The D Is Silent: Inside The Trailer For 'Django Unchained'

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by Oliver Lyttelton
June 11, 2012 3:03 PM
13 Comments

3. The In-Joke
The close-up of a trio of Wanted posters at 1:04 into the trailer contains a neat little tip to the Western genre. The most prominent reads: "Reward: $2000 in gold coin will be paid for the apprehension, Dead or Alive, of Edwin Porter, for train robbery." Edwin Porter was, for those not up on their silent cinema, a pioneer of silent film and cross-cut editing, whose 1903 picture "The Great Train Robbery" is generally deemed to be the first Western. The film was an enormous success at the time, touring for years, and virtually gave birth to cinema as we know it. As for the other poster, for one Smokey Nelson, we're drawing a blank: any suggestions?

4. Lara Lee Candie-Fitzwilly
There aren't a ton of women in "Django Unchained," the most prominent being Kerry Washington as Broomhilda, who features heavily throughout the trailer. But there's one other: Lara Lee Candie-Fitzwilly, the widowed sister of Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), who's just as unpleasant a person as her brother. We'd pegged possibilities like Christina Hendricks and Uma Thurman for the role, but in fact it was a a relative unknown who ended up with the role: Laura Cayouette, who played Rocket in "Kill Bill: Volume 2," as well as more substantial roles in the Tarantino-produced "Daltry Calhoun" and "Hell Ride," and can be glimpsed at 2:02 in the trailer. She's got small roles on the way in "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," "Loft" and "Now You See Me" too.

5. Franco Nero
The gentleman at the end, at the 2:18 mark, who asks Django his name is another in-joke of a kind: the actor is the great Italian star Franco Nero. Best known for roles in films like "Camelot," "Die Hard 2" and "Letters To Juliet," he presumably came to Tarantino's attention as the lead in 1966's "Django," Sergio Corbucci's ultra-violent Western that's one of the key reference points for Tarantino's film (watch it in full right here). The plot was quite different -- in the original, Nero's Django is a drifter who carries a coffin containing a machine gun -- but it did involve revenge, with Django looking for Major Jackson, who killed his wife, so it's a nice tip of the hat to include a meeting of the two Djangos, even if Nero's role is relatively minor.

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More: Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained, Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Franco Nero, Laura Cayouette, Don Johnson

13 Comments

| Reply
vera | June 14, 2012 7:35 PMReply

What about the ever gorgeous Nichole Galicia who is featured prominently in the trailer. Ahh that's not Kerry Washington.
Rudi | June 15, 2012 4:53 AM

Who s that enslaved women at 0.52 ???
Kerry Washington or not ??
Yun | June 13, 2012 4:26 AMReply

Tom Savini is the third Brittle Brother
Don_Vito | June 13, 2012 4:10 AMReply

Smokey is the name of character in movie Friday (1995), one of the favorite movies in past 20 years Tarantino listed, played by Chris Tucker. Maybe it was inspiration for the name.
Also, Don Johnson played in TV Series Miami Vice and Jamie Foxx played in the movie Miami Vice (Michael Mann). Interesting trivia.
Sebastian | June 13, 2012 3:34 AMReply

pretty sure that is not Laura Cayouette in the window at 2.02
Sebastian | June 13, 2012 3:31 AMReply

In the beginning, that's gotta be James Russo, not James Remar....
Sean | June 11, 2012 10:30 PMReply

Two more in-jokes: the saloon is called Minnesota Clay's (easily seen in a still photo; I'm not sure if it's visible in the trailer). And from the script: Candie's lawyer is Leonide Moguy. Leonide Moguy directed Action in Arabia, a film Tarantino discovered while researching for Inglorious Basterds. This stuff is (almost) half the fun of a Tarantino film.
cirkusfolk | June 11, 2012 3:47 PMReply

So is it not a spoiler then that we see the Brittle Brother from Justified get shot by Django at the end of the trailer as he says "I like the way you die boy"? Wtf.
Russell | June 11, 2012 3:28 PMReply

"Laura Cayouette, who played Rocket in "Kill Bill: Volume 2," as well as more substantial roles in the Tarantino-produced "Daltry Calhoun" and "Hell Ride," and can be glimpsed at 2:02 in the trailer."

That looks a lot more like Amber Tamblyn.
Kinick | July 13, 2012 4:36 PM

Really? You're certain it's not Amber Tamblyn? Because I've just heard from the horse's mouth she has a cameo in the film.
Nope | June 11, 2012 3:35 PM

That's definitely not Amber Tamblyn.
Kinick | June 11, 2012 3:28 PMReply

I thought that may be Laura Cayouette also...but apparently it isn't (she mentioned on her facebook she isn't in the trailer) and it looks like a younger actress, no idea who or even if it's significant role or extra
Dan | June 11, 2012 3:08 PMReply

Doc Duhame is playing the 3rd brittle brother. He's a stuntman who was working on Django. He's the last one they show they show in the little snippet in the trailer. Gainey is 1st then Huckabee then Duhame