Review: Arrow Gives the Moral Turpitude of the Old West a 4K Upgrade in 'Django'

Spaghetti westerns were a dime a dozen back in the late 1960s and early 1970s; many of them were turned out in quick succession to make an equally quick buck. Yet, when it comes to the legacy of the Italian directors helming such pictures, filmmaker Sergio Corbucci stood just as tall as Sergio Leone. Need proof? Just watch his definitive spaghetti western "Django" from 1966, the same year "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" was unleashed. The Franco Nero-starrer sidestepped your normal spaghetti western with a very specific brand of nihilism and mythmaking. Our main hero may be the best, but that doesn't mean his godlike stature is protected by his legacy.

The moral turpitude of the old west has been given another stellar platform from Arrow Video with a brand-new 4K Ultra HD presentation of "Django," bolstered by Dolby Vision HDR. The result is nothing short of stunning. Every piece of dirt and mud being kicked up by the outlaws in this tale gets deep color depth, detail, and contrast fit for a masterpiece. At first, I was a bit hesitant that the 4K format may snuff out some of the more textural pleasures of a film of this nature, but I was completely floored by the incredible presentation here. And, as has become customary for most Arrow releases, this one comes loaded with special features all worth taking the time to dig into.

"Django" follows the titular gunslinger (Franco Nero) as he drags a coffin filled with weapons through the volatile old west near the Mexico-U.S. border. You see, Django is an ex-Yankee soldier with a big grudge against the man ruling over the local border ghost town, Confederate Major Jackson (Eduardo Fajardo). Once Jackson's KKK troupe members catch on to Django's distaste for them, a power struggle begins.

As if its notoriousness can be any more overstated, "Django" sports violence that runs the gamut between ear-lopping and massive gunfights. And while that exploitative violence certainly helped push the film into the cultural lexicon, it's the reflexive social nature of the film that really sticks. Django's journey for vengeance feels all but fatal. Surrounded by seedy shop owners and Confederate soldiers, and pushed by locals to become the savior, Django rises to meet the challenge and then some, sacrificing his own body to save the town. Everything Corbucci does here is handsomely mounted with just the right degree of showmanship, and thanks to the new 4K presentation the pastel colors really pop.

"Django" has been released a few times in the U.S. so far, but it should go without saying that this new 4K edition bests them all. Plus, as an added bonus, this new limited edition comes with a standard Blu-ray of Ferdinando Baldi's "Texas, Adios," another western released in 1966 starring Franco Nero that was marketed as a follow-up to "Django." I'd pick this up immediately if you're a fan of genre films like this one.

Other special features include:

� Uncompressed Mono 1.0 PCM audio
� Original English and Italians soundtracks
� English subtitles for the Italian soundtracks
� Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing for the English soundtracks
� Six double-sided collector's postcards
� Double-sided fold-out poster
� 60-page perfect-bound book featuring writing by Howard Hughes and Roberto Curti, and original reviews
� Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sean Phillips
� Audio commentary by film critic, historian and theorist Stephen Prince
� "Django Never Dies," an interview with star Franco Nero
� "Cannibal of the Wild West," an interview with assistant director Ruggero Deodato
� "Sergio, My Husband," an interview with Sergio Corbucci's wife Nori Corbucci
� "That's My Life: Part 1," an archival interview with co-writer Franco Rossetti
� "A Rock and Roll Scriptwriter," an archival interview with co-writer Piero Vivarelli
� "A Punch in the Face," an archival interview with stuntman and actor Gilberto Galimberti
� "Discovering Django," an appreciation by spaghetti westerns scholar Austin Fisher
� An Introduction to Django by Alex Cox, an archival featurette with the acclaimed director
� Gallery of original promotional images from the Mike Siegel archive
� Original trailers
� Audio commentary by spaghetti western experts C. Courtney Joyner and Henry C. Parke
� "The Sheriff is in Town," an interview with star Franco Nero
� "Jump into the West," an interview with co-star Alberto Dell'Acqua
� "That's My Life: Part 2," an archival interview with co-writer Franco Rossetti
� "Hello Texas!," an appreciation by spaghetti western scholar Austin Fisher
� Gallery of original promotional images from the Mike Siegel archive
� Original trailers

"Django" is available now in a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray limited edition from Arrow Video.