21 January 2013
By Aaron Sanders, Diversions Editor
Anyone who knows anything about throwback filmmaker Quentin Tarantino knows that he knows how to pick a soundtrack for his movies. Unlike most other directors, Tarantino almost exclusively uses pre-used tracks in place of an original score. From his sadistic use of Stealer Wheel’s “Stuck in the Middle” for his infamous ear-cutting scene in Reservoir Dogs to his unorthodox use of Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man” as a seductive piece in Pulp Fiction to his soul-tearing use of Malcolm McLaren’s “About Her” in Kill Bill Vol. 2, Tarantino has floored audiences with his genius song choices. And the soundtrack for his latest film Django Unchained is no different.
Just as pivotal to the film as the script itself is the Django Unchained soundtrack, which marks Tarantino’s first-ever use of specifically made music for any of his films. In light of the slavery setting, several urban artists have taken it upon themselves to create original music in hopes of having them used in the film. These artists include Rick Ross, John Legend, James Brown and Tupac.
Rick Ross’ “100 Black Coffins,” in keeping with the spaghetti western theme of the film, has a cowboy-ish melody fit with whistling, rattlesnake rattling and the signature Django guitar riff. Tarantino also took two songs from two of soul’s and rap’s biggest stars, James Brown and Tupac Shakur, and created an electric mash-up titled “Unchained,” which is used in a major action scene near the end of the film. John Legend’s “Who Did That to You?” is the perfect song about retribution and vengeance and is especially effective when Django really begins to get his revenge in the film.
As with his last film Inglourious Basterds, Tarantino once again uses the works of legendary Italian film composer Ennio Morricone in several scenes. Morricone’s epic western scores perfectly complement every scene they are used in, almost as if they were made for the movie. The majority of the film is in fact scored with ‘60s western tunes like “I Giorni Dell’ira,” “La Corsa (2nd Version),” “Trinity: Titoli” and even borrows the theme of the original Sergio Corbucci film Django. The real centerpiece of the soundtrack is the original song “Ancora Qui” by Elisa Toffoli, whose melody is echoed in other songs throughout the soundtrack. The theme song of the cheeky bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz, “Lo Chiamavano King (His Name Is King” by Luis Bacalov & Edda Orso, perfectly portrays the character’s “cool” with a catchy hook and a description of the character himself.
In typical Tarantino fashion, the soundtrack also includes an “old but not that old” song. For this particular film, he chooses “I Got a Name” by Jim Croce to illustrate Django’s evolution from a slave to a man. Used in one of the more serious sequences in the film, Anthony Hamilton and Elayna Boynton’s ballad “Freedom” stands out as a haunting recount of a slave’s profound desire for freedom.
The Django Unchained soundtrack is a brilliant soundtrack for a brilliant movie. Every song complements their respective scenes and bodes surprisingly well for casual listening.
10/10
Listen to the Django Unchained soundtrack at https://soundcloud.com/unchained-soundtrack
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