Django [Film]

Welcome to Day 3 of our unofficially titled “12 Non-Holiday Films for the Holidays”. For 12 days, we are showcasing 12 amazing non-holiday themed films for those of us who despise holiday films or the whole damned season altogether. Enjoy!

“The year is 1943 in Nazi-occupied Paris and Django Reinhardt is at the pinnacle of his art. The brilliant and carefree jazz guitarist, king of ethereal swing, plays to standing-room-only crowds in the capital’s greatest venues. Meanwhile his gypsy brethren are being persecuted throughout Europe. His life takes a turn for the worse when the Nazi propaganda machine wants to send him on tour in Germany.” – Big Time PR

This one isn’t even really fair, folks! When asked if I would like to check out a biopic about arguably one of the finest musicians of any given time, it was a real no-brainer. It’s fucking Django Reinhardt!! There really isn’t a need to use the word “arguably” when speaking the finest jazz guitarists in history, because there simply is no argument. Django is the greatest there ever was, and there will probably be another like him.

I first learned of his work as a young child who was obsessed with the films of Woody Allen. These were even the days proceeding the hilarious Sean Penn led film Sweet and Lowdown. I’m talking more about a quick mention of Django in one of my favorite Woody films, Mighty Aphrodite. I’m talking about the how I fell in love with “Out of Nowhere” when I heard it on Deconstructing Harry. Or when I heard “Minor Swing” on just about every cool flick you could see in the 90’s and early 00’s. I have been hooked on Django ever since. But I soon realized after starting this film, I really had no idea who Django really was. Unlike other folks I have admired in the world of music since a young age (Bob Dylan, Tupac Shakur, etc.), I never really took the time to learn who Django really was. And I will be damned if I didn’t truly learn about the spirit of Django in this amazing biopic about a very specific, yet oh so important time in his life.

Django as a film, is something very special and amazing to watch even if you weren’t a weird ten year old who loved Django and Woody Allen movies at a ridiculously young age. It is just about as perfect of a film as you could ask for when depicting what life was like in the depths of Nazi occupation for people who wanted nothing to do with the fighting. Django was an established man of the people during this period, and (SPOILER ALERT!) his defiance to engage with German soldiers even for mild entertainment is a great bit of defiance that I knew nothing about, yet made me love this wild-eyed gypsy even more than I already did.

This film has it all people. Reda Ketab gives an absolutely perfect performance as the legendary Django himself that everyone could appreciate. For long time Django fans, or for people who just enjoy a masterfully told period piece, this is probably one of the best films you are ever going to see. It simply has everything, and deserves to be appreciated by the masses!

Django will be opening in New York on January 5th and Los Angeles on on January 19th. Additional markets are to follow, and VOD release is sure to follow shortly afterwards. Here is the trailer: