With an addictively catchy theme song, this definitive spaghetti western by Sergio Corbucci (The Great Silence, Compañeros) made an international star out of Franco Nero and officially ushered in the subgenre alongside Leone’s “Man With No Name” Trilogy. DJANGO’s brand of bleak nihilism would be repeatedly emulated in a raft of over 50 unofficial sequels.

Nero gives a career-defining performance as Django, a mysterious, charming loner who arrives at a mud-drenched ghost town on the Mexico-US border, ominously dragging a coffin behind him. After he saves Maria from certain death, Django finds himself in the middle of a war between Mexican revolutionaries and a band of sadistic racists led by the fanatical Major Jackson. In the face of overwhelming odds, Django has a plan: to exact revenge while pitting enemy against enemy.

This is the film that helped inspire Quentin Tarantino’s modern masterpiece Django Unchained. This genre gem is rarely screened, especially in Chicago, so don’t miss it!

This screening was programmed by FACETS Film Trivia hosts Raphael Jose Martinez and Mike Vanderblit. Learn more about the monthly event here.