First a confession. This is not really a blog. It is more of a thought that I am sharing.
Kim and I watch all of the films nominated for best picture. I finally saw Django Unchained Thursday night. I only have two more to go (Argo and Amour). Don’t worry, I will post full blogs about the films later, after I have seen all of them just like I did last year.
Last Year’s Oscar Films Part One
Last Year’s Oscar Films Part Two
Last Year’s Oscar Films Part Three
But that is not what I am blogging about today. I will tell you my thoughts about Django later. But for now, I want to tell you what I have decided. I have decided that Django Unchained has the same plot as Star Wars (Episode IV, which to me, will always be just, Star Wars).
SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT
Do not read any further if you have not seen the film and want to be surprised.
Django is Luke Skywalker. He is freed from the shackles holding him back–in Django these are real manacles, for Luke they are metaphors.
They both find a mentor–the same one who frees them–a mentor with a white beard and a funny accent (Obi Wan is English, Dr. Schultz is German).
In Django, the mentor serves as both Obi Wan and Han Solo, “Come with me kid, you’re not too bad in a fight.”
The basic plan is to break into the bad guys territory (Plantation=Death Star).
Leonardo DiCaprio is Darth Vader.
Slavery (The Old South) is identical to the evil Galactic Empire.
Princess Leia is tortured. So is Broomhilda.
The mentor figure fights the bad guy and dies doing it.
There is a final battle.
Django blows up the plantation with dynamite. Luke blows up the Death Star with a torpedo.
Kerry Washington even looks a little like Princess Leia at the end.
When George Lucas made the original Star Wars, he said it was like an old western set in outer space. In Django, the outer space story has now become the western.