The 1966 Italian western that inspired the title of Django Unchained is Django.
Directed by Sergio Corbucci and starring Franco Nero, Django is a landmark spaghetti western about a mysterious drifter caught between rival factions. Its bleak landscapes, extreme violence, antiheroes and grimy visual style helped define the darker side of the genre, distinct from Sergio Leone’s more mythic westerns.
Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 film is not a remake of Corbucci’s movie. Instead, Django Unchained is a revisionist western set in the antebellum American South, following an enslaved man who becomes a bounty hunter while searching for his wife. The title signals Tarantino’s homage to Corbucci’s film and its iconic protagonist.
A common mix-up is Django Reinhardt, the Belgian-born jazz guitarist whose name also inspired popular culture. Franco Nero, the original Django, appears in Django Unchained in a brief scene that openly acknowledges the connection.