I can see why some folks may be a little disappointed by this lightweight but entertaining documentary. Based on the title, and the fact that it stars Quentin Tarantino, you might expect it to be an exploration on the seminal Spaghetti Western Django, and how Sergio Corbucci’s film not only inspired Tarantino’s Django Unchained, but the legions of Django rip-offs that popped up in the years in between. Mostly though, it’s just Tarantino sitting in a movie theater and talking about Corbucci’s westerns. (You have to wait until the movie’s almost over until you get a brief scene from Django Unchained.) That’s fine, if you’re a fan of Tarantino and/or Corbucci (which I am).
Django and Django is essentially a quick and breezy primer on Corbucci’s work. Tarantino makes for more than a capable guide thanks to his encyclopedic knowledge of the Italian film industry. Along the way, we also hear from Ruggero Deodato (who served as Corbucci’s second unit director) and Django himself, Franco Nero, although they aren’t really in it a whole lot. I don’t know if COVID forced the filmmakers to really pare down their interview subjects, but it would’ve been nice to hear from some other talking heads.
Then again, it might’ve worked even better had it just been Tarantino by himself introducing clips and giving background and/or history on the films. I mean the first ten minutes are basically him recounting a deleted scene from Once Upon a Time in Hollywood about Rick Dalton meeting Corbucci. Since Tarantino is a gifted storyteller, it's a lot of fun (especially if you’re a OUATIH fan like me). I know he plans on retiring from directing soon, and if he eventually does, I wouldn’t mind seeing him starring in more docs like this one, shining a light on unsung exploitation filmmakers. If Django and Django is any indication, I would say it’s a recipe for success, even if the final product feels more like a glorified DVD special feature than an honest to goodness documentary.
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