Django, o Bastardo

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.

"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.

"DJANGO THE BASTARD" is a real odd horror flick. Usually in horror movies they take place in modern day. The setting for this movie is in 1880's southern states. During the civil war, Army officers sold their entire regiment to the enemy, who brutally massacred them. One survived, (or did he?) and his name is Django. 13 years later he comes back to get revenge on the Officers and kill ANYONE who gets in his way. Some people think Django is supernatural, is he? See the movie to find out. When Django plants the first cross in the ground, at the start, it really freaked me out. He places a cross in the ground with the name of the officer he wants dead, while they're still alive. When ever Django appears it scares me, because he looks like a cold killer who doesnt care if anyone lives or dies. He kills the officers with a gun most of the time or he beats them to death in some gory fashion. In one scene he's kneeling by a campfire, talking to gangsters. When he walks away an explosion occurs killing the gangsters...really scared me because I didn't expect it. This whole movie really gives me the creeps, call me crazy, but it does, it really scares me!, and the horror classic "HALLOWEEN" didnt give me a fright at all. This film is more Horror than spaghetti western, so don't knock becuase it takes place 100 years ago. Definatley on my top 10 Horror List. I give it an 8/10.

Sergio Garrone's "Django Il Bastardo" aka. "Django The Bastard" of 1969 is referred to by many as a great, creepy and particularly original Spaghetti Western. I am a Spaghetti Western enthusiast, and although "Django The Bastard" is certainly not a bad film, it is in my opinion overrated by many of my fellow fans of the Italian Western. Furthermore it is neither the only, nor the first, nor the best Spaghetti Western with Horror elements. This film also has the reputation of being the inspiration to Clint Eastwood's great "High Plain's Drifter" of 1973, and it might be true that parts of this movie inspired Eastwood, but "Django the Bastard" does in no way reach the quality and style of Eastwood's film.

First of all - "Django The Bastard" (such as most of the other unofficial 'sequels') has nothing at all to do with Sergio Corbucci's 1966 masterpiece "Django" with Franco Nero in the lead. While the original Django is a former Union soldier, the central character of the same name in this movie, which plays in 1882, has formerly served in the confederate army. "Django The Bastard" is a movie that has its highs an lows. There are some excellent, stylish and creepy moments, one of my favorite scenes in the film is right in the beginning, when Django sticks a cross with a name on it in the muddy ground of a Western town. However, the movie sometimes just gets too boring in the middle. Most of the dialogue is not too refreshing either. There is one character i loved, that is the character of Luke Murdoch (played by Luciano Rossi), the hideous and utterly insane younger brother of the local crime boss and rich landowner Rod Murdoch (Paolo Gozlino). Luke, who is desperately in love and obsessed with a woman named Alethea (Rada Rassimov) and often has a fit of extreme rage and insanity, can only be calmed down by Alethea, which is the reason why his brother keeps her locked in his mansion.

Anthony Steffen (Antonio De Teffe) fits pretty well in his leading role of the creepy silent stranger, although his performance is a little too stiff. As I mentioned above, Luciano Rossi also does a great job as the crazy villain. Rada Rassimov (whom you might recognize for her small role in "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly") also plays her role pretty well.

"Django The Bastard" is certainly an entertaining little Spaghetti Western, but nonetheless I think it is overpraised by some of my fellow Spaghetti Western fans. Fans of the genre will certainly have a good time watching "Django The Bastard" but, in my opinion, it is not a must-see. If you want to watch a truly great Spaghetti Western with horror elements and topics like resurrection in it, I recommend Giulio Questi's surreal and excellent "Se Sei Vivo Spara" aka. "Django Kill... If You Live, Shoot!" of 1967, with Tomas Milian in the lead, before watching this. Still, "Django The Bastard" is certainly not a bad film. It does have some very stylish, and some pretty creepy moments, and it is certainly worth the time. Recommended to enthusiastic Spaghetti Western fans.

Django il bastardo directed by Sergio Garrone is a good intersting take on the mutitude of Django movies I have seen. The best are still the original with Franco Nero & the one Terence Hill did. I really feel that the biggest weakness of Django il bastardo was Antonio De Teffè (AKA Anthony Steffen) as Django. He had a great coldness about him but it almost goes a bit too stiff at times. A rather traditional revenge plot that is always ok by me & with a bit of a supernatural tone to it.. Which is both creepy & makes for a good weird western. There are some great scenes in this movie.. The flashback scenes were well done in the sense that you as the viewer are not treated with the "in case you didn't get the hints we dropped.. This is what happened" that I see in other westerns from this era. I would have liked a less rigid Django but Antonio De Teffè did create a different character for Django that I did enjoy. Is he a ghost? Is he real? The crosses bearing the names of the victims, the soon-to-be victims faces reading the crosses with their names on them.. Great stuff. There are some really great scenes, good acting, and a twist on a character I have always enjoyed. I love the soundtrack, again with the usual chants of Django which never get old to me. Worth checking out for sure.