Django

I found the DVD of this movie at my public library and watched it at home. A curious DVD presentation in that it has no menu, it just starts and runs for almost 2 hours, mostly French and German with English subtitles.

I am a musician but only became familiar with Django Reinhardt in the Woody Allen movie "Sweet and Low Down" which featured a fictional character, a guitarist, who would almost faint at the thought of even meeting Reinhardt, his idol. So this movie is a good look at who the guitarist really was.

Reda Kateb, a Belgian actor, is very good as Django Reinhardt. Even though he had been playing for quite a while the story here picks up in 1943 France during the German occupation. Django had a double whammy against him, being a Gypsy and being a Jazz musician, two things the Nazis were against and killed many for. But he managed to survive because of his musicianship.

Good movie of an interesting musician in a difficult time. he didn't live much longer, dying at age 43.

A splendid gripping film, released on the day we Dutch honor all those who have fallen during the 2nd World War. The captivating acting and the way in which the film was shot, immerses you in and meanders you along a distressing part of Django Reinhardt's life. The spellbinding music in the film, paying homage to Django Reinhardt's innovative jazz with an infusing Gypsy flavor, will stay with you for the rest of your life. And if you ever have the good fortune to visit the chapel of Saint-Pierre in Villefrance-sur- Mer (France) and look at the details of the wall paintings by Jean Cocteau, you will realize what a big impact Django has made on lots of people.

Solid biopic of a short period of Django's life during WWII. Acting OK, photography is very good, plot is OK but the music and the onscreen playing thereof is masterful.

Greetings again from the darkness. Don't mistake this for either the Franco Nero (1966) or Jamie Foxx (2012) movie. This latest from writer/director Etienne Comar centers on Django Reinhardt, one of the most talented and influential musicians of the twentieth century. Based on the novel "Folles de Django" by Alexis Salatko, the story follows the challenges of his escape from German-occupied France.

He is already a renowned (and enigmatic) performer when the film kicks off in 1943 Ardennes, as Django and his band are being contracted by the Nazis to tour and entertain the troops. Of course, he refuses to sign the contract and tour under their terms with limit the style of music he can play. Because of this, Django and his family must flee and disappear underground, while they plan an escape to Switzerland.

His musical influence proliferated the area, and his influence and respect is clear at each step of his travels. In fact, it's the musical pieces and segments that really stand out here. Reda Kateb (A PROPHET, 2009) gives a terrific and expressive performance as Django, but the musical portions are so outstanding, that we find ourselves not as engaged in the personal saga of escape as we should. Clearly, the war and Nazis are a threat, and when Django says "I'm a musician. It's what I do", that serves as his admission that he takes an apolitical stance and does not envision himself as a hero to the people.

As a driving force behind European jazz, and being such an influence on so many guitar players, Django's legacy is something other than as a war icon. The film certainly could have benefitted from more attention to either how his music gained popularity, or what drove him to avoid any political notoriety until it was too late for many of his fellow Gypsies. Admittedly, his escape was crucial and led to his 1945 score, "Requiem for Gypsy Brothers", of which his conducting leads to the most emotional moment of the film.

Too schematic and for non-French wiever also not 100% understandable ... German soldiers presented as too stupid.