Django, Prepare a Coffin (1968) User Reviews

Yo-Djang-bo

[Aylmer · 7/10 · 11 February 2003]

Really, really good old fashioned Spaghetti Western starring a young Terence Hill as the titular gunslinger.

Gianfranco Reverberi's music is one of those old Western songs that just gets stuck in your head. I haven't seen the film in about four years and still remember the theme song beat-for-beat. Great cast too: with George Eastman, Horst Frank, Guido Lollobrigida, and Luciano Rossi (who dies like he does in every other movie). The dramatics is all melodramatic enough to the point of almost being funny, like with the action sequences where whoever is supposed to win just kicking ass and never getting hit once.

It's also interesting to note that this film has almost the exact same structure as Kurosawa's Yojimbo / Leone's Fistful of Dollars, yet it throws in enough variation (and "Django-ism") to retain its own unique and colorful feel. The best scene is definitely the ending showdown in the cemetery. Much better filmed and more comic book-style than anything in the original DJANGO - plus a lot more fun.

I never really was a big 60's Spaghetti Western fan, but I still liked this movie quite a bit, which definitely says something.

Terrence Hill Is Franco Nero!

[cyguration · 7/10 · 29 January 2022]

You might have to do a double-take every so often while watching Django, Prepare A Coffin! Or Preparati la bara!, a 1968 Italian spaghetti western starring well-known action-comedy legend, Terrence Hill. It's a spin-off of the 1966 Django film that became popular with Italian movie star Franco Nero in the lead role.

Why the double-take? Because you might be convinced that Hill is none other than razor-jawed, dreamy-eyed action hero, Franco Nero.

The close-ups is where the doppelganger effect comes into play, but when the frustrum gives way to a full view of Hill's more lanky form -- especially when he isn't wearing the black overcoat -- you can readily see the difference between him and the more brutish Nero.

The size difference does kind of vitiate the luster of Hill's performance as Django, but not by too much.

Where Nero was more stoic and resolute in both the profile and portrait shots, with a sturdy gait that made him seem both charming and menacing all at the same time, Terrence Hill only manages the menace in the close-ups, and when wearing the large black overcoat in the distant shots.

Even then he has a propensity to let his glowing smile shine through the glower, infrequently, which can also give Django more of a personable appeal in this film compared to the tortured-soul effect that Nero had going for him in the original.

Now some people prefer this film to the 1966 outing, but I can't say for certain that this is better. It certainly has more layers going for it than the original due to the various characters having their own motivations, and that makes it a lot more unpredictable. The characters aren't just 2D cardboard cutouts, and that gives them a much more grounded flavor than what you might be expecting from a western.

There are occasional shootouts to sate the action-hungry viewer, but they aren't particularly as memorable as the ones from the original Django, which might disappoint some viewers.

Also, while Hill can some impressive displays of fisticuffs, his stringy physique doesn't quite make him as imposing as Nero, and in turn he comes across as a much more vulnerable Django than Nero's turn as the character.

However, where the acting counts Terrence Hill actually delivers. He does a very fine job of imitating Nero to the best of his abilities, and that alone definitely deserves a huge hat tip. It's not often someone is able to embody the role made famous by someone else and then turn in a performance that very closely resembles the original, while still managing to add their own spin on it (and managing a verisimilitude without the performance being satirical or farcical).

It's a hard balancing act to pull off, but I think Hill did a wonderful job with what he had to work with. It's a steep departure from his physical-comedy work that he became renown for with Bud Spencer, but well worth the watch for those who enjoyed the original Django that starred the devilishly handsome Franco Nero.

Django prepare an industrial tribunal

[Bezenby · 7/10 · 29 May 2017]

Django, you are a gullible one. Haven't you seen all them Spaghetti Westerns starring Horst Frank? He's not a good employer! Django finds this out the hard way when, following a successful election for Frank, Django gets ambushed transporting gold, his wife gets killed, and he gets turned into a vigilante killer! Worse still, he ends up taking a job as the hangman, but with motives! His motives involve not actually hanging folks as they are being framed by Horst Frank and sidekick giant George Eastman. So Django is forming his own little army of not-dead guys to get revenge on Frank and Eastman. Can he trust them? There's a gigantic amount of double crossing in this film which almost threatens to derail the entire film. Some of Django's guy double cross him, and then each other, until you stop caring about what's happening on screen and hope that at some point people will stop double crossing each other and you can just get to the big fight at the end.

