DJANGO SHOOTS FIRST On Blu-ray From Kino

 

DJANGO SHOOTS FIRST(1966), one of the many Euro Westerns with the name "Django" in the title, has just been released on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. 

Whoever this Django is, he's decidedly not the one portrayed by Franco Nero. This Django is played by Dutch actor Glenn Saxon, and he's far more affable and talkative than most iterations of the character, and he has a sense of humor to boot. This Django discovers that his father has been killed by a bounty hunter after escaping jail from a town near the border called Silver Creek. Django also finds out that his father was set up by the town bigwig, who happens to run the local bank. Django sets out to make things right, while romancing a pretty saloonkeeper (Erika Blanc) and avoiding the machinations of the bigwig's deceitful coldhearted wife (Evelyn Stewart). 

DJANGO SHOOTS FIRST was directed by Alberto De Martino, who made all sorts of pictures in various genres. De Martino's style changed depending on what type of story he was making, and DJANGO SHOOTS FIRST has a much more lighthearted tone than one would expect. Glenn Saxon's Django isn't seething with revenge--he seems more amused by the whole situation than anything else. The pacing here is a bit slower than the usual spaghetti western, and instead of the story ending after the final confrontation, the focus switches back to a saloon brawl that keeps going on....and on. There's even a bit of a twist at the end that makes one wonder if the whole thing was supposed to be a spoof. 

Nevertheless, De Martino knew how to make solid adventures, and DJANGO SHOOTS FIRST is diverting enough, although hardcore Euro Western fans might prefer something more brutal and edgy. Evelyn Stewart steals the film as the darkly ambitious femme fatale, and she and Erika Blanc even come to blows at one point, which might be some Euro Cult fanboy's idea of a wet dream. 

Alberto Lupo plays a mysterious well-dressed fellow known as "Doc" who takes it upon himself to help Django. Doc is very reminiscent of Lee Van Cleef's Colonel Mortimer--Doc even provides info on an incident from the past that gives a major reason for all the goings-on. Euro Western veteran Fernando Sancho, usually a bad guy, here plays Django's confidant. The fine score is by Bruno Nicolai. 

Kino provides an excellent-looking print of DJANGO SHOOTS FIRST on this disc, in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. English and Italian dub tracks are included, along with English subtitles. 

The extras include a 15 minute program in which Glenn Saxon provides memories of making the film, along with some info on his life and career. (Unfortunately Saxon is never actually shown--only his voice is heard.) There's also an audio commentary by Alex Cox, which I have not listened to yet. (I have nothing against Cox, but it seems that whenever Kino releases a Euro Western on Blu-ray, by default he does the audio commentary. I'd like to see some other film buffs and historians get the chance to discuss these types of films.) 

DJANGO SHOOTS FIRST is not as dark or as stylized as most renowned spaghetti westerns, but it does have enough entertaining elements in it, and it does feature two striking Euro Cult performers: Evelyn Stewart and Erika Blanc. Any time a lesser-known Euro Western gets a proper official home video release is a good thing.