Django Prepare a Coffin (2-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray + DVD]

Not the greatest Terrence Hill movie, nor the best Django film, but Hill's turn at the character was still an example of Terrence Hill's skills in the genre.While there was no room for his signature comedy moves, he slid into the Django character with no apparent effort, smoothly taking on the cool, serious demeanor of the original actor with an air of Terrence Hill charm.The story was well written and directed and the cinematography was clear and properly lit, making it easy to follow the action.And Django even pulled his signature machine gun out of a coffin.The only thing it was missing was Franco Nero.

The Archvists at Arrow Video have delved into the Euro Western coffers and released a great title from Italy's golden age. Director Ferdinando Baldi's 'DJANGO PREPARE A COFFIN' aka 'PREPARATI LA BARA' aka 'GET THE COFFIN READY' aka 'VIVA DJANGO'- 1968 (WHEW!!) would have been a direct sequel to Director Sergio Corbucci"s dynamite original from 1966. Without Franco Nero who had other commitments, the Producers went with Terence Hill who resembled Nero in some respect. With great villainy in German actor Horst Frank and Actor/Writer George Eastman aka Luigi Montifiori . this film emerges as an excellently fast paced tale of revenge. It's great to see Hill in serious mode before his rise to stardom with Director Enzo Barboni's 'THEY CALL ME TRINITY' aka 'LO CHIAMAVANO TRINITA'- 1970. Barboni is behind the camera this time and it shows. Arrow's Blu-Ray transfer is quite nice with a 1.85 1080p transfer ,sometimes overly bright in some scenes (but why nitpick?} and has optional English and Italian audio tracks with both highlighting the catchy music score by Gianpiero Reverberi. The extras are kind of skimpy with a 12 minute featurette DJANGO EXPLAINED narrated by Author Kevin Grant who's excellent tome 'ANY GUN CAN PLAY' is the definitive study of the Euro Western and an Original trailer. Too bad they couldn't get an interview with actor Terence Hill. This release is a must have for Euro Western fans and lets hope Arrow releases more titles in the future.

Great film, great image quality, slightly disappointing audio (very low volume and not clear at times). Still a very solid Arrow release and one of the best Spaghetti Westerns.

Very good 'sequel' to the original Django, Hill pulls it off and does resemble Nero. All SW elements present and fine cinematography. More inclined to give 3.5 stars but 4 wouldn't be wrong.

its very very good.i like it very much

Great spaghetti western.

not good

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 calledDjango 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.

Good ol' Italian Spaghetti Western, starring Terence Hill as Django, also with Horst Frank and George Eastman. A good addition for Terence Hill fans (1968, color, region 2/PAL format, English or Italian language, English subtitles.)

A great addition to the Django" series.

The story deals with how Django rescues a set of men by faking their death by hanging, then aims to use them to take revenge on the man that killed his wife and is responsible for stealing gold bullion. The movie is alright rather than spectacular. It has some interesting plot dynamics between Django and the men he rescues not being entirely loyal to him, Terence Hill plays straight with surprising intensity, and the bad guys (especially the lead villain smoothly played by Frank Horst) are not cartoony caricatures. At the same time, the film is visually flat, The gunfights are not too impressive in execution and the film does not have the scope of the top-tier spaghetti westerns.Arrow's blu-ray gives a fair presentation, although the restoration (from a 35mm interpositive) does not appear as striking as what one has seen from the more prestigious films. Video looks generally soft, grain can seem a little clumpy and contrast/tinting does not seem the best balanced, veering towards a yellow hue. I saw the film with the English soundtrack, which seems to gel best with the lip movements of the major actors, although it is also an obvious overdub. The main on-disc extra is an 8min look at the film and its place in the Django canon. There is also a 14-page booklet with a meaty essay.So not a major release from Arrow, but decent and at the ~6GBP price point I got it at, a fair deal on a blind-buy.

With such a bargain price this has to be the best Spaghetti Western deal on Amazon. The widescreen transfer has terrific color and clarity. There is a reversible box insert with an alternate cover which is much nicer than the one shown here. An informative booklet about the movie is also included. It's a great offering from Arrow and I recommend it to any Spaghetti Western fan. You won't regret it. Oh yes, and the movie is pretty darn good too, particularly Terence Hill with his piercing blue eyes.

One of the finest Django follow on fliks, Terence Hill is at his best in a fine spaghetti western