George Eastman is good in this one and has a memorable death. Terence Hill in non-comedy mode is pretty good (He's basically Franco Nero with a pointier nose) and I'm watching too many of these films now as Horst Frank seems to be in most of them and it's hard to separate what he does in one film from the other.

This one plays out like an average Spag Western but there are enough quirks in there to make worth watching once. I love the way Arrow DVD have very slyly packaged the film so that unsuspecting folks would be it thinking they've bought Django Unchained!

The Second Django

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 26 April 2017]

A gunfighter (Terence Hill) forms a gang of "deceased" execution victims to get revenge on the politician and outlaw who killed his wife.

This film is unique among the plethora of films which capitalized on Corbucci's hit "Django" in that it is not only a semi-official, legitimate follow-up, but was also originally meant to star Franco Nero. Of course, it ultimately involved none of the same cast or crew from the original. But when it comes to spaghetti westerns, this is as close as you're going to get. Personally, my knowledge of spaghetti westerns is limited, so I would not be able to rightfully say whether this is among the best or the worst... but it is certainly an enjoyable film.

What makes the film interesting today (2017) is its role in a relatively recent pop song from Gnarls Barkley. Though the score was probably not praised by many people over the last few decades, when someone hears it now, they are bound to recognize the sounds of "Crazy". It might be interesting to know where the musicians stumbled upon the film's score.

The Blu-ray from Arrow Video is excellent, as always, though not their finest work. The picture is cleaned up very nicely (the 2k transfer was created from a 35mm interpositive), so this is easily the definitive version to own. But the special features are lacking. Other than a very brief (10 minute) run-down of the Django films from author Kevin Grant ("Any Gun Can Play"), there are really no bonus materials. No commentary, no interviews, nothing that really provides insight into this film. So a must for spaghetti western fans, but maybe not a must for the casual film buff.

Terence Hill is Django!!!

[zardoz-13 · 7/10 · 28 June 2017]

If you're counting, "Django, Prepare A Coffin" (1968), starring Terence Hill, was writer & director Ferdinando Baldi's second Spaghetti western. "Texas, Adios" (1966), with Franco Nero, marked Baldi's debut in the genre after years of helming sword and sandal sagas such as "Duel of Champions" with Alan Ladd and "Son of Cleopatra" (1964) with Mark Damon. Baldi would later make other westerns, such as "Rita of the West" (1968) with Terence Hill, "Forgotten Pistolero" (1969) with Leonard Mann, "Blindman" (1971) with Tony Anthony, "Get Mean" (1975) with Tony Anthony," and finally "Comin' At Ya" (1981), with Anthony again. Meantime, Corbucci's landmark western "Django" (1966) inspired countless in-name-only knock-offs galore. Eventually, Nero starred in director Nello Rossati's lackluster sequel "Django Strikes Again" (1987) that bore little resemblance to Corbucci's muddy western revenge opera. Django still has his faithful machine gun in this adventure yarn set in South America with our hero trying to become a monk. Nothing about "Django Strikes Again" has anything to do with the dusty Old West. The film seemed like another one of those Italian jungle movies about mercenaries.

One of the many "Django" westerns that followed in the dust of the original "Django" was Baldi's "Django, Prepare A Coffin." Reportedly, Franco Nero was offered the lead role, but the actor headed off to Hollywood instead to co-star with Richard Harris in the Warner Brothers' musical "Camelot." Searching for a suitable actor to replace the steely-eyed Nero, Baldi settled on blue-eyed Terence Hill, who had previously been in two German westerns based on Karl May's western novels about the Native American character "Winnetou." At this point in his career, Terence Hill had yet to poke fun at westerns with his "Trinity" movies. Indeed, Hill plays it straight without a hint of humor in this shoot'em up. Moreover, Hill's Django differs from Nero's Django. While the streets are still muddy, Django appears here as if "Django, Prepare A Coffin" were a prequel. Django's hands haven't been stomped and broken so badly that he cannot shoot a six-gun. If you recall the original "Django," the eponymous hero desperately sought to balance a six-gun on a graveyard cross in a cemetery so he could kill the villainous Eduardo Fajardo. In "Django, Prepare A Coffin," Django's hands are as good as new, and he is a crack shot with a revolver. Like Nero's Django, Terence Hill's Django is married, but he has been working for a greedy, unscrupulous politician, David Barry (Horst Frank of "The Grand Duel"), but he stops working for him so he can escort a wagon-load of money to Atlanta, Georgia. Barry dispatches a cold-blooded killer, Lucas (George Eastman of "The Unholy Four"), to ambush Django and steal the gold. Lucas also kills Django's wife (Adriana Giuffrè) during the robbery.

