaxed. The acted as if they were simply victims of societal norms of the time (slavery and white dominance) and were simply following the rules. If it was not for slavery, perhaps everyone would be friends.

• The relationship between Calvin and Stephen and between Dr. Shultz and Django are fairly similar. In the relationship between Calvin and Stephen, it is Stephen who is ultimately in control. He says whatever he pleases, challenges and mocks Calvin’s “authority”, manages the other slaves, assumes a position of authority that Calvin acknowledges, and is treated as an equal among the other white characters on Calvin’s plantation. In the relationship between Dr. Shultz and Django, it is Django who openly challenges Dr. Shultz, maintains his own sense of self regardless of any suggestions made, and contributes his opinions towards important decisions that must be made. In both cases there is a dynamic where both of the black characters are leading their white counterparts, to believe that they are fully in charge. They boost their egos, and submit themselves to the social laws of the time period but in truth it is truly them (the black men) who are in charge.

• There was a point made during the class discussion where a student spoke of the relationship between Django and Shultz , as a slave and master relationship. Shultz was referred to as the “white savior”. I saw the relationship as an objective business transaction. Shultz and Django both wanted something and needed each other in order to get it. They used the guise of slavery, and race in order to calculatingly achieve their own desires.

The “n” Word

• This film is criticized for the repetitive usage of the word nigger (110 times). During slavery the “n” word and various other words were used in order to reinforce and ingrain feelings of sub-humanness within the slaves. Passages from the bible were also read in order to justify slavery and to condemn them as a people, by attempting to prove that they were rejected by God.The idea that God the Father in heaven, did not love them, created them to be slaves, thought of them as he did animals, and made them to be disadvantaged is heart breaking. I believe that the usage of the “n” word is very appropriate for the time period that the movie is attempting to portray. It is a very small verbal device that was used to mentally ensnare the slaves along with the great injustices and cruelty that was inflicted upon them. In no way was Tarantino attempting to recreate the film entitled Roots (1977, directed by Alex Haley). The “n” word displayed a very small part of the overall injustice. This is why it was played up and used within this film along with a variety of other aspects to create a well put together pastiche art form.

Extreme Levels of Violence

• Within this movie there are extreme levels and excessive usage of violence. As pointed out during the class discussion that immediately followed the film, the white characters died in over the top circumstances, Django was able to defeat large groups without sustaining any injuries (the slave masters are very unskilled with guns), and the victims often lost large amounts of blood that gushed everywhere. The black characters died in more realistic but grotesquely cruel ways. In death,Tarantino portrayed slaves as human, who bled and died as humans do while the white overseers were sub-human, with ketchup red blood bursting from their veins.

Awkward Satirical Moments

• I felt very strange laughing during the scene that displayed the early stages of the creation of the KKK. My laughter came from a place that coincided with Tarantino’s overall intention for this film but for myself (a woman). As of now, I feel that comedy being used in order to introduce the KKK in the film is very strange. I have conflicting feelings towards that scene.