Thursday, December 27, 2012

Django Unchained: Karen's Thoughts on Schultz and Love


Django Unchained is a brilliant movie. An action movie on the outside is, in reality, a complex movie skillfully encompassing the genres of blaxploitation, German mythology, and romance.

Django is a hero who, with the aid of Dr. Schultz,  rescues his wife Broomhilda from humiliation and slavery. In many Germanic stories, the name Broomhilda ( Brunnhilde, Brynhildr), is the defining damsel in distress. She is imprisoned in a remote castle where she sleeps in a ring of fire until she is rescued by a hero (the Norse mythology ends in tragedy). 

In a disputed plot development, some question why Schultz decides on a "harebrained" scheme to save Broomhilda when he could have simply made an offer to buy her freedom.  I think the answer is that Schultz is a complicated character.  "Schultz specializes in theatrics" says Tarantino in an interview with Mike Ryan in the Huffington Post. Schultz seems like a reasonable and thoughtful man, but Schultz is also a trickster who likes convoluted plans. He is a control freak who needs to be in control of all situations.

Django Unchained is controversial.  Although some may see the film as empowering, Spike Lee says he is boycotting the movie because "It's disrespectful to my ancestors to see that film." In 5 Reasons Why You Should Watch "Django Unchained" and 5 reasons Why You Should Skip "Django Unchained," Chuck Creekmur of All Hiphop.com has a mixed review, saying he found the excessive use of the 'N" word (used 114 times) "offensive" and "Do we really need another movie about slavery?"

Want more Django Unchained? Wired reports a new comic book series which, according to Vertigo Comics, is the only way to read the entire, uncut story, which contains scenes that may not appear in the final film. "Nerdgasm" was in the article's comments section.
Cover #4 for the comic book Django Unchained

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