Five years elapse, and Django is nowhere to be found, but he has a job as a hangman. He wears black and he is unshaven. The catch is that Django refuses to hang anybody. Most of those criminals have been framed for their crimes by his own nemesis Barry. Instead, Django has fashioned a vest that enables him to fool spectators into believing that the condemned have been hanged. Essentially, Django drapes a hood over their heads so nobody can see that they haven't died. This sounds like what Blonde and Tuco did in Sergio Leone's "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." However, Django not only allows the condemned to live, but also requires them to join his gang that he is assembling to wreck vengeance on Barry. When three ungrateful men refuse to ride along with our hero and help him against Barry, Django guns them down in a fair fight. Somewhere along the way, one of the hanged men, a poverty-stricken Indian named Garcia (José Torres), decides to rob another gold laden wagon. After Garcia and his followers get the loot, each of them begins to die. The villains turn against themselves, and Garcia convinces them that they must cross over the border to be safe. While they are crossing the river, the treacherous Garcia picks them off like sitting ducks with his Winchester repeating rifle. By this time, the villains have learned about Django's plans for Barry. Barry's men capture Django and beat him up. The treatment that he suffers at their hands isn't as awful as what Nero endured in the original. Barry wants the money, and Django leads him to a sprawling graveyard where he plans to open a grave with the money in it. Instead, the coffin contains a machine gun, but Django uses it to wipe out Barry and his army of gunslingers. This is one of the standard tropes in Spaghetti westerns where one man wields a Gatling gun or a machine gun against the villains to mow them down.

Although it isn't as great as the original "Django," "Django, Prepare A Coffin" qualifies as an above-average, dramatic, straight-faced Terence Hill western with little comedy, but plenty of action.

Great and thrilling Spaghetti Western in which a revenger seeks vendetta against his wife's killers

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 23 June 2013]

This moving Spaghetti packs noisy action , thrills , emotion , gun-play with exciting final . It deals with a strange gunslinger named Django (Terence Hill) is hired by a political wealthy man (Horst Frank) and his hoodlum (George Eastman) as a hangman to execute innocent villagers accused by the local crooked boss , who wishes their land . What the governor doesn't know is that Django isn't hanging the inmates at all , just making it look like he is, and using the prisoners he saves from the gallows to create his own band (Jose Torres , among others) in order to take revenge on the governor , but he then is caught up in a struggle against them . As mysterious Django looks for vengeance against the spouse's murderers and ultimately takes the law on his own hands .

This meaty Western contains an interesting but well known plot , violence , shoot'em up and results to be quite entertaining , though drags at times , balancing in ups and downs . Above average Spaghetti Western follows the Sergio Leone/Sergio Corbucci wake and it is proceeded in violent style . The film packs violence , shootouts , high body-count and it's fast moving and quite entertaining . It's a thrilling western with breathtaking confrontation between the protagonist Terence Hill against the heartless Horst Frank , George Eastman or Luigi Montefiori and his underlings who caused the death of his wife years before . Terence Hill is fine , he ravages the screen , hit and run and kills . This movie is a lot of fun to watch . It's an agreeable story with a touch of peculiarity , some particular characters, and an amazing music score . The picture is a tale of justice and revenge, as a man returns to carry out a relentless vendetta . The basic plot is typical spaghetti western fare , but what makes this movie stand out is its style . This is an exciting film, plenty action , thrills, fights , gun-down and breathtaking outdoors from Lacio , Rome , and interiors in Elios Studios . In the picture appears Spaghetti habitual secondaries playing brief interventions such as Guido Lollobrigida or Lee Burton , Gina Lollobrigida's brother , Spartaco Conversi , Luciano Rossi ,Giovanni Ivan Scratuglia or Ken Wood as a henchman , Remo De Angelis and Andrea Scotti . The notorious Spaghetti actor , Terence Hill is good in his usual tough role . The pic is well starred by Mario Girotti or Terence Hill , 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 . 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 . Since then he has concentrated on action/adventure films starring himself and often working with long time partner Bud Spencer. He appeared in 18 films with frequent co-star Bud Spencer , both of whom starred Spaghetti , Fagioli Western , comedy ,adventure and police stories .

There is plenty of action in the movie , guaranteeing some shoot'em up or stunts every few minutes. There is a very odd implementation of shots in the camera work during some particular scenes as the film approaches its climax , as in the final gunfights and the customary showdown conclusion . The movie gets the usual Western issues, such as avenger antiheroes , violent facing off , exaggerated baddies, soundtrack with Morricone influence , among them . The sense of pacing is such that his film can be counted on to move quickly and smoothly . Good production design creating an excellent scenario with luminous outdoors, dirty and rocky landscapes under a shinning sun and fine sets shot in Monte Gelato Falls, Treja River, Lazio, Italy . Brilliant cinematography by Enzo Barboni who subsequently directed to Terence Hill and Spencer in Trinity and Bambino saga . Great musical score by Gianfranco Reverberi , furthermore a catching and emotive leitmotif , including enjoyable song in main titles .

¨Viva Django¨ was compellingly realized by Ferdinando Baldi . Direction by Ferdinando Baldi is well crafted, here he is less cynical and more inclined toward violence and packs too much action . Baldi makes a nice camera work with clever choreography on the showdown , fighting , stirring shootouts and bemusing scenes . Baldi was a craftsman who directed all kind genres but especially Western such as "Carambola's Philosophy: In the Right Pocket" , "Blindman" , ¨Il Pistolero dell'Ave Maria" or USA original title "Forgotten Pistolero" , ¨Adios Texas¨ , ¨Rita in the West¨ and of course ¨"Django Sees Red" at his best . "Django, Prepare a Coffin" ¨ is an outlandish , surprising and uneven story that will appeal to Western aficionados . Rating : 7 , riotous Western in which there's too much action and violence and excitement enough . ¨El Mio Nome e Django¨ (1969) is an acceptable Western to enjoy the Spaghetti fans .

After successful original ¨Django¨ by Sergio Corbucci with Franco Nero , it was followed by several imitations , rip offs and cheesy copies , such as : ¨Pochi dollar per Django¨ or ¨Alambradas De Violencia¨ (1966) by Leon Klimowsky starred by Anthony Steffen , Gloria Osuna , Frank Wolff ; ¨Django Le Bastard¨(1969) by Sergio Garrone with Anthony Steffen , Paolo Gozlino ; ¨¨Django defies Sartana¨(1969) by Pasquale Squitieri with George Ardisson and Tony Kendall ; ¨Ein Pressen Fur Django¨ or ¨Barro en Ojos¨(1971) by Edoardo Mulargia with Anthony Steffen ; and the official sequel titled ¨Il Grande Ritorno¨(1987) by Nello Rossati with Franco Nero , Christopher Connolly and Donald Pleasence .

Viva Django!

[Patrick Duffy · 6/10 · 28 December 2003]

Of all the unofficial "Django"-sequels(40+), this is the one that sticks closest to the original. This time around, Django is portrayed by a pre-Trinity Terrence Hill. Hill does his best to copy the original performance by Franco Nero, and succeeds. Director Ferdinando Baldi co-wrote this with Franco Rossetti (who also co-wrote the Corbucci film), and the result is an extremely entertaining film, with plenty of action, and enjoyable performances. This is nowhere the really great spaghetti westerns such as "Keoma", "Bullet For The General", and the works of Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci, but fans of the genre will be more than pleased. The ending is the best bit, and was actually copied in the only official "Django"-sequel, "Django Strikes Again". Extremely hard to find, but well worth the search.

One Of The Few Great Django-Sequels

[Witchfinder-General-666 · 8/10 · 13 February 2007]

Ferdinando Baldi's "Preparati La Bara!" aka. "Viva Django" of 1968 with Terence Hill in the lead is a great Spaghetti Western, and, in my opinion, Baldi's second best film after "Blindman" of 1971. After Sergio Corbucci's 1966 masterpiece "Django", quite a bunch of Spaghetti Westerns were given a 'Django'-title, although most of these cash-ins had little to nothing to do with the original. Out of all these unofficial sequels, however, "Viva Django" is maybe the only one that can really be described as a sequel, and Terence Hill's Django-character in "Viva Django" has by far the strongest resemblance to the original character played by Franco Nero. I would personally refer to "Viva Django" as the third best film with a Django-title after Corbucci's brilliant original, and Giulio Questi's surreal "Django Kill... If You Live Shoot" (aka. "Se Sei Vivo Spara"), which is not really a Django movie, and which was only marketed as a Django-film in the German and English language versions, in order to make more cash. Therefore, out of all films that were actually meant to be Django films, "Viva Django" is my second favorite after the original.

Django (Terence Hill) is employed as a hangman by corrupt politician somewhere in the old West. Django does not really hang the delinquents, however, but just makes it look like he does, and thereby saves the lives of a bunch of innocently convicted men. He then founds a gang of seemingly hanged men in order to avenge the death of his wife, who was killed in the robbery of a money transport guided by Django years ago.

"Preparati La Bara!" is a great and very entertaining Spaghetti Western, and, although in some parts quite humorous, not the usual comedy many would expect from Terence Hill. I am personally also a fan of the Bud Spencer/Terence Hill comedies, their serious Spaghetti Westerns, however, are in my opinion their best films, and 'Viva Django' is definitely one of the best films Terence Hill has ever starred in. Hill's performance as Django is excellent from the beginning to the end, and out of all the unofficial Django-sequels his character is definitely the closest to the great Franco Nero's character in Corbucci's original. José Torres fits into the role of hangdog Garcia very well, and lovely Barbara Simon is worth mentioning as beautiful Mercedes. The supporting cast furthermore contains Spartaco Conversi in a small role. The rest of the performances are also quite good, but most of them are not mind-blowing. The score by Gianfranco Reverberi is very good and the movie is photographed very well on great locations.

As I mentioned above, out of all sequels, the 'Django' character in "Viva Django" is the closest to the original character. Terence Hill's character is not exactly the same as Franco Nero's of course, and in some parts even very different, but in comparison to most of the other sequels, the resemblance is much stronger.

All things considered, "Viva Django" is a very good Spaghetti Western, and probably the only one of the unofficial 'sequels' that can actually be regarded as a sequel to the original.

One of the best classic, Django movies

[theactualtomsharp · 6/10 · 10 July 2015]

This spaghetti western written by Franco Rosetti who worked on Sergio Corbucci's original Django, is what you can expect from one of the many Django movies from that era. This classic is a favorite of Tarrantino who contributed to The Django movies himself with Unchained. I found this film wildly entertaining, yet absurdly cheesy. The ending scene for example, the crowds of people ready to kill him and he just pulls the gun out of his coffin and shoots them all in the space of around 9 seconds. I think, personally, this is a film which reminds me why I love spaghetti westerns but also what most of the spaghetti westerns actually were, not all cinematic masterpieces like the works of Sergio Leone, but cheaply made, quite surreal and unrealistic, yet absolutely fantastic and entertaining to watch. Yet, this isn't a perfect movie, far from it.

Not fit to clean Django's boots

[RJC-99 · 4/10 · 18 December 2005]

Slow, boring and visually dead, this stinker doesn't come close to the original. The reason isn't mysterious: the director Ferdinando Baldi was no Sergio Corbucci.

An assistant of the great Leone, Corbucci was a poet of ugliness. His mud-soaked towns, leering hookers, sadistic racists, and unforgettable image of Franco Nero dragging his coffin through it all made Django (1966) a high point in the genre. This was the western without Hollywood's vigorous airbrushing: Django an anti-hero shooting holes in the Klan and unsavory allies alike, his penitential coffin hauled through the muck of a corrupt post-Civil War society.

Baldi is just a hack trying his best. Operating with no budget and rather less of a script, he turns in something like a bad, overlong TV episode. You get the watchable Terrence Hill, but few will want to suffer the bland cinematography and craptacular pace.

Great Spaghetti Western.

[MarKus-371 · 8/10 · 3 February 2001]

One of my favorite Spaghetti westerns is "VIVA DJANGO". Terence Hill plays Django, a man who's wife was murdered by his best friend. Django becomes a hangman, who doesnt kill his victims, he gives them a harness, with a big hook, to wear so they wont be strangled. Django does this so they will help him get revenge on David Berry for murdering his wife. Excellent Spaghetti Western that never gets boring, full of guns and action! Terence Hill does a good job imitating Franco Nero. I think this movie is slightly better than the origanal DJANGO made in 1966. Get a bootleg of this movie off of Ebay, you wont be dissapointed!

Has Spaghetti Western spurs thanks to Hill's performance.

[amesmonde · 20 June 2022]

When Django is wounded, presumed dead and his wife is killed he starts working as a hangman while plotting his revenge.

Ferdinando Baldi's offering is a little rough round the edges but it has great Italian Spaghetti Western feel. Thanks to Franco Rossetti's story and setup, Django, Prepare a Coffin comes up trumps. There's vindication, retribution and unlikely relationships. With a twist and some memorable scenes including the fistful of hangings and showdown shootout Baldi delivers a rounded violent piece of entertainment.

Originally intended to star Franco Nero, thankfully, oozing screen presence Terence Hill comfortably slips in to Nero's boots. The supporting cast are solid enough. Actor Horst Frank is notable and refreshingly is not your typical villain. Staple Italian film actor George Eastman also appears. Gianfranco and Giampiero Reverberi's score is great (and decades later was partly sampled by Gnarls Barkley for the hit song 'Crazy').

Overall, it may not reach the heights of Sergio Leone Westerns or debatably Sergio Corbucci's Django, nevertheless to Baldi's credit it has a good time shooting for the stars thanks to Hill's spurring performance.

Superior "Spaghetti"

[merklekranz · 7/10 · 28 February 2021]

Terence Hill plays an excellent Django, substituting for Franco Nero. "Django Prepare a Coffin" is not only one of the more complex "Spaghetti Westerns", it is also one of the best., The film deserves a place among the very few good non Sergio Leone "Spaghetti Westerns." It is somewhat unique, exciting, well photographed, and enjoyable. There is so much more here than a simple search for stolen gold. The villains are pretty reprehensible, and dish out so much punishment to Django, that it borders on sadism. There are vague references to the Leone movies, including a cemetery finale, and an old man who helps Django. I really liked this one, and the BlueRay is the only way to fully appreciate the beautiful filming locations. Recommended. MERK

I want to like it but I can't

[pmtelefon · 4/10 · 9 June 2022]

There is some good stuff in "Django, Prepare a Coffin", just not enough to make it worth another watch. The last half hour is pretty good. The Garcia storyline is also pretty good but most of the first hour is ridiculous. It's hard to stay with this movie long enough for the good stuff. "Django, Prepare a Coffin" has a good cast and a great look but it's borderline camp most of the time.

An almost official sequel

[BandSAboutMovies · 6/10 · 19 August 2020]

Ferdinando Baldi is a decent Italian Western director. I enjoyed what he did with Tony Anthony across several movies, including the wild 3D movies Comin' At Ya! and The Treasure of the Four Crowns. Here, he's throwing his hat into the Django ring to make another movie that kind of, sort of has something to do with the seminal Western hero.

That said, this is a semi-official, legitimate follow-up, as it was originally intended to star Franco Nero and it was co-written by Django co-writer Franco Rossett.

Django is wounded while his wife is killed as the gold transport that he has been hired to watch over is assaulted by David Barry (Horst Frank, The Cat o' Nine Tails), a man who he thought was his friend.

Our hero has a great plan by pretending to be dead and becoming the hangman of the town. He saves all of the victims of Barry and organizes them as a gang of dead men, but Garcia, one of the first men he saved, screws it all up when he kills Django's army of bad guys and goes for the gold himself.

Even when Django is lured to the graveyard where his empty grave is and forced to dig it back up so Barry and his men can kill him, I thought that this was it. Then I forgot what was inside Django's coffin - that machine gun.

Eagle-eyed B&S About Movies readers will have already spotted George Eastman in this film, his third Django movie that he made within the first two years of his acting career.

Following the success of the Bud Spencer and Terence Hill films in the mid 70's, this was re-released with a comedic soundtrack. And in France, it was redubbed as a Trinity film. I have no idea how they made this funny, because it's a pretty dark film.

If you listen to the soundtrack and wonder, "Where have I heard this before?" that's because the song "Last Man Standing" was sampled by Danger Mouse for the Gnarls Barkley song "Crazy."

2nd best to the original! A great movie!

[AriSquad · 10/10 · 28 March 2004]

Here is a early film of Terence Hill as Django, the legendary machine-gunning mystery man always bent on revenge. This is a terrific film and the best Django since the original with Franco Nero. Terence Hill plays the part perfectly & along with a very good cast. Django had always been one of my favorite western characters. The character is always so dark and without the pretentiousness that some westerns have at times. If you like westerns that are dark & all about revenge you will really enjoy this. The soundtrack is great with the usual belting out of "DJANGOOOO!!!" that you'll find in various songs that are in the other 857645645645645 Django movies. If you ever find a copy of this film pick it up for sure, it is almost impossible to find these days.

A neat and engrossing spaghetti Western

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 12 January 2009]

Shrewd roving gunslinger Django (an excellent and convincing performance by Terence Hill) gets hired by the sadistic Lucas (a perfectly nasty portrayal by the always imposing George Eastman) as a hangman to execute innocent folks who have been framed by Lucas. However, Django doesn't kill these men; instead he spares their lives and makes them members of his gang so he can get revenge on cruel and unscrupulous politician David (finely played by Horst Frank) for murdering his wife. Ably directed by Ferdinando Baldi (who also co-wrote the intriguing script), with a steady pace, a twangy, harmonic score by Gianfranco Reverberi (the jaunty theme song totally smokes), a compelling premise, slick cinematography by Enzo Barboni (the gliding tracking shots are especially impressive), a tough, serious tone, well-staged action set pieces (the expected rough'n'ready fisticuffs and fierce shoot-outs are both smack dead on the money exciting while a thrilling stage coach robbery rates as the definite pulse-pounding highlight), and strong central themes concerning honor and revenge, this movie certainly makes the grade as a superior spaghetti Western winner. Kudos are also in order for the sound acting from the capable cast: Hill excels in a juicy lead role, with bang-up support from Frank, Eastman, Jose Torres as the lethal, treacherous Garcia, and the lovely Barbara Simon as Garcia's fetching, loyal wife Mercedes. Recommended viewing for spaghetti Western buffs.

The Legend Continues

[kirbylee70-599-526179 · 8/10 · 28 July 2017]

For most of us the only interaction we've ever had when it came to spaghetti westerns (those westerns made by Italian directors and companies in the 60s and 70s) were the Clint Eastwood films in the genre. What many may not be aware of is the fact that there were a ton of these movies made. In addition to that was the fact that several series were made in the genre. Perhaps the most well-known was Django. With director Quentin Tarantino bringing the character into today's films a few years ago, interest in the previous movies has piqued the interest of movie fans. Now one has received the Arrow Video treatment.

DJANGO PREPARE A COFFIN begins with Django (Terence Hill) turning down a job opportunity from David Barry (Horst Frank) after saving him from an angry land owner. Barry is in the process of taking as much land as possible and building an empire for himself in the hope of becoming a large political figure for the area. After turning down the job, Django, his wife and a small group of settlers head out only to be ambushed, shot and left for dead by Barry's men. Django survives and sets out on a trail of vengeance.

He moves to a nearby location where no one knows who he is and takes on the job of local hangman. But this isn't actually the case. Each of his "victims" is instructed on how to behave when they are hung. The reality is that he has them rigged to just appear dead. In return for their lives Django is assembling a group of men he considers innocent and victims of an unjust system as well. These are the men he hopes to use as his gang when taking on the despicable Barry.

Apparently he didn't choose the men carefully enough as one leads the rest to abandon him and steal a shipment of gold before Barry's gang can reach it. His treachery continues and Django is caught by Barry and his men and tortured. Left while they attempt to catch the men who stole the gold, Django finds a way to set himself free and continues on his quest for revenge against both Barry and the men that betrayed him.

The movie offers plenty of action and story, perhaps more than many films in the genre. Django is the clear hero here but he doesn't use the heroic methods we've become accustomed to in most westerns. He's quick with a gun but uses his head to better effect. Hill is the perfect choice for the role having had success in several other spaghetti westerns before and after, most notably the Trinity series. But that comedic attitude isn't on display here, instead opting for a more deadly character portrayal.

Not having collected movies in this genre before my best guess is that quality prints have been hard to find and both bootleg and lesser quality prints have had to suffice for fans. Not so any longer as Arrow Video has given this film their standard love and care. What we have is a stunning quality print to view for fans and just movie lovers both. Perhaps the only thing lacking in their version is the amount of extras to be found. I'm not a lover of extras but that's become different with Arrow. Their extras are almost always new and refreshing compared to most. Here they limit it to a short called Django Explained" a new interview with Spaghetti Western expert and author Kevin Grant and the theatrical trailer.

That being said it remains a quality product and one that fans will want to add to their collection. Non-fans will want to make sure they give it a watch just to see how good these movies were. And Arrow fans will add this to their collections as well, knowing the quality they'll receive when they do so.

A rarity! A Django film that stands up proudly to the class of the original

[marc-366 · 8/10 · 18 August 2005]

Whilst Viva Django is one of many Spaghetti Westerns to steal the "Django" moniker following the success of Corbucci's classic, this particular outing is a rarity in that it both captures the mood and effect of the original and actually contains the same character.

The story presumably acts as a prequel to the Corbucci movie, with Django (on this occasion played by Terence Hill) hellbent on revenge following the murder of his wife at the hands of Lucas (George Eastman) and his gang. Django was sold-out by his former friend and politician David Barry (Horst Frank).

Years have passed and Django is acting as the local hangman, whose job is to execute 'innocent' locals who have been framed by Barry for the thefts carried out on his behalf by the Lucas gang. Both are unaware that Django is faking the executions, and recruiting the condemned for his act of revenge.

Few of these men can be trusted however, and whilst Django's back is turned (during the rescue of the innocent wife of one of the group members from the hangman's noose) a number sabotage Django's plot and beat Lucas' gang to a proposed ambush of a cash shipment. I shall ruin the plot no more.......

This is perhaps Terence Hill's greatest role (albeit in effect playing Franco Nero playing Django) as I personally often find his slapstick styling of later movies difficult to grasp. Here however he oozes class, clad all in black and convincingly playing the character second only to the Man With No Name for pure charisma. The rest of the cast is also a real treat - with both Eastman and Frank as brilliant as ever. Eastman's characters alway manage to be quite likable regardless of their bad morals and actions, whilst Frank just oozes with evil. Two of the great great supporting actors of the genre.

Ferdinando Baldi's direction also merits much credit, managing to both keep the feel of Corbucci's original whilst also firmly stamping the movie with his own "comic book action" trademark. The final scene in the graveyard deserves particular mention - a real "fist in the air" moment of excitement, with some great dialogue also.

Gianfranco Reverbi provides a really recognisable score, and the title theme track "You'd Better Smile" will stick in the head for days. And quite rightly so! Whilst not all the Django films are worthy of much mention at all, this particular Django is one that should most definitely be viewed. Great entertainment.

An archetype for the genre

[unbrokenmetal · 9/10 · 2 March 2008]

Django (Terence Hill) travels from town to town as a hangman, but secretly saves the lives of the condemned and recruits them for a special task: revenge on David and Lucas who are responsible for an attack on a gold transport years ago in which Django's wife was killed. The problems begin when one member of Django's gang starts making plans for his own benefit... All the essential ingredients of spaghetti westerns are here, including digging on the graveyard and a shootout with a machine-gun taken from a coffin. This is almost an archetype for the genre, it surely became a favorite of the spaghetti western fans over the years, and Terence Hill was never a more serious anti-hero than here, even though more and more irony is sneaking in, but that is a development similar to "For A Few Dollars More" compared to its predecessor "A Fistful of Dollars".

Not as good as the original, but still very enjoyable

[TankGuy · 8/10 · 6 December 2011]

This is the second in a new series of spaghetti western reviews, my first review was Django, an now i'm going to review it's sequel.

Viva Django is an excellent film,although it may not be as good as it's 1966 counterpart, i still enjoyed it and it has a lot of action to keep the average action fan happy.

The action includes shootouts and brawls that you would see in any spaghetti western. But one thing that really got me, was that Django dosen't use his iconic machine gun til the end of the movie where he guns down forty plus guys with it. This scene is still one of the best parts of the movie, but i would have liked it more if Djangos machine guns was used throughout the entire movie.

The main theme,you'd better cry is excellent, Terence Hill is very good,but he's not as good as Franco Nero, i think he should just stick to spaghetti western comedies. I highly recommend this movie, it's available on Youtube,watch